[Transcript]  War on Gaza: Day 19 - 1/14/09

Presenter, Male #1
On the 19th day of the war on Gaza, the Israeli occupying forces continue their missile attacks, and their arterially shelling of Palestinian towns. The Israeli military has admitted that ten of its soldiers were wounded in separate battles with the Palestinian resistance last night. One of those injured is the leader of unit number 101. Were 17 Palestinians martyred, and tens of others wounded. The number of martyrs since the beginning of the war has gone up to 992, including more than 315 children, and about 80 women. The number of injured is 4530; half of which are children and women.

Presenter, Female #1
As for the Israeli forces, they said that the number of Israeli soldiers killed is 10, and the number of those injured is 130. Israeli internal intelligence sources have added that the number of civilians killed is 4 and about 1300 wounded, most are suffering from panic attacks. The number of rockets that fell on the southern Israel since the beginning of the war on Gaza has reached 560, and about 200 mortar rockets. Al Kasam brigades said that they have killed more than 30 soldiers and wounded about 300 others. They added that they fired more than 350 rockets, 90 of which were grad rockets.

Reporter, Female # 2
The Israeli actions are very obvious and the smoke proves it. The sky of the city is covered with white smoke from the attacks of the Israeli air force. This air force has indiscriminately dropped rockets and bombs of different types on areas inhabited by civilians. In the middle of Gaza the residents are suffocating from the destruction and fires. Agony though, hurts longer than actual destruction and fire.

Guest, Female #3
Where should we go, where should we go. This is not fair, fear God. Where is the world? This is not fair,Oh My God!

Reporter, Female # 2
She says where should we go? What is happening is not fair. Unfortunately no one is listening to you mam? You and others are victims of a war that does not know what is forbidden and what is fair. And an international community that is not capable of stopping Israel, and stopping the craziness of their weapons. The arterially shells have fell extensively on the areas of Atatra, Al Salateen, and on the north west and north east of beit Lahya, also on Jabalya, Al Zaytoon neighborhood and other areas. The scene here looks like an area that was hit by a huge earth quake on Richter scale. Even the cemeteries were hit. The cemeteries and the dead under the soil got hit by this hysteric shelling. What danger does the dead in the Sheikh Radwan cemetery impose on Israeli security? The number of the Palestinian Martyrs is close to 1000, and there is no hope that this is coming to an end. According to the Israeli Narrative, its military has advanced hundreds of meters into residential areas. They have made it clear that the reserves who joined a few days ago have taken their place. All of this hate, destruction, and killing are only part of the first two phases. What will happen when the green light is given to start what Israel calls the third phase? Olmert is not in a rush to end this war. He said it honestly, that “we must find a strategy for victory no matter how long that will take”. This means that peace in the area has taken its last few breaths, yet it did not officially declare its death for strategic reasons.

[Summary]

At least three Katusha rockets fired from Lebanon hit Northern Israel this morning reigniting fears of a second front opening during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The IDF responded by firing a number of artillery rounds at the source of the fire in Southern Lebanon.

Presenter, Man # 1
The Israeli Election committee banned two Arab Israeli parties from participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections which are supposed to take place on February 10TH. The two Arab parties are accused of refusing Israel’s right of existence. The committee in effect had voted in favor a memorandum that was submitted by extremist right wing groups. The two Arab Israeli parties: the National Democratic Collation and the Arab Movement for Change said that the committees’ decision is racist and fascist. They also said that they will submit a grievance to the Israeli Supreme Court despite the courts pre advanced announcement that it will reject to look into such complaints from Arab parties.

Reporter, Man # 2
It seems that the solidarity of Palestinians living in Israeli with the Palestinians who live under fire in Gaza has provoked the Israel establishment which has been demanding an iron fist policy with Arab Israelis, day and night. This kind Israeli of incitement has now reached the Knesset and policy makers. The Knesset election committee decided to ban from the elections the National Democratic Collation, the Arab Movement for Change and the United Arab List.
This means that the Arab Israelis citizens will be denied their right to be represented in the Knesset despite the bragging of Israeli officials about their democracy.

Guest, Man # 3
I think that Israel is launching two wars at the same time; one bloody war in Gaza where bloodshed is talking place and civilization is destroyed. The other war is against the Arab Israeli minority inside Israel. Israel considers every Arab in the Middle East as an enemy and a source of threat or as a ticking bomb.

Reporter, Man # 2
The Israeli establishment was swayed by the extremist parties which focus on incitement against Arab citizens their. These extremists are led by the Israel Beteno, political party of Avregader Liebermann, who has been vocal in his demands to expel Arabs outside country. Those who submitted the memorandum against Arab Israeli parties said that the National Democratic Collation, the Arab Movement for Change and the united Arab List are against Zionism. Some said that Arab leaders should be expelled to Gaza where they belong.

