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The Gaza Ground Assault Rages — But Will it Work?
A determined IDF moves into Gaza full force with one clear goal: stop the Hamas rocket fire. (Also read Claudia Rosett: Does Ban Ki-Moon Think It's His Job to Help Destroy Israel?)
Meanwhile the international diplomatic activity in quest of a ceasefire was little short of frenetic. Saturday night the United States vetoed a Libyan proposal for an immediate ceasefire in an emergency UN Security Council meeting. On Monday the suddenly self-important French president Nicolas Sarkozy — who, like the Security Council, never perceived an emergency even in months when hundreds of rockets fell on Israelis — is due in Israel to try and get Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to call the war off. The Security Council is meeting again on the crisis on Wednesday.
U.S. President George Bush, too, proclaimed a ceasefire the order of the day but with certain conditions, stating in his radio address on Saturday that “The United States is leading diplomatic efforts to achieve a meaningful cease-fire that is fully respected … promises from Hamas will not suffice — there must be monitoring mechanisms … to help ensure that smuggling of weapons to terrorist groups in Gaza comes to an end.” Israeli estimates of how long the ground operation will be allowed to last varied from a few days to — at most — a couple of weeks, before Barack Obama becomes the new U.S. president.
Future historians will have to ponder why, as Israel finally exercised its right to self-defense after its citizens were bombarded for, all told, eight years by a genocidal terrorist organization, the near-universal response was to seek to impose a ceasefire as quickly as possible.
Undoubtedly, Operation Cast Lead entails loss of life — as has every other military operation since the dawn of history. The United States itself has been engaged for almost six years in military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan that have surely taken their toll in blood. President Bush has not been amenable to ceasefires and “monitoring mechanisms” as ways of dealing with Saddam Hussein, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban. The latest on Hamas, no less vicious than those groups, is that it spent the weekend murdering 35 Palestinians after breaking the legs or hands of 75 others over the course of the week.
For now, we can say the reasons for what is in effect — or in Libya’s case for example, clearly also in intent — nothing less than a push to rescue Hamas, include Arab economic (and particularly oil) power, Western and particularly European antimilitarism verging on pacifism, glorification of the Palestinians, and anti-Israelism/anti-Semitism. Most disturbing is that even Israeli officials are reportedly open to proposals for international monitors despite the manifest failure of this “solution” in the past — or, even worse, to the idea of replacing Hamas with another terrorist organization, Fatah, that has been no less busy than Hamas instilling violent anti-Israeli hatred in generations of Palestinian children.
One can at best hope, but not be certain or anything close to it, that the long-overdue Israeli ground invasion will succeed in rescuing Israel from the Blitzkreig and that lives will not be lost in vain.
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P. David Hornik is a freelance writer and translator living in Tel Aviv. He blogs at http://pdavidhornik.typepad.com/
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41 Comments
1. Eric R.:Israel must simply tell the UN, and especially the Europeans, to go to hell.
They must publicly rebuke the Europeans as unrepentant anti-Semites and Nazis, intent on a second Holocaust.
They must accuse the Europeans of Hitler worship.
They must tell the Europeans that a Second Holocaust is not going to happen, no matter how much they want it.
They must be willing to place armed Israeli agents at Jewish institutions throughout Europe, for Europe’s response to Jews who have the gall to tell them off will be a psychotic, uncontrollable rage, culminating in pogroms by local Islamists, with government officials ordering police to stand by and do nothing, while the Jew-hating media places blame on the dead Jews.
Finally, Israel must be ready to use its military, in case Europe opts for a blockade or boycott. For apart from France’s and Britain’s nukes, their militaries are impotent.
Jan 4, 2009 - 3:36 am 2. radical jew:THE TOP-SECRET NUCLEAR PLANT IS IN DIMONA?!?
You mean I was lied to?
They told me those buildings were for manufacturing special Israeli shoes, sandals and combat boots for the Army.
I always wondered about the barbed wire fence, guard dogs and death lasers.
Giving up control of Gaza 3 years ago was stupid.
President Bush and Condi Rice almost slit Israels throat with their Palestinian appeasement.
Jan 4, 2009 - 5:06 am 3. Perry:(Sung to the tune of “Imagine” by John Lennon)
Imagine there’s no Muslims
It’s easy if you try
They’re with Lucifer below us
It’s safe now when you fly
Imagine there’s no Muslims
It isn’t hard to do
The world’s now safe for Christians
Atheists and Jews
You may say I’m a dreamer
There are many other ones
To solve the world’s problem
Eradicate Allah’s sons
Peace
Jan 4, 2009 - 5:09 am 4. syn:I support Israel’s right to defend herself and greatly admire the loyalty of those 22% of conservative Jews in America for showing strength in times of division, for standing strong for Liberty and for not succumbing to identity politics however I really do not understand the 78% of liberal Jews in America who somehow believe that defending Israel means crushing America’s liberty and freedom by collectively pushing America back into barbaric dark ages.
