Washington urges Americans to leave Gaza Strip after fatal attack

[Dreamer128]

Does it strike anyone else as suspicious that the attack took place only days after the United States used it Veto to block a resolution against the Isreali 'security wall?'

Washington urges Americans to leave Gaza Strip after fatal attack

The United States has urged all Americans to leave the Gaza Strip following an attack on a diplomatic convoy in which at least three US nationals were killed. The roadside bomb exploded at the entrance of the Jabalya refugee camp this morning, completely destroying a jeep bearing US diplomatic number plates. Body parts were recovered and bundled up in a bed sheet.

The victims were three security guards from the US embassy in Tel Aviv. At least one other man has been seriously wounded.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have denied any involvement. Palestinian militants often set off roadside bombs against Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip, but it is the first time US officials have been directly targetted. The blast came just hours after the US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel's controversial West Bank wall.

The US ambassador in Israel has called on the Palestinian Authority to track down the bombers, adding that Washington will keep seeking peace in the Middle East.

Shortly after the blast, Israeli tanks swept onto the scene, opening fire.

Palestinian policemen deployed to protect investigators fired at stone-throwing youths to try to disperse them.

Source: EuroNews.net

[ 10-15-2003, 05:21 PM: Message edited by: Dreamer128 ]

[Dreamer128]

Here is some background info from Reuters.com

Gaza Bomb Kills 3 Americans; Bush Condemns Attack
Wed October 15, 2003 04:57 PM ET

By Nidal al-Mughrabi
GAZA (Reuters) - A roadside bomb ripped through a U.S. diplomatic convoy in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing three American security men in the first deadly attack on a U.S. target in three years of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

President Bush, who has watched his Middle East peace "road map" fall apart amid tit-for-tat violence, vowed to "bring the terrorists to justice," blaming the bombing on a Palestinian failure to create an effective security force.

A silver, armor-plated jeep was reduced to mangled wreckage in the blast, which was apparently detonated by remote control and gouged a deep crater in the road. Body parts and debris were sprayed meters (yards) away and a black shoe lay on the ground.

Daniel Kurtzer, U.S. ambassador to Israel, said three security guards were killed and a fourth was wounded in the blast at the entrance to the crowded Jabalya refugee camp.

He said the delegation, escorted by Palestinian police vehicles, was on "official business," including interviewing students for U.S. university scholarships.

Washington named the three men killed as employees of the Dyncorp defense contracting company that was working for the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv and named them as John Branchizio, Mark Parson and John Martin Linde.

Kurtzer said the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was sending a team to Gaza and made clear they would play a leading role in the investigation.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. All the main Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, denied involvement.

It was the first time a U.S. convoy suffered a deadly attack in Israel or the Palestinian territories, where violence has raged since the Palestinian uprising for statehood began in September 2000 after peace talks stalled.

Following the bombing, the U.S. embassy advised all U.S. citizens to leave the Gaza Strip for their own safety.

U.S. URGES PALESTINIAN ACTION

Secretary of State Colin Powell urged Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie in a telephone call to act against militants.

"Palestinian authorities should have acted long ago to fight terror in all its forms," Bush said in a written statement.

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat condemned the bombing as "an ugly crime" and ordered an investigation.

A security official said Arafat named Ghazi al-Jabali, a tough security chief with a history of being tough on militants, as head of police for the West Bank and Gaza after the bombing in an indication Palestinians were keen to crack down.

"It is an unacceptable attack against foreign and diplomatic personnel," European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said.

Though some foreigners have been killed in suicide bombings in Israel, militants -- mindful of the Palestinians' need to avoid drawing U.S. ire or alienating the international community -- have insisted they only target Israelis.

Stone-throwing youths forced U.S. investigators to leave shortly after they arrived at the scene near the Jabalya camp.

A Reuters witness saw a detonator wire stretching about 100 meters (yards) from the blown-up vehicle into a factory area at the entrance to the camp near Gaza City, indicating the explosion was timed to hit the convoy.

A State Department spokeswoman said an explosive device planted in advance destroyed the second vehicle in the convoy.

"There was an explosion and one of the two jeeps blew up," witness Khaled Abu Nour told Reuters.

"It was terrible," said a Western diplomat who was near the site when the explosion occurred. "It's sad that people who came to help were killed that way."

Israel quickly pointed the finger at the Palestinians. "This is further proof that as long as the Palestinian Authority does not dismantle terrorist organizations, the process will not proceed," Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said in a statement. (Additional reporting by Allyn Fisher-Ilan, Wafa Amr, Dan Williams, Megan Goldin and Mark Heinrich)

[Skunk]

It *is* a strange occurence - and I am also suspicious for three reasons.
Firstly, Hamas et. al have *never* been too shy to admit to bombings (even of the worst kind)
Secondly, it isn't their Modus Operandi. Sophisicated radio controlled bombs are just not the way they tend to do things - and they are right when they say that they *never* target foreigners who are not settlers.

Thirdly, the group responsible had an amazingly accurate knowledge of the convoy route and time - how could groups like Hamas get hold of such security-sensitive information?

The bombing stinks of a setup.

[Timber Loftis]

Originally posted by Dreamer128: Does it strike anyone else as suspicious that the attack took place only days after the United States used it Veto to block a resolution against the Isreali 'security wall?'

No. It strikes me as simple, clear cause-and-effect. I feel dirty for our nation doing it, like I've had sex with... well, someone dirty like Sharon. Ewwww.....

[Dreamer128]

Originally posted by Skunk: The bombing stinks of a setup.

You think the Isreali government is assasinating Americans to gain sympathy? I don't know.. the American government already is pretty pro-Isreal, not to mention the huge risk involved in such a thing.

[WillowIX]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: No. It strikes me as simple, clear cause-and-effect. I feel dirty for our nation doing it, like I've had sex with... well, someone dirty like Sharon. Ewwww.....

I agree with the above, well not the sex part.

But it is interesting that no group has yet claimed the responsibility for this action. Usually that follows within the hour.

[Dreamer128]

Hm.. perhaps a group like Hamas was in fact targeting Isreali troops. After they learned they blew up Americans instead, they weren't so eager to claim responsibility anymore.

[Skunk]

Originally posted by Dreamer128: Hm.. perhaps a group like Hamas was in fact targeting Isreali troops. After they learned they blew up Americans instead, they weren't so eager to claim responsibility anymore.

Hamas doesn't use remote detonated bombs. Suicide bombers, Snipers and home-made missiles are their style - this was someone else. Besides, a civilian convoy is pretty distinguishable from a military one.

[Timber Loftis]

Maybe Hamas has upgraded and updated. Maybe they're realizing they will run out of foot soldiers sooner or later. Maybe they realized the only way to get a bomb to that spot was by putting it there before people were on it. Maybe some other group is involved. Maybe the US did it to back up its support for Israel at the UN.

So many conspiracy theories -- so little time.

[Skunk]

Well, I'm not offering any 'conspiracy' theories - I'm just keeping an open mind and looking at the evidence presented so far.

A final thought is to ask oneself who would gain from such an incident. Certainly not the US.
Hamas et.al *lose* by this incident too.
The PA suffers from it - Arafat has already recieved the usual condemnation for the world's evils.
Ordinary palestinians suffer directly as well.
Israel as a whole has nothing to gain from their deaths either.

Only one group and one group alone benefits from this - hardline factions within the Sharon government who can now say to Bush: "Stop pressuring us over the security wall - its there to protect ourselves from militants like the ones that killed your embassy staff"

I find it highly unlikely that Sharon would order such an act - but I do not discount the possibility of a rougue agent getting ahead of himself either.

Just keeping an open mind.