Summary
Israel mobilized 16,000 additional reservists Thursday to bolster forces fighting in Gaza as Washington gave its ally the go-ahead to raid stocks of emergency U.S. weapons stored on Israeli soil.
The call-up, which raised the total number of Israeli reservists to 86,000, came shortly after Washington said it had agreed to restock Israel’s dwindling supplies of ammunition, despite rising concern over the death toll in Gaza, where more than 1,374 people have been killed.
It also came after the U.N. and the U.S. sharply condemned the shelling of a U.N. school in Gaza, which killed 16 people and wounded scores, in an attack blamed on Israel.
Shortly afterwards, the Pentagon said it had granted an Israeli request for ammunition, including some from a stockpile stored by the U.S. military on the ground in Israel for emergency use by the Jewish state.
In Israel, 56 soldiers have died and Hamas rocket fire has killed three civilians, two Israelis and a Thai national
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jul-31/265568-israel-says-days-from-destroying-tunnels.ashx#ixzz392rJ9PVq
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
A displaced Palestinian taking shelter at a U.N. school receives treatment at the Kamal Edwan hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip early July 31, 2014. (AFP Photo/Mohammad Abed)
Once I spoke to the top UN diplomat Brahimi about the Palestinian / Israeli conflict. My point was that it was not necessary to negotiate with Israel, it would be more appropriate to negotiate with the US to stop backing Israel in all their criminal activities. His short answer was: “It will never happen”. (unfortunately his is right).