[Channel 4 News] Israel: What now for the peace process?

2008.03.07 By Jonathan Rugman: "As the Jewish school massacre victims are buried Israel vows to continue peace talks with Palestinians despite pressure to retaliate. The shootings in the Jewish seminary was the first major attack on the city in four years and many mourners at the mass funeral broke down in tears as a rabbi read prayers for the victims, some of them as young as 15 years old. The gunman, who lived in Arab East Jerusalem, was shot dead by an army officer after opening fire with an automatic rifle at students in the school's library. However there's still confusion over whether the Islamist group Hamas was behind the attack. The Hamas leadership said it blessed last night's attack. One official claimed full responsibility, though another cast doubt on that. The gunman was an Arab once employed by the seminary as a driver who had smuggled in a kalashnikov in a cardboard box before he was himself killed by an army officer passing by. A short distance across this fractured city and a Hamas flag marks the home of the gunman. His name Abu Dhaim; he was just 20. These mourners like him are East Jerusalem Arabs who live on land occupied by Israel for over 40 years. But in Gaza hundreds poured onto the streets in protest at Israeli attacks which have left almost 130 dead in 10 days. They were also celebrating Jerusalem's dead - some 7,000 in their Jabaliya refugee camp, marching in celebration, many Gazans offering prayers of thanks. There were similar scenes among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon last night. Lebanese media reported that an unknown group was behind the attack possibly on behalf of Hezbollah. And as there is some confusion as to just who was responsible it's unclear just where Israel will retaliate let alone when. In the West Bank President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack. He'd only just agreed to resume peace talks with Israel. But the bloodshed has delayed Egypt's attempts at mediating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the Annapolis peace conference of three months ago seems like an age away."

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YouTube | March 7, 2008

Tags:. .jabaliya. .kalashnikov. .bloodshed. .mourners. .gazans