If America falls there is not one country on this planet which will defend Israel; so thread carefully American Jews who continually vote for New Deal tyrants in the Democrat Party because if America is so ravaged by Collectivist Statism that she cannot defend herself there is no way in hell Israel will remain standing.
So 78%ers make your movies about the Holocaust but remember this, you’re doing nothing to stop it rather your actions will likely bring it about.
Jan 4, 2009 - 5:29 am 5. chuck,:,,,that the long-overdue Israeli ground invasion will succeed in rescuing Israel from the Blitzkreig …
Is blitzkrieg the right term here? Isn’t it more like a long cat&mouse game, with one mouse against many cats? Israel needs to kill at least one of the cats with such violence and such evident enjoyment as to show the rest of them that this mouse is a crazier f-ck than even they are.
Jan 4, 2009 - 5:46 am 6. Perry:Thank you, Syn.
I couldn’t agree more. “Tolerant” multiculturalism will be the death of America.
Regards,
Jan 4, 2009 - 5:59 am 7. SAF:A proud member of the 22%.
Israel can stop the rocket fire anytime they want, just fight a real war. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki the Japanese figured out they couldn’t win and surrendered. Most historians agree that dropping the bomb saved hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides.
Israel need not resort to nuclear weapons to achieve this. They know where the rockets are coming from. Simply drop a MOAB (Mother of All Bombs; which is conventional explosives) on the area. There will be many Palestinian casualties but that area will no longer be useful as a launch site. Ask if they had enough and if they fire more missiles target the next area, etc.
Why Israel risks its young men to keep Palestinian casualties is beyond me. Following Bush’s failed policies (full disclosure: I voted for him twice & for McCain)of appeasement has led Israel to this tenuous situation.
The French, having had two successful world wars under their belt are against Israel defending itself. Who cares?
The rest of the world protests, so what? Apparently many think the Palestinian achievement of inventing toy suicide bomber belts for two year olds is worth preserving.
Its time to get back to basics. Israel should defend its citizens against people sworn to kill them in print, deed and ingrained culture.
Jan 4, 2009 - 6:30 am 8. Michael:The proper thing to do is to drive the Paleo-stoneage-ians out of Gaza again and hold it as Israeli territory. No other country would put up with this sort of thing, whatever platitudes their representatives mouth from the safety of their UN offices.
Jan 4, 2009 - 7:08 am 9. Fractured:What if Canadians began firing rockets from Windsor Ont into Detroit Michigan?
What if they never really really scored a bullseye?
What if the Canadian government did nothing to prevent these launches?
If the US military took action to protect their citizens by bombing rocket launch sites located on schoolyards could the military be labelled as savages and condenmed in the media and the united nations?
Jan 4, 2009 - 7:33 am 10. Terry Gain:Just wondering
“Following Bush’s failed policies (full disclosure: I voted for him twice & for McCain)of appeasement has led Israel to this tenuous situation.”
The alternatives were and are worse. Israel (and conservatives everywhere) are losing the propaganda war. The current Israeli effort may stop the attacks for now but they will continue until Arab/Islamic and left wing propaganda is addressed and defeated. Israel was created by International Law. It is comprised of only 16.5 percent of the original Palestinian mandate. It has a right to exist free from attack by Islamists. People, especially Americans who live on land formerly occupied by North American Indians and yet insist that Israel exists on stolen lands, need to learn how and why Israel was created. Here is a good place to start.
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-littman100702.asp
Jan 4, 2009 - 7:56 am 11. Disgusted:Hamas is fight a PR battle, Israel is fighting for survival. My money is on Israel which appears to have learned its lessons from the previous failure in Lebanon.
Jan 4, 2009 - 7:57 am 12. GG:Israel should have told Hamas either to to stop the rockets or to face an israeli reconquest of Gaza with the following expulsion of ALL palestinian arasb from Gaza to the “west Bank” (ie Abbas) and the annexation of Gaza into Israel. In other words: if you fire rockest on us, Israel will take back the land and it will be lost for the palestinian arabs for ever. Simple child psykologi !
P.S: this also applyes to Abbas !
