Terrorists use children who don't want to die . .

[Randy]

HAWARA CHECKPOINT, West Bank (March 24) - A 16-year-old Palestinian with a suicide bomb vest strapped to his body was caught at a crowded West Bank checkpoint Wednesday, setting off a tense encounter with Israeli soldiers whom the army said he was sent to kill.
The soldiers, taking cover behind concrete barriers, sent a yellow army robot to bring scissors to the teenager so he could cut off the vest. They then made him strip to his underwear to ensure he was unarmed before detaining him.
Members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in the Balata refugee camp next to Nablus claimed responsibility for the latest in a series of foiled attacks on Israel by Palestinian youths. Al-Aqsa is loosely linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement.
The family of the teenager, identified as Hussam Abdo, said he was gullible and easily manipulated.
''He doesn't know anything, and he has the intelligence of a 12 year old,'' said his brother, Hosni.
Since the Israeli assassination of Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin on Monday, Israel has been on high alert. Hamas has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks in recent years.
Wednesday's confrontation began about 4 p.m. when soldiers at the Hawara checkpoint outside Nablus received intelligence a bomber was there. They shut down the crossing and began searching hundreds of people there, the military said.
Suddenly Abdo, wearing an oversized red jersey, approached them
''We saw that he had something under his shirt,'' said Lt. Tamir Milrad. The soldiers took cover behind concrete barricades, pointed their guns at the teenager and ordered him to stop.
On their orders, he took off his jersey, revealing a bulky gray bomb vest.
''He told us he didn't want to die. He didn't want to blow up,'' Milrad said.
The soldiers sent a small robot to hand Abdo scissors to cut off the vest, an incident captured in exclusive Associated Press Television News footage.
The teenager cut off part of the vest and struggled with the rest. ''I don't how to get this off,'' he said in frustration before successfully removing it.
Soldiers ordered him to take off his undershirt and pull down his jeans to make sure he had no other weapons. Then they arrested him.
Sappers blew up the vest, which the army said was an 18-pound bomb.
The military said Abdo's mission was to kill soldiers at the crowded checkpoint.
''In addition to the fact that he would have harmed my soldiers, he would have also harmed the Palestinians waiting at the checkpoint, and there were 200 to 300 innocent Palestinians there,'' said the commander of the checkpoint, who identified himself only as Lt. Col. Guy.
Several teenagers have carried out suicide bombings over the past 3 1/2 years, and there has been recent concern that militant groups were turning to younger attackers to elude Israeli security checks.
Abdo, though 16, looked far younger, and the Israeli military initially said it believed he was 10 years old.
On March 16, Israeli troops stopped an 11-year-old boy allegedly trying to smuggle explosives through the same checkpoint. Israel said militants had given the boy the explosives without his knowledge, either to ferry across the checkpoint or to be blown up by remote control when he got near soldiers.
Palestinians and the boy disputed this, claiming the bag he was carrying - which was blown up by army sappers - contained auto parts.
Last month, Israeli police arrested three boys, aged 12, 13 and 15, who said they were on their way to carry out a shooting attack in Israel.
''No matter how many times Israel learns of the use of children for suicide bombings, it is shocking on each occasion,'' said Dore Gold, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. ''Israelis do not understand how Palestinians are willing to sacrifice their own children in order to kill ours.''
Physicians for Human Rights also condemned the militants' use of children, calling it ''illegal and immoral.''
After the incident Wednesday, the army brought out Abdo, who appeared shaken but defiant, to be photographed by the media. Reporters were allowed only to ask his name, age and grade.
Maj. Sharon Feingold, an army spokeswoman, said reporters were not allowed to question the youth ''for intelligence reasons.'' An inquiry was under way, she said, ''to find out who sent this boy and why they did it. Naturally this a monstrous doing of evil people, sending young children and turning them into human bombs. It's horrid and terribly worrisome.''
Abdo's family said the teenager was not affiliated with any militant group, going to rallies for all of them and identifying with whichever one carried out the latest attack on Israelis.
They said he acted strangely Tuesday, giving candy to his family and neighbors and refusing to explain why.
He got his hair cut in the style his mother, Tamam, likes and told her he would do anything she wants, she said.
''You never are like this,'' she said ''What happened?''
''I just want you to be happy with me,'' he responded.
Abdo left his house Wednesday morning saying he was going to school, but never arrived there.
Hosni Abdo said he was furious with whoever persuaded his brother to strap on the bomb vest.
''The ones who sent him are stupid, because the army will give him two slaps and he will tell them who sent him,'' Hosni Abdo said.

I'm not going to defend Israel in their past aggressions but it is amazing that parents will send their children to die.  At least, families like this won't get the $25,000 Saddam was sending their families anymore for their "great sacrifice against the infidels."

[spursfan101]

See, that is why we need to give all terrorists some fundamental healthcare, maybe put them on WIC, and at least let them collect some unemployment benefits. We need to be friends first with the terrorists...earn their trust...and once were friends, then they'll be cool with us.

It can start with a Starbucks on the Gaza strip.

[Randy]

See, that is why we need to give all terrorists some fundamental healthcare, maybe put them on WIC, and at least let them collect some unemployment benefits. We need to be friends first with the terrorists...earn their trust...and once were friends, then they'll be cool with us.

It can start with a Starbucks on the Gaza strip.

Yeah, that's what they need -- a triple shot of caffeine, yeah, that would make me feel safer.

[SPURSX3]

i can hear the song, "Mama, dont let your babies grow up to be suicide bombers." being a big hit in palestine right now.

[spursfan101]

Can I have an Allah Latte. What?  Why yes, I would like to Osama size it.

