Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

Obama and Ki-Moon Fall to the Israeli Propaganda Trap About the Missing Soldier, Giving Cover to More Israeli Massacres of Palestinian Civilians in Gaza Strip

 

Editor's Note:

The US president, Barack Obama, and the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, fell to the Israeli propaganda trap about the missing Israeli Soldier, Hadar Goldin.

The Israelis announced that Hamas violated the Saturday humanitarian ceasefire by killing two Israeli soldiers and capturing a third, Hadar Goldin.

The Israeli terrorist forces used this announcement as an excuse to commit the Rafah massacres in which more than seventy Palestinians were killed and hundreds were injured.

Quickly, and without any verification, and despite the Hamas denial of capturing the Israeli soldier, the US president Barack Obama condemned the Hamas capture of the Israeli soldier and demanded his unconditional release!

Likewise, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, made a statement blaming the Palestinian resistance fighters, represented by Hamas, of violating the humanitarian truce by ambushing and capturing the Israeli soldier!

Now, the Israeli announcement that the investigation showed that the soldier was not captured by Hamas fighters and he was killed in the battlefield (most likely by Israeli fire, as Hamas reported).

What are Obama and Ki-Moon going to do now, after knowing that they fell to the Israeli propaganda trap, particularly as their statements helped the war-criminal Israeli terrorists commit the Rafah massacres?

Are they going to retract their statements and condemn the Israeli terrorists for the the massacres they committed in Gaza Strip?

Are they going to announce that they will no longer be biased in favor of the Israeli aggressors?

Are they going to announce that the Palestinian people have a right to live in peace in an independent state away from the continuous Israeli terrorist wars?

I sadly know that the answers to the above three questions are no, no, and no.

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Israel says missing soldier killed in battle, body still missing

Maan, 3/08/2014 22:24

GAZA CITY (AFP) --

The Israeli occupation terrorist army on Sunday announced the death of Hadar Goldin, a soldier who had been declared missing.

A special committee led by the army's chief rabbi said Lieutenant Goldin had been "killed in battle in the Gaza Strip on Friday," the Israeli armed forces said in a statement.

Military radio said that no body had been recovered, adding that this made the decision to announce Goldin's death a "very delicate" one.

There was no government word on the whereabouts of the soldier's remains.

Israel had previously said the soldier had been captured in battle, and in the wake of the announcement launched the deadliest 24-hour assault on Gaza since the beginning of the 27-day operation that has killed more than 1,700 Palestinians.

Israel also refused to abide by an agreed-upon 72-hour ceasefire in the wake of the attack, which Hamas said came before the ceasefire came into effect and after a night in which Israeli attacks killed 16 people and forces had deployed deep into eastern Rafah.

Hamas's armed wing, Ezzuddin Al-Qassam Brigades, had acknowledged its resistance fighters staged an ambush early Friday in which two Israeli soldiers were killed, but denied holding Goldin.

Goldin's death brings Israeli army deaths to 64 since the start of hostilities on July 8, its heaviest toll since the 2006 war against the Lebanese Hezbollah.

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Obama Demands Hamas Release Captured Israeli Soldier

The Blaze, Aug. 1, 2014 4:10pm Fred Lucas

President Barack Obama said that that if Hamas is serious about ending its current conflict with Israel, they must release an Israeli soldier captured Friday.

President Barack Obama speaks to reporters at the White House, Friday, Aug. 1, 2014. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

“It is very hard to put a cease-fire back together if Israel and the international community cannot feel confidence that Hamas won’t follow through,” Obama told reporters at the White House. “I want to make sure that they are listening. If they are serious about trying to resolve this situation, that soldier needs to be unconditionally released as soon as possible.”

Obama administration officials earlier this week criticized Israel after the shelling of a United Nations schools in Gaza. Secretary of State John Kerry brokered a 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire, but Hamas violated it Friday, killing two Israeli soldiers and abducting another, Israel said. Hamas, for its part, has denied abducting the soldier.

Obama said Kerry has worked hard and has “endured unfair criticism.”

“When we see John Kerry try to broker a cease-fire, we should support it,” Obama said. “We shouln’t be nitpicking.”

Touching on a number of topics, Obama also criticized Congress for not passing his request for $3.7 billion to deal with the flood of unaccompanied illegal immigrant children coming across the boarder.

Obama insisted that he and Republicans “were in 80 percent agreement.”

Instead, he said the Republican-controlled House wants to pass a separate border bill that he said he would veto.

