Thousands of Israeli troops were massed on the Gaza border yesterday poised for an offensive after the kidnapping of a teenage soldier, but the US appealed for restraint.
Palestinian armed groups insisted they would not release the captive unless Israel frees all Palestinian women and children from its jails -- conditions already ruled out by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
The 19-year-old Israeli corporal, who also holds French nationality, was snatched on Sunday in a brazen raid on an army post on the Gaza Strip border in which two other Israeli servicemen and two Palestinian fighters were killed.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Israel to give diplomacy a chance, saying there was a "concerted international effort" underway for the release of Gilad Shalit.
Although Israel has said it will first exhaust diplomatic efforts to free Shalit, Palestinians have abandoned border homes fearing a large-scale assault, while militants fearing assassination have gone to ground.
On day three of the crisis, Defense Minister Amir Peretz toured the massive troop build-up, at the heart of a full naval and ground blockade on Gaza amid fears that Hamas militants could try to smuggle Shalit abroad.
"The terrorists have to understand that their deeds will not go unpunished," Peretz told journalists, emphasizing however, that "Israeli anger should not dictate military decisions which should be fully thought out."
Olmert has warned that a "large-scale military operation is approaching," vowing no negotiations with the abductors.
Sunday's attack, which saw gunmen from Hamas's armed wing and other militant groups tunnel their way into Israel, was the deadliest militant assault in the area since Israel's pullout of the Gaza Strip last summer.
HAMAS-FATAH PACT
Meanwhile, Hamas and Fatah yesterday completed an agreement over a plan that implicitly recognizes Israel, ending weeks of acrimonious negotiations, a top official said.
"We have an agreement over the document," said Ibrahim Abu Naja, who coordinated the "national dialogue" over the proposal. He said negotiators would present the document to President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads Fatah, and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas.
"There is no complicated issue left because everyone signed and everyone approved the document," he said.
The plan calls for a Palestinian state alongside Israel and accepts a 2002 proposal endorsed by the Arab League, which offered the possibility of full diplomatic relations with Israel.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source