[jn]

Don't laugh.  Former MN Gov Rudy Perpich tried to open a doughnut shop in Bosnia.  He thought sitting down to coffee and rolls would be a great step towards reconciling the Serbs and Croats.

Ok, laugh.  

[WayOutWest]

I'm not going to defend Israel in their past aggressions but it is amazing that parents will send their children to die.  At least, families like this won't get the $25,000 Saddam was sending their families anymore for their "great sacrifice against the infidels."

I find it humorous that you buy into the 25K Saddam sponsorship in light of the US being wrong about the WMD.

The US LIED about Saddam and his NUCLEAR and BIOLOGICAL weapons but you're sure they're spot on with the 25K payments and bring it up as a defense to numours Bush BS.  Pretty much the only defense you've been able to display.

That's like handing Bush as shotgun and telling him to hit the side of a barn 3 feet away THEN after he misses you hand him a 9MM and ask him to shot a can from a 100 yards.

Tragically sad.  

[Randy]

I'm not going to defend Israel in their past aggressions but it is amazing that parents will send their children to die.  At least, families like this won't get the $25,000 Saddam was sending their families anymore for their "great sacrifice against the infidels."

I find it humorous that you buy into the 25K Saddam sponsorship in light of the US being wrong about the WMD.

The US LIED about Saddam and his NUCLEAR and BIOLOGICAL weapons but you're sure they're spot on with the 25K payments and bring it up as a defense to numours Bush BS.  Pretty much the only defense you've been able to display.

That's like handing Bush as shotgun and telling him to hit the side of a barn 3 feet away THEN after he misses you hand him a 9MM and ask him to shot a can from a 100 yards.

Tragically sad.  

So you don't think that Iraq ever had WMD?  You don't think it's possible that it got sent to Syria?  Yeah, couldn't happen, could it?

By-the-way, my understanding isn't that we went in because of WMD but because Iraq wouldn't cooperate and show proof of their destruction of the WMD.

[SPURSX3]

I'm not going to defend Israel in their past aggressions but it is amazing that parents will send their children to die.  At least, families like this won't get the $25,000 Saddam was sending their families anymore for their "great sacrifice against the infidels."

I find it humorous that you buy into the 25K Saddam sponsorship in light of the US being wrong about the WMD.

The US LIED about Saddam and his NUCLEAR and BIOLOGICAL weapons but you're sure they're spot on with the 25K payments and bring it up as a defense to numours Bush BS.  Pretty much the only defense you've been able to display.

That's like handing Bush as shotgun and telling him to hit the side of a barn 3 feet away THEN after he misses you hand him a 9MM and ask him to shot a can from a 100 yards.

Tragically sad.  

So you don't think that Iraq ever had WMD?  You don't think it's possible that it got sent to Syria?  Yeah, couldn't happen, could it?

By-the-way, my understanding isn't that we went in because of WMD but because Iraq wouldn't cooperate and show proof of their destruction of the WMD.

randy, maybe he means all the kurds that died really didnt, i mean seeing as this is all just Bush BS, how could that many kurds be killed with no biological weapons??

 :huh:  

[SPURSX3]

I'm not going to defend Israel in their past aggressions but it is amazing that parents will send their children to die.  At least, families like this won't get the $25,000 Saddam was sending their families anymore for their "great sacrifice against the infidels."

I find it humorous that you buy into the 25K Saddam sponsorship in light of the US being wrong about the WMD.

The US LIED about Saddam and his NUCLEAR and BIOLOGICAL weapons but you're sure they're spot on with the 25K payments and bring it up as a defense to numours Bush BS.  Pretty much the only defense you've been able to display.

That's like handing Bush as shotgun and telling him to hit the side of a barn 3 feet away THEN after he misses you hand him a 9MM and ask him to shot a can from a 100 yards.

Tragically sad.  

So you don't think that Iraq ever had WMD?  You don't think it's possible that it got sent to Syria?  Yeah, couldn't happen, could it?

By-the-way, my understanding isn't that we went in because of WMD but because Iraq wouldn't cooperate and show proof of their destruction of the WMD.

randy, maybe he means all the kurds that died really didnt, i mean seeing as this is all just Bush BS, how could that many kurds be killed with no biological weapons??

 :huh:

were they all shot?  i thought he used gas or some toxi on them?

[Lurker]

No matter how Saddam killed all those people....who made it the US's problem?  Why did Bush have to go charging in on his white steed?  Especially against the wishes of the rest of the world?

[SPURSX3]

No matter how Saddam killed all those people....who made it the US's problem?  Why did Bush have to go charging in on his white steed?  Especially against the wishes of the rest of the world?

ahh, i see now, isolationist.  

[Lurker]

As opposed to world's policeman...yep.

[SPURSX3]

As opposed to world's policeman...yep.

explains enough, same mistakes over and over, lets watch out for ourselves, if we dont do anything to anybody they wont do anything to us and so on, the end result, the same thing happens, we still get drawn in, or attacked, it doesnt stop becuase you ignore it.  never has, never will.  and i know that it is easier to live that way, but the fact is we are able to live the way we live BECAUSE of the fact we are the "police" of the world.  i by no means believe if we stayed out of everyones kool aid we would be better off.  our presence disrupts, and yes offends, but it influences and disrupts more than anything else.  this is not a "BUSH", "republuican" thing this is just common sense IMO, we were policing during clintons admin as well, and i supported it then too.  for us to live the way we do we need to be in everyones business, we need the spies, we need the technology, we need the force and might of our military in every corner of the world, its balance.

[WayOutWest]

By-the-way, my understanding isn't that we went in because of WMD but because Iraq wouldn't cooperate and show proof of their destruction of the WMD.

No Randy, that's not why Bush SAID we went in there.  Revisionist!