Two tons of explosives found in humanitarian aid to Gaza

[henank]

from Ynet

Security workers employed by the Israel Airport Authority uncovered two tons of fertilizer used in the manufacturing of Qassam rockets on Monday afternoon, the substantial amount of explosive material was concealed in a truck allegedly transporting humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

The security officials manning the Kerem Shalom border crossing discovered the smuggling attempt during a random inspection of vehicles carrying humanitarian equipment and goods.

This is the second such incident to occur this week.

...

Despite the security restrictions and economic siege of Gaza, Israel allows the transfer of medical equipment and drugs into Gaza at the insistence of the World Health Organization.

[Violet_Crumble]

1. I better ring our anti-terrorism hotline and dob in the local garden centre! n/t

[oberliner]

3. What do you mean by that remark?

Do you not believe that this is significant?

[Violet_Crumble]

4. What I mean is fertiliser is NOT explosives...

I thought it was pretty clear what I meant....

Now, without knowing which humanitarian group it is (eg Oxfam), nor any real detail, why do you assume fertiliser is explosives?

[oberliner]

5. From what I understand, the fertilizer is a key ingredient in making the rockets

Here is an article from the CSM that talks about the process a bit:

Fertilizer, frustration fuel Gaza's rockets

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0115/p06s01-wome.html

[Violet_Crumble]

10. So what? So is sugar....

..at least according to the article. Does that mean that the key use of any fertiliser or sugar* is to produce explosives? Or are there much more mundane and common uses for fertiliser like agriculture? I assume that there are farmers in Gaza?

The article's title is misleading. While fertiliser could be used to produce an explosive, it is not an explosive, and the article also doesn't supply the slightest shred of evidence that this shipment of fertiliser was going to be used for anything but its common use in agriculture. Also, as I mentioned before it doesn't mention what human rights organisation it was...

* Anyway, I'm heading off now to make myself a cuppa with two spoons of explosives in it! ;)

[Vegasaurus]

6. Usually you don't hide fertilizer in with humanitarian needs

I think that's what would raise a very big red flag

[Violet_Crumble]

11. You don't know that human rights groups supply agricultural needs?

And the only ones saying it was hidden are you and the reporters who despite the fact that the destination of the shipment wasn't known to them, were rabbiting on about terrorists in a style John Howard and his terrorist fridge magnets would have been proud.

Here's some information for you to read on how human rights groups aid the agricultural sector in the Occupied Territories...

http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-83276-201_060051-1-IDRC_ADM_INFO.html

http://www.fao.org/reliefoperations/pdf/WBGS_proposals.pdf

[ProgressiveMuslim]

7. Goddam them! Farming shall hencewith be a terror activity!! nt

[Shaktimaan]

8. I take your remark to mean either

1. you do not think that this fertilizer was intended to be used for explosives, but for growing plants, or

2. that you think it's funny that Hamas is using humanitarian aid as a cover for importing explosives ingredients.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

13. Nah, just a wry attempt to point out the futility of the collective punishment

which does, IMO, approach unbearable.

[Shaktimaan]

14. Gotcha.

You'll get no argument from me that Gaza right now is a tragedy. But if Israel ever really became threatened by a new kind of Qassam, (for example), that could carry heavier explosives to Tel Aviv or even Ashkelon, then they would be forced to stop them using any means necessary, which would be far worse news for the average Gazan. That would make life truly unbearable.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

16. "all we have left is our breath"

That quote was from a Gazan villager interviewed on Al Jazeera.

"they have taken our jobs, taken our food, taken our water...all we have left is our breath."

Really, Shakti, other than nuking them, or making the men watch as the women are raped, I don't think there is much punishment left.

[msmcghee]

9. Tomothy McVeigh destroyed the OK City Fedaral Building . .

. . with 2.5 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer.

According to Wiki:

The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist attack on April 19, 1995 aimed at the U.S. government in which the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed in an office complex in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The attack claimed 168 lives and left over 800 injured. Until the September 11, 2001 attacks, it was the deadliest act of terrorism on U.S. soil.<1>

Damn those farmers.

[oberliner]

2. It seems to me that the leadership in Gaza ought to make firing Qassams at Israel a lower priority

I'm not sure I understand what they are gaining tactically by continuing to pursue that particular facet of their "resistance".

All it does is reinforce the idea that Hamas supports/endorses terrorism (i.e. shooting rockets at Israeli civilian areas) and provide some justification for Israel's concerns regarding their shared border.

[patch1234]

12. Gaza leadership couldn't control every gang,

even if it wanted to.

[Shaktimaan]

15. But it doesn't want to.

Nor is it trying. Which is all anyone could reasonably expect.

[eyl]

17. Not the same instance, but

Israel said on Saturday it had recently seized a truck carrying chemicals used to make explosives hidden in bags marked as EU aid for the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

The army said 6.5 tons of potassium nitrate were in bags marked as sugar from the European Union for Palestinians in the coastal enclave.

EU officials in Jerusalem had no immediate comment.

The cargo in a Palestinian truck was traveling in the West Bank and seized several weeks ago at an Israeli checkpoint, the army said.

YNet