GG
Jan 4, 2009 - 8:05 am 13. lynne:The response from the international community will likely be judged harshly by future historians. Clearly, none of the people in these countries or their leaders would tolerate the actions against themselves of either Hamas or Fatah. It is what it is: anti-Israeli/anti-Semitism. I suggest that those who are disgusted by the hateful actions of France, the UK, Spain, and other countries in condemning Israel and in effect supporting the terrorism of Hamas and Fatah, boycott those countries completely in terms of buying their products or choosing these places as a travel destination.
Jan 4, 2009 - 8:20 am 14. SAF:Syn:
After inauguration day the 22% will be in the “I told you so” mode with the remaining 78% wondering how they got taken again.
2009 will be a very interesting year.
Jan 4, 2009 - 8:25 am 15. AnninCA:The best solution is what is happening. Wipe out Hamas, and then get the heck out of Palestine.
Round up Hamas leadership once and for all.
Jan 4, 2009 - 8:36 am 16. Marina:If the ground operation will be a disaster, we still can see at least something positive in it: the chance for Kadimah to be screwed. If elected, Kadimah will cause more deaths of Israelis than ever, especially without American support. They want to give Golan to Syria, West Bank to the Palis (what automatically means the victory for Hammas in the next election), and DIVIDE JERUSALEM, those m-f…rs! Now Kadimah has a chance to show Israel ONCE AGAIN, in case Israel has forgotten, what a great “protectors” they are. And this without an explicit American (and following UN-) condemnation.
When Obama comes, Israel won’t be so lucky anymore. And Avodah and Kadimah both are the worst appeasers (sweeties like Meretz are pretty irrelevant right now). To survive in the next years Israel needs Likud. And with this operation Kadimah started to climb up in polls. The timing of the operation and Obama’s silence are not coicidental. Kadimah has to win Israelis back and Obama has to continue the illusion of the future American support.
If the ground operation won’t help Sderot, it may help the whole Israel after all. The last war in Lebanon showed that neither Avodah, nor Kadimah have any f… idea what are they doing. They had no clear goals: to destroy Hisbollah? – not really, to bring the boys back? – not exactly, to free Lebanon from Syrian scum? (could be pretty possible, but…) – keep dreaming. What t.f. was Israel fighting for? Just to be humiliated by the UN, EU et al. To give Hisbollah more time to regroup, rearm and take over Lebanon, to give alive murderers for dead boys without any retaliation. That’s the way Kadimah fights. And in the next 4 years we may add pro-Palestinian Obama, no veto in the UN anymore, Brzezinsky, Samantha Powells and many others.
This operation is typical for Kadimah, i.e. no goals (except for preventing Bibi to come). Do you want to destroy Hammas? – no. Reoccupy Gaza? – no. Stop the rockets? – yes; How? – partially reoccupying Gaza and temporarily weakening Hammas. Sweet. Will you at least try to bring Gilad home? – Not at any price (Tzipi). So what do you REALLY want to achieve with this operation? – Election victory. F… you! And GO BIBI!
Jan 4, 2009 - 9:01 am 17. DoubleTapper:All we did was try to clean up the mess we made in 2005 when we left Hamas in charge of Gaza.
Jan 4, 2009 - 9:51 am 18. penny:And yet some people have the ignorance to do this!
How can we let this pass?
DoubleTapper
DoubleTapper@gmail.com
DoubleTapper, blogging on
Guns Politics Defense from Israel
As per the Jerusalem Post….”Hamas militiamen had been assaulting many Fatah activists since the beginning of the operation last Saturday. They said at least 75 activists were shot in the legs while others had their hands broken.”
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230733155685&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Don’t expect to see this typical thuggish Palestinian behavior in the western media. They’ve invested decades trying to sanitize these animals.
Sadly, there will never be a permanent solution for Israel to live in peace next to this failed and savage culture. The best they can do is drain the toxic swamp at intervals.
Jan 4, 2009 - 10:20 am 19. mary:you all need to wind in your necks, there are innocent men,women and children dying. being killed for what, a flag doesnt feed cloth or house you, do you think when u die u can meet ur god and justify ur actions on earth by military assault. suicide bombings or hatred!!!!! in the name of God and for the love of all thats good in this world, showm humanity to all. Jesus mercy, Mary bless
Jan 4, 2009 - 10:32 am 20. 11B40:Greetings:
Back in my Army days, my favorite platoon sergeant told me the following:
There’s a statue of an infantryman with his back pack and bayoneted weapon in the infantry training center at Fort Dix, NJ. The name of the statue is “The Ultimate Weapon.” In this business, you don’t have nothin’ till some 20 year old with a long rifle tells you you have it.
Smite them, hip and thigh. Repeat.