Guest, Man # 4
We are absolutely going to boycott the Knesset elections; but that does not change the fact that every political party has the right to participate in the elections. Considering the importance of having right to dissent in the Knesset, we support the right of these Arab Israeli parties to participate in the elections.

Guest, Man # 5
The committee’s decision is not based on any legal ground, and they have no evidence proving the alleged accusations. I hope that the committee’s decision will be reversed. Our responsibility is to hold the Supreme Court accountable for these challenges.

Reporter, Man # 2
Defense lowers said that the demands to cross the names of Arab Israeli parties from the upcoming Israeli elections are not based on legal grounds, rather they are politically motivated.
This clearly reflects a desire to punish the Arab Israeli population for their opposition to the aggression on Gaza and solidity with their Palestinian brothers.

Guest, Man # 6
We have to take into consideration that it is a war environment. All of Israel including its judiciary system and other institutions are experiencing war hysteria. The war is affecting all of Israel and its society. Hatred towards Arab and the Palestinians has increased everywhere including the Palestinians and Arabs who live inside Israel.

Reporter, Man # 2
Israeli racism has now reached the Israeli law makers. It seems that the Israeli officials are not satisfied with hitting Palestinians in Gaza, they also want to silence the Arab Israeli population inside Israel by preventing them from running in the Knesset elections. This will delver the final blow to whatever was left of what they call democracy. For Al Madar program, Said Hasanin, Abu Dhabi Chanel, Al Nasra.

Presenter, Female #1
“Gaza hospitals are a tragic case.” In these words, the European Medical Delegation described the situation in Gaza hospitals. The delegation said that the medical sector in the Gaza Strip has been going through rough times since the Israeli aggression started there. Despite their limited ability, Gaza hospitals kept their doors open to receive the thousands of injured civilians. Amidst this, Gaza hospitals have sent a humanitarian message… a message of defiance against the ongoing Israeli hostile fire. Ismat Tarabi reports.

Reporter, Female #2
A painful picture that is reproducing itself day and night. Ceasing operations at Gaza hospitals is prohibited. Gaza hospitals have become accustomed to seeing critical cases like these… cases suffering from an extremely harsh humanitarian condition. With the Israeli war machinery continuing its heinous crimes against the Palestinians, Gaza doctors are scrambling to carry out their humanitarian duties amidst a sharp shortage of medical supplies. Here in these hospitals, there’s no time to waste, as hospital beds are filled with injured infants, elder men, and woman.

Guest, Male #2
I don’t know what Livni said but what I know is that the only victims I have seen are civilians. I didn’t see any injured fighters. However, I did see injured children, elders, and women.

Reporter, Female #2
Pictures are the best proof thereto. This comes after the European Medical Delegation has entered Gaza under the hostile fire of the Israeli army. The delegation was shocked by the dim conditions at Gaza hospitals, which are suffering from a sharp shortage of medical supplies. This crisis is not limited to the health sector, as crises come in different forms and faces.

Guest, Male #3
We started to witness here in Rafah and Khan Yunis a real problem of malnutrition. The people don’t have food and they are starving. This is a real blockade amidst a fierce war, with the children and the injured are the primary victims.

Reporter, Female #2
The malnutrition, which is affecting nearly 40% of the total children of Gaza, is not the only threat facing the children. The spread of deadly diseases is threatening Gaza children and may strike at any time, just like Israeli missiles, which have destroyed their childhood and robbed their innocence.

Presenter, Female #1
The US arm shipment, which was supposed to be sent to Israel via Greece, has been canceled.
The US military said the delay was due to security threats in the Israeli Ashdod Port during the war on Gaza. However, an Israeli military spokesman said that the shipment was called off due to a request by the Greek government. This news comes after the Greek government has been criticized by the opposition for allowing the use of its port for the shipment of arms to Israel. During a speech before the Congress, US Secretary of State-Elect, Hillary Clinton said that the upcoming US Administration will not hold a dialogue with Hamas. Clinton linked any dialogue between her country and Hamas to the latter’s recognition of Israel and renunciation violence. She further said that Washington will deal with Israel’s security needs and the Palestinian legitimate expectations in the framework of the country’s pragmatic foreign policy.

Host, Man # 1
Al Arabiya reporter said that 12 Israeli soldiers were injured during clashes with Palestinian fighters in areas surrounding the Gaza city. Today’s morning, Israel has launched new air strikes on Gaza after a relatively quite night for the first time since the Israeli incursion started 18 days ago. Eyes witnesses said that last night which witnessed relatively less Israeli air strikes has also witnessed violent clashes between the Israeli army and armed Palestinians.

