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Palestinians 'not given gas masks' national |
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news report
 Friday March 21, 2003 16:44 by auntie beeb
 Around 60,000 Palestinians in the West Bank are under Israeli security and administrative control. The Israeli army has not distributed gas masks to Palestinians in parts of the West Bank, despite a ruling by the Israeli High Court. Palestinians 'not given gas masks' The Israeli army has not distributed gas masks to Palestinians in parts of the West Bank, despite a ruling by the Israeli High Court. Around 60,000 Palestinians in the West Bank are under Israeli security and administrative control. According to the Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, Israel is obliged to give this equipment to people living in these areas. The Israeli army says it is still assessing the situation and preparing to distribute protective kits, but is awaiting a final decision to go ahead. Palestinians have criticised the decision, with cabinet minister Ghassan Khatib calling it racist and discriminatory. Public warnings Israel had already distributed gas masks throughout Israel as aUS-led war on Iraq seemed imminent, ordering people to carry them at all times. Israelis have also been told to buy supplies and prepare sealed rooms in their homes. Israel makes war preparations Although the Israeli Government believes that there is only a small chance that Iraq will fire missiles this time, it says it must take precautions. Many people in Tel Aviv say they are so used to war that the extra threat has not made much difference to their lives. "This is not our war, we've been told the risk is almost non-existent," Amir, a butcher in the city told French news agency AFP. "Some of us brought radios just in case, but it's like following a football match." The Israeli army has now called up thousands of reservists. It says it is ready to use its anti-missile systems, developed with the US after the last Gulf War. It has two systems - the short-range Patriot and the longer-range Arrow, although BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Marcus says the Arrow is so far untested in real combat situations.
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Comments (6 of 6)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2866357.stm
Now let's see what the Zionist armchair generals have to say to this one ...
I thought that there was no discrimination against non-Jewish Israelis in Israel .....
Israel has supplied masks to those few Palestinians (we're not talking about Israeli Arabs, who get them automatically anyway as Israeli citizens) under its direct administrative control but is under no obligation to supply them to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Anyone can get a gas mask for 200 shekels anyway.
As usual, the BBC is biased and in this case hasn't even bother to check the facts closely. Proof, in fact, that it has gotten its knickers in a very bad twist is demonstrated by an article it wrote last month in which it totally contradicts this one. I quote from that article,
" Israel has handed out gas masks to all Israelis and Palestinians in areas still under Israel's administrative authority amid fears Iraq will retaliate against Israel if it comes under attack. "
The full link to the article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2776357.stm
In any case, a lot of Israelis, myself included, remember the Palestinians cheering and dancing in the streets back in 1991 every time a Scud landed in Israel, and parading around with huge portraits of Saddam Hussein. He still pays the families of suicide bombers thousands of dollars as a reward and incentive. Now, they are complaining about not getting gas masks from us! Anyway, if it cared, the Palestinian authority could have bought them instead of funding Arafat's lifestyle options. Of course, Arafat is very palsy with Saddam, so maybe he thought they won't need them, I don't know...
In fact, the Palestinians are still cheering on Saddam.
Check this out from the AP:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-War-Palestinians.html