Jan 4, 2009 - 11:09 am 21. Mark Epstein:11B40:
Guess you did your BCT at Benning, eh? BTW, I couldn’t agree more with you concerning the 20-year-old infantryman. However, our country, as well as the rest of the West, must have the intestinal fortitude (”guts”) to use said infantryman.
For what’s is worth, here’s my two cents on the IDF incursion into the Gaza Strip:
Why are the “Jew-Monkeys” Winning?
Jan 4, 2009 - 12:20 pm 22. cedarford:Terry Gain:
The alternatives were and are worse. Israel (and conservatives everywhere) are losing the propaganda war. The current Israeli effort may stop the attacks for now but they will continue until Arab/Islamic and left wing propaganda is addressed and defeated. Israel was created by International Law. It is comprised of only 16.5 percent of the original Palestinian mandate. It has a right to exist free from attack by Islamists. People, especially Americans who live on land formerly occupied by North American Indians and yet insist that Israel exists on stolen lands, need to learn how and why Israel was created. Here is a good place to start.
Part of the reason why Zionists and their Christian Zionist tools are losing the propaganda war is because they spout nonsense like yours:
1. Israel Proper is 78% of the original Palestine Mandate, not 16.5%. No one buys the crap about TransJordan effectively being Palestine simply because Britain decided to fold it in for a few brief years for colonial administrative convenience, 1919-1922.
2. The only “international law” pertaining to Israel was that decided by non-Muslims to impose on Muslim people & lands. Their legitimacy under “international law” rest on a colonial declaration made by Brits in return for Jewish financial services given in WWI, the League accepting Britains colonial mandate, then a Partition vote dominated by the US and USSR telling their client nations how to vote for the Jewish interests the two superpowers at the time favored…
After that, all the Israeli settlements, water grabs, sneak attack on Egypt in 1956 happened outside any “international law”.
The better argument is that Israel simply won and has held contested land and given up much of what it conquered. They would have been far better off without all the greed of refusing Palestinian reparations for lands taken past the Partition vote and for property seized in ethnic cleansing – while at the same time they were suing the West right and left for reparations for Jewish property losses that also happened in the same decade.
3. The way you address the anger of 180 of 184 countries directed at Israel, and their “propaganda” is to end the Settlement colonies, and to stop greedily hoarding all the shekels that should have long ago been used to compensate Palestinians for land and property theft. (defrayed against Jewish losses in Arab lands for those not documented as walking away to make voluntary Aliya.)
4. Arguing that what Israel is doing is OK because others ripped off people’s lands centuries ago or China is “getting away with what Israel is also trying to do, with their actions in Tibet” – is silly.
***************
Israel’s defenders should be wary about not making the need to protect itself from cross border missile attack (a legitimate act of war) into a broad defense of Zionist policies. They will lose that argument. But win if they keep their defense of what Israel is doing a case of simple self-defense. Because no nation wishes to create a case of missiles or artillery or air attacks by enemy as legitimate and not something that can be legally fought by self-defense.
Cross border military attack is an act of war. Pure and simple. And the attacked have a right to defense.
Long term, with the US in decline and Jews having great problems making other friends..they could do far worse than accepting the Quartet or the Prince Abdullah Peace Plan after rejectionists on the other side, like Hamas, are eliminated as obstacles.
*************************
And Leftists have to be very wary of inane “proportionality” arguments – even Guardian readers and Berkeleyites do not deep down believe in “pure proportionality”. On two counts: (a)They reject proportionality when the subject of tit for tat civilian reprisals comes up. A bomb that kills 12 Israeli civilians does not mean they Ever would accept the “proportionality” of Israelis seeking out and then executing precisely 12 Palestinian civilians. (b) Despite their screams of outrage, even Lefty radicals know that if a US soldier or cop is shot at 3 times and the gunman misses, that the “proper, moral response” is not that the attackee is: allowed up to 3 shots back, with a caliber less than or equal to the bullets fired, with all care taken to ensure the 3 reciprocal shots fired also miss..
****************
Jan 4, 2009 - 12:56 pm 23. Paul M Hupf:It should be clear to everyone by now that Islam is engaged in a determined effort to impose its thinking on everyonr, not just the Israelis. History supports this view. In the 8th century the sword of Islam swept across north Africa into Spain. North Africa contained thriving Christian communities. Alexandria in Egypt was a cultural center of great prominebce. Scholars from Greece, Judea and the west exchanged differing viewpoints. With Islam all that stopped. Christianity disappeared from the territory newly conquered by Islam. Although stopped by Charlemagne, south of the Pyrenees, Islam reentered Europe after Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in the fifteenth century. This thrust was only stopped at the gates of Vienna. I suggