Israel Rules Out Negotiations for Soldier

[cali]

By JOSEF FEDERMAN

Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM (AP) - With troops poised to invade Gaza, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday ruled out bargaining with the captors of an Israeli soldier and promised a ``broad and ongoing'' military offensive.

But large-scale army action appeared unlikely. Officials said they were pursuing a diplomatic solution and conceded that a broad attack would threaten the life of the 19-year-old hostage captured Sunday.

After more than 24 hours of silence, the militants claiming to hold Cpl. Gilad Shalit issued their first demands Monday. The groups, linked to the Hamas-led Palestinian government, said Israel should release all imprisoned Palestinian women and children under 18 in return for information about Shalit.

Olmert rejected the demand. Addressing Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, he charged that the Palestinian attack on an army post at a Gaza crossing and the abduction of the soldier were part of a ``murderous, hateful, fanatical Islamic extremist desire to destroy the state of Israel.''

<snip>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5912644,00.html

[applegrove]

1. 19 years old. The freaks in the middle east are learning from Iraq

all the time.

[Violet_Crumble]

2. You do realise the freaks aren't just in the Middle East?

Taking combatants prisoner has always been a common practice in most conflicts, and the US has done its fair share of it*. And many combatants in this particular conflict are in their late teens or early twenties...

* thought I'd point out that when mentioning the US, many of those at Gitmo weren't even combatants, which puts the US in the #1 spot if you want to call anyone freaks...

Violet...