Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/341570
ByJosefFederman The Associated Press JERUSALEM The Israeli military rushed additional forces to its southern bor- der with the Gaza Strip on Thursday, vowing to halt a growing wave of rocket fire from the Palestinian ter- ritory, while new clashes erupted in east Jerusalem in response to the death of an Arab boy who Palestin- ians say was killed by Is- raeli extremists. Israel said the show of force on the Gaza border was a defense measure. But persistent rocket fire raised the prospects of a tough Is- raeli response, with the mil- itary saying more than 40 rockets or mortar shells were fired from Hamas- controlled Gaza on Thurs- day. Tensions have been high since three Israeli teenagers were abducted in the West Bank on June 12, sparking a massive manhunt that ended with the discovery of their bodies early this week. Israel has blamed Hamas for the abductions and launched a crackdown on the Islamic militant group in the West Bank, drawing rocket at- tacks out of Gaza and Israeli airstrikes in a near-daily cy- cle of retaliation. The situation deterio- rated further on Wednesday after the burned body of a Palestinian youth, whose identity was confirmed Thursday as Mohammed Abu Khdeir, was found in a forest after he was seized near his home in east Jeru- salem. The Palestinians ac- cused Israeli extremists of killing the teen in a revenge attack over the deaths of the Israeli youths. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried Thursday to calm the situ- ation, condemning Abu Kh- deir's killing and vowing to find the attackers. "We don't know yet the motives or the identities of the perpetrators, but we will. We will bring to jus- tice the criminals responsi- ble for this despicable crime whoever they may be," Ne- tanyahu said in a speech celebrating U.S. Indepen- dence Day at the American Embassy in Tel Aviv. "Mur- der, riots, incitement, vigi- lantism, they have no place in our democracy." Following an especially intense barrage of rocket fire, including two projec- tiles that hit homes in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, Israel sent tanks, ar- tillery and ground forces to the border area early Thurs- day, defense officials said. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokes- man, called the move "de- fensive" and said he hoped the rocket fire would halt. "Everything we are doing is to de-escalate the situa- tion but on the other hand be prepared for actions that can develop if they do not de-escalate," Lerner said. Israel has launched two large-scale operations in Gaza in recent years in re- sponse to rocket fire on its south, most recently in 2012. The fighting ended in a cease-fire. The Israeli military said 34 of the rockets or mortar shells fired Thursday ex- ploded inside Israel while the rest blew up prema- turely inside Gaza or were shot down. MIDDLE EAST Israel rushes forces to southern border with Gaza By Ryan Lucas The Associated Press BAGHDAD With large parts of Iraq in militant hands, a top Kurdish leader called on regional lawmak- ers Thursday to lay the groundwork for a referen- dum on independence, a vote that would likely spell the end of a unified Iraq. The recent blitz by Sunni militants across much of northern and western Iraq has given the country's 5 million Kurds — who have long agitated for indepen- dence — their best chance ever to seize disputed ter- ritory and move closer to a decades-old dream of their own state. But the Kurds still face considerable opposition from many in the inter- national community, in- cluding the United States, which has no desire to see a fragmented Iraq. A Western-established no-fly zone in 1991 helped the Kurds set up their en- clave, which has emerged over the years as a beacon of stability and prosperity, while much of the rest of the country has been mired in violence and political turmoil. The three-province territory was formally rec- ognized as an autonomous region within Iraq follow- ing the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. Speaking to the regional legislature Thursday, the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Mas- soud Barzani, told lawmak- ers to set up an electoral commission to "hurry up" and prepare for "a referen- dum on self-determination." "We will be in a better position and we will have better (political) weapons in our hands. But how we will do this?" he said. "What kind of steps will there be? For this, you have to study the issue and take steps in this direction. It is time to decide our self-determina- tion and not wait for other people to decide for us." Barzani spoke behind closed doors, but The As- sociated Press obtained a video of his address. Kurdish leaders have threatened for years to hold an independence ref- erendum, but those moves were often more about wresting concessions from the central government in Baghdad than a real push for statehood. The recent Sunni offensive has effec- tively cleaved the country in three, bringing the pros- pect of full independence within reach. Kurdish fighters already have seized control of dis- puted territory — including the city of Kirkuk, a major oil hub. The Kurds say they only want to protect the ar- eas from the Sunni mili- tants. Many of the zones have considerable Kurd- ish communities that the Kurds have demanded be incorporated into their ter- ritory, making them un- likely to give them up. Withitsownoilresources, the Kurdish region has long had a contentious relation- shipwithBaghdad,withdis- putes over a range of issues including how to share the revenue.InMay,theKurdish governmentsoldoilindepen- dent of the central govern- ment for the first time, ship- ping about 1.05 million bar- rels to Turkey. In retaliation, Baghdad stopped giving the Kurds the share of the cen- tral budget they are entitled to receive. IRAQ Ku rd is h le ad er p us he s for independence vote THEASSOCIATEDPRESS An al-Qaida-inspired militant stands guard at a checkpoint captured from the Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery, 155miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, on June 19. | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JULY 4, 2014 8 B