Reporter, Man # 2
The 19TH day of the Israeli attack on the Gaza strip was marked with new air strikes after a relatively quite night. The morning raids targeted the municipality building in the old city of Gaza which has been used as headquarters for local courts in the past years. As fierce battles between armed Palestinians and Israeli soldiers too place in the middle of the city, war planes continue to hit targets in southern Gaza. News reports indicate that the Israeli forces are getting closer to neighborhoods adjacent to Gaza city. They are now engaged in street warfare with armed Palestinians. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli Special Forces went several meters inside many of the neighborhoods surrounding the Gaza city and that the sounds of heavy clashes were heard in these areas. Israeli tanks invaded areas in Tel Al Hawa in southern Gaza and clashed with armed Palestinians. The Israeli army announced that its air force has hit more than 100 targets in Gaza including five tunnels along the Egyptian borders. The Israeli army however acknowledged that three solders were injured during clashes with the Palestinians including an army officer who was injured when a bomb exploded in a house he was searching.

Presenter, Man # 1
The Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani, and his Lebanese, Syria, and Indonesian counter parts have left Beirut to Amman. The objective of this diplomatic trip which will end in Turkey is to coordinate efforts in order to stop Israeli massacres in Gaza.

Reporter, Man # 1
Since Israel imposed a siege on Gaza, Iranian citizens have been concerned about the Palestinians there. They wanted to end the suffering which has reached every Palestinian home there. One ship lauded with aid sailed from Iran’s regional water towards Gaza’s coats.
However before the ship was allowed to anchor there, Israel was started attacking Gaza from land, land and sea. This attack has violated all international laws thus creating a wave of anger among Iranians. In the meantime Iran has intensified it is diplomatic efforts to stop the ongoing massacre against the Palestinian people. The Iranian leaders have a clear idea on how to reach results; they do not waste their time in countries that are mainly concerned with Israeli interests and prioritize them over anything else. Iran’s diplomatic efforts are focused on recruiting reasonable countries that are not known to have distant relations with the Palestinian resistance.
At least they are neutral, and do not play the game of cornering the resistance and undermining it. The Iranian diplomatic efforts are exerted on several fronts, at the Islamic level; Iran is working with Turkey as well as other Asian countries. At the Arabic level, Iran is working with Syria, Qatar, Oman and Lebanon.

Guest, Man # 3
All efforts must be coordinated in order to stop the massacres that are committed by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza. We hope that these efforts are productive.

Reporter, Man # 2
The ministerial delegations that were sent by Tehran to many countries, especially in Latin America, come in this context. In addition, Iranian is working on other front based on suggestions made by resistance factions. Meetings were held in Damascus between the Iranian parliament speaker and the leaderships of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. In contrast, these factions were absent from the discussions between western countries and the Arab group at the United Nations Security Council. The success of these diplomatic efforts depends mainly on the participation of those that are directly involved in the fighting and are affected on the ground.
This is the third week of aggression and the resistance still has high morale. They continue to fight in northern Gaza where confrontations are talking place in many different areas.

Presenter, FEMALE #1
With the continued aggression in the Gaza Strip, in this report we review the tactics and weapons that both sides are using-the Hamas Movement and the Occupation Forces-in the war on Gaza.

Reporter, MALE #1
Every war has its strategy and military tactics that differ according to the topography of the region. In Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, there is a special strategy. Israel’s objective from this war is to stop the launch of missiles on its southern towns from Gaza. Until it achieves this objective, Israel’s tactic is to hit Hamas from the air, land and water until there is only one option for Hamas, which is to end its confrontation. Among Israel’s strategy is to guarantee that Hamas will not be rearmed. So it is destroying the smuggling tunnels between southern Gaza and Egypt and preventing it from reinstituting them. In order to achieve this, it is studying how to control the narrow area of land known as the Philadelphia crossing. It is a major escalation that represents great risks. Meanwhile, Hamas’ strategy relies on not surrendering to this Israeli attack and continuing to launch rockets daily in a sign that it will be able to declare victory through its abilities to continue fighting for another day. As for the balance of weapons on both sides: The Israeli army is one of the largest and most advanced armies in the world in terms of technology. These forces are equipped with advanced monitoring and spy systems. It can call up on strike forces of tanks, planes and war ships. Meanwhile, Hamas has an estimated 25,000 fighters, who armed with light arms and rockets. Israel says Hamas also has more advanced anti-tank missiles and they may have shoulder-held anti-aircraft missiles that can hit helicopters or low-flying planes. This, despite the fact that it is not clear whether any weapons like these were used. Armed Palestinians say that they have overcome many obstacles on land such as landmines and trenches. Hamas has carried out dozens of attacks inside Israel and it says that its men and women can recommence this type of tactic now. One of the advantages of Israel’s tactics is that Israel has completed comprehensive studies of the region, which it conducted while it occupied Gaza militarily before it withdrew from there in 2005. Its forces have the advantage of receiving high-level training and their advanced communication and monitoring systems can not be leaked to the Palestinians. These forces also have the advantage of making a slow advance, thus preventing them from being ambushed. According to military analysts, the advantage of Hamas’ tactics is its large reliance on civilians. Hamas appears to try to draw the Israeli forces into residential areas, where the alleyways are narrow