Israeli official warns Palestinians of "shoah" [holocaust ]
Adam Entous and Joseph Nasr , Reuters
Published: Friday, February 29, 2008JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A senior Israeli defense official said on Friday that Palestinians firing rockets from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip would bring upon themselves what he termed a "shoah," the Hebrew word for holocaust or disaster.
The word is rarely used in Israel outside discussions of the Nazi Holocaust of Jews. Many Israelis are loath to countenance its use to describe other contemporary events. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the Palestinians faced "new Nazis."
Israeli leaders said cross-border rocket fire may leave them no choice but to launch a broader military offensive against Hamas, which seized Gaza in June after routing forces loyal to Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
One Israeli was killed in a rocket attack on Wednesday in the southern border town of Sderot. Hamas raised the stakes by using Soviet-designed Grad missiles, more powerful and accurate than improvised Gazan Qassams, to strike deep into the larger city of Ashkelon, home to 120,000 people.
Visiting Ashkelon, defense Minister Ehud Barak told Channel 10 television an Israeli response was "required" and that "Hamas bears responsibility for this deterioration and it will also bear the results."
Deputy defense Minister Matan Vilnai told Army Radio earlier that "the more Qassam (rocket) fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they (the Palestinians) will bring upon themselves a bigger 'shoah' because we will use all our might to defend ourselves."
Vilnai's spokesman said: "Mr. Vilnai was meaning 'disaster'. He did not mean to make any allusion to the genocide."
Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Arye Mekel, said: "Deputy defense Minister Matan Vilnai used the Hebrew phrase that included the term 'shoah' in Hebrew in the sense of a disaster or a catastrophe, and not in the sense of a holocaust."
Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's prime minister in the Gaza Strip, said: "This is a proof of Israel's pre-planned aggressive intentions against our people. They want the world to condemn what they call the Holocaust and now they are threatening our people with a holocaust."
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has so far been wary of launching a major ground offensive, which could incur heavy casualties and derail U.S.-backed peace talks with Abbas. But domestic pressure is growing.
MAJOR OPERATION
According to Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Barak sought to prepare the way for an offensive by sending confidential messages to world leaders, including U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who will visit the region next week.
"Israel is not keen on and rushing for an offensive, but Hamas is leaving us no choice," Barak told them, Yedioth said.
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An injured Palestinian woman is helped after an Israeli missile on a building used by the Islamic group Hamas in Gaza City, late Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008. (AP / Hatem Moussa)
Hindu, India - 1 hour ago
"The more [rocket] fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they [the Palestinians] will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust because we ...
Video: Palestinian rockets into Israel - 28 Feb 08
AlJazeeraEnglish Israel Warns of Approaching Gaza Invasion Voice of America
all 2,324 news articles »
| Israel minister warns of 'holocaust' St George & Sutherland Shire Leader, Australia - 13 hours ago Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai says the Palestinians will bring on themselves a bigger "holocaust" by stepping up rocket attacks on Israel ... |
| Israeli Minister Threatens Gaza "Holocaust" Democracy Now, NY - 7 hours ago Vilnai said: "The more Qassam fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, [the Palestinians] will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust ... |
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