Old news really. The mortars hit the surrounding areas of the school compound and didn't actually hit the school. They had an article in BBC (before the above article was posted up) which showed IIRC 3 explosions outside the school walls. Doesn't change the fact that the IDF had deliberately targetted an area which is densely populated area (as the UN school had been used as a refugee shelter) which was what the international press had beef with in the first place.UN backs down on 'school massacre' in Gaza | The Australian
THE UN has retracted claims over one of the biggest controversies in the Gaza war, admitting that an Israeli mortar attack that killed 43 people did not hit a school run by a UN agency.
Jews don't have a monopoly on suffering. The comparison (AFAIK) is in relation to some of the methods used, and not the numbers of deaths, or the ideologies of the Nazis, or the gas chambers, or all the other things. Had a few pics depicting similar scenes... big deal. If the Jewish groups want to kick a hissy fit because Ikebal struck a raw nerve, that's their decision but don't try and lump all the blame on one party. If there were no scenes of destruction, there would be no pics to compare what happened in WWII eh?Meanwhile Australian Jewish-Muslim relations have struck a low in light of comments by Ikebal Patel chairman of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils comparing the Holocaust to the operation in Gaza and refusing to withdraw such claims.
Well done Muslims, being really multicultural and peace-seeking there!
In other news:
POLITICS: Gaza Tensions Shadow U.N. Holocaust Ceremony
Also, let's have a look at how the world views Israel (it isn't only the Muslim-Jewish relations that have struck a low ):UNITED NATIONS, Jan 27 (IPS) - The president of the United Nations General Assembly was a last-minute no-show at the U.N.'s annual ceremony commemorating the Holocaust, following an intense lobbying campaign by pro-Israel organisations to have him removed from the programme.
Father Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann had come under fire for his harsh criticisms of Israeli policies, leading to suspicions that his failure to deliver a scheduled speech at the event was due to political considerations.
The incident comes at a delicate time in the U.N.-Israel relationship, which has always been rocky but has been further frayed by the recent war in Gaza.
...
One elderly attendee at Monday's event said that there were plans for audience members to turn their backs to the stage in protest if d'Escoto spoke.
The attendee did not know whether any group was behind the planned protest, saying that he had heard of it by word of mouth. Although he admitted that he was not sure exactly who d'Escoto was or what he had said, he planned to participate in it.
Since d'Escoto became General Assembly president in September 2008, the Nicaraguan priest has frequently attacked Israeli policies in ways that have drawn outcries from critics.
In November, he accused Israel of "crucifying our Palestinian brothers and sisters" and referred to it as an "apartheid state". In December, he decried Israel's refusal to allow U.N. Special Rapporteur Richard Falk into the country and announced that he had received death threats as a result of his political views.
And on Jan. 14, he labeled Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip as "genocide" - a remark that may have been the immediate impetus for the recent calls for his removal.
Views of China and Russia Decline in Global Poll - World Public Opinion
Funny, saw a doco on Russian Jews in Israel saying they should put someone like Putin in charge of Israel. ololol.The largest number of countries - 19 out of 21 - give negative ratings to Israel. The two exceptions are Americans (where slightly more are positive) and Russians (who are divided). On average, 51 per cent in countries polled say it is having a negative influence and 21 per cent say it is having a positive influence.
It should be noted that most polling occurred before Israel undertook its military operation in Gaza, and before the recent interruption in Russian gas supplies to Europe.