Sunday, December 30, 2007

SUGAR TIME!


When next you hear or read about the suffering caused to Palestinians by the existence of Israeli checkpoints, please think about this story from Ha'aretz newspaper Chemicals used in making explosives caught at West Bank checkpoint about the apprehension of a truck at a crossing point in the West Bank carrying approximately 6.5 tons of potassium nitrate intended for use by terrorists in the Gaza Strip inside bags of sugar.

There is so much in the news today about the effects on the suffering of the Palestinian population resulting from blockades and the difficulty of moving goods at crossings, much of it anecdotal evidence taken from sympathetic reporters who appear reluctant to investigate their true circumstances. We hear very little of attempts to end violence and incitement to violence by their leaders and agreed upon with the international community that would go a long way to resolving issues of "blockades" and "checkpoints". We hear and read even less about the suffering of those on the receiving end of that violence - the Israelis who suffer daily attacks and the Palestinians of who the death toll at the hands of fellow Palestinians engaged in violent acts has just passed 600 for the calendar year - a disturbing fact that surprisingly remains unreported in the mainstream media.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why?

"The terror organizations disguised the Potassium Nitrate in sugar bags that were marked as being part of the humanitarian aid provided by the European Union," the IDF said.

"This is another example of how the terror organizations exploit the humanitarian aid that is delivered to the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip with Israel's approval."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wilbur, could you please post the odds about this story ever being published in the Melbourne Age?

Anonymous said...

This would be Ed's take on the story:

Historically, nitre-beds were prepared by mixing manure with either mortar or wood ashes, common earth and organic materials such as straw to give porosity to a compost pile typically 1.5 meters high by 2 meters wide by 5 metres long. The heap was usually under a cover from the rain, kept moist with urine, turned often to accelerate the decomposition and leached with water after approximately one year. The liquid containing various nitrates was then converted with wood ashes to potassium nitrates, crystallized and refined for use in gunpowder.

Potassium nitrate known as saltpeter is also used to suppress the sexual appetites of prisoners.

To deprive these people of fertilizer, explosive material and sex suppressants, the Zionists have clearly overstepped the mark here in their efforts to humiliate the Palestinians under their cruel military occupation.