“House Republicans are trying to pass a more extreme version of the bill that can’t pass the Senate and if it did, I’d veto it,” Obama said.

There have been several reports that Obama is considering an executive order that would grant legal status to illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes. He wasn’t specific about that.

“Our efforts administratively so far have helped to slow the tide of child migrants trying to come to our country,” Obama said. “But without additional resources and help from Congress, we’re just not going to have the resources we need to fully solve the problem. that means while they’re out on vacation, I’m going to have to make some tough choices to meet the challenge, with or without Congress.”

Obama also boasted about economic growth, after reports that 200,000 jobs were added in July. He called it the best six-month streak since 1997.

“What we did worked, and the economy is better,” Obama said. “Six months of job growth hasn’t happened in 17 years. That shows persistence.”

Obama, who himself is taking a two-week vacation in August, criticized Congress for taking a five-week vacation without passing important legislation.

The president took a question as to whether the U.S. has lost global influence.

“People forget that America, as the most powerful country on Earth, still does not control every country around the world,” Obama said.

Obama said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday about the country’s arming of Russian separatists in Ukraine.

“I told him just as we will do what we say with sanctions, we will also do what we say in diplomacy if Russia does respect the sovereignty of Ukraine,” Obama said.

Regarding the Ebola outbreak in Africa, Obama said that proper measures are being taken for the gathering of African leaders in Washington next week. He said the outbreak has affected three country out of the 50 that will be represented.

“We feel confident that the procedures put in place are appropriate,” Obama said.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/08/01/obama-demands-hamas-release-captured-israeli-soldier/


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UN Chief Blames Hamas for Breaking Cease-Fire

UNITED NATIONS — Aug 1, 2014, 4:08 PM ET By EDITH M. LEDERER

Associated Press

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon blamed Hamas on Friday for violating the cease-fire in Gaza and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of an Israeli soldier reportedly captured after it started.

The U.N. chief urged both sides "to show maximum restraint and return to the agreed 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire that tragically lasted such a brief period of time," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Ban urged "those with influence over the parties to do everything to convince them to observe the humanitarian cease-fire," he said.

"The secretary-general condemns in the strongest terms the reported violation by Hamas of the mutually agreed humanitarian ceasefire which commenced this morning," Dujarric said. "He is shocked and profoundly disappointed by these developments."

Ban noted that the U.N. has no independent means to verify exactly what happened Friday morning, Dujarric said, but according to the latest reports, two IsraeIi soldiers were killed and one taken captive after the cease-fire came into effect.

"This would constitute a grave violation of the cease-fire, and one that is likely to have very serious consequences for the people of Gaza, Israel and beyond," Dujarric said. "Such moves call into question the credibility of Hamas' assurances to the United Nations."

Israel and Hamas accused each other of breaking the cease-fire, which had been announced by the United States and the United Nations and took effect at 8:00 a.m. local time on Friday. The fighting broke out less than two hours later, and the apparent capture of the Israeli soldier could lead to a major escalation of the 25-day-old conflict.

Dujarric also said Ban is also concerned at the resumption of Israeli attacks on Gaza that killed over 70 Palestinians Friday morning.

Arab nations have requested "an informal meeting" of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly to discuss "the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza," according to a letter sent to Assembly President John Ashe.

U.N. political chief Jeffrey Feltman also told reporters that Ban is "profoundly disappointed" that the assurances from Hamas were not kept.

According to the Israeli army, an hour after Friday's cease-fire started, gunmen emerged from one or more Gaza tunnels and opened fire at Israeli soldier. During the ensuing mayhem, an Israeli army lieutenant was apparently captured, while another two soldiers were killed.

Feltman said he "is convinced" that Hamas knew Israel could carry out defensive operations such as tunnel destruction during the cease-fire.

"Perhaps some will deny that now, but, yes, it was very clear in the diplomacy being done yesterday ... that the Israelis were going to continue to try to do destruction of tunnels," he said. "So I don't think — rightly or wrongly — it should have been any surprise to anyone that Israelis were going to continue their tunnel operation given their own public statements."

The joint U.N.-US statement announcing Friday's cease-fire said all parties would send delegations to Cairo for negotiations aimed at reaching a lasting truce.

Feltman said the Egyptian government was hosting the talks and had issued invitations, so a decision is up to them. He said he has "a hard time envisioning how these talks would work right now" since they were predicated on a cease-fire.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/chief-blames-hamas-breaking-cease-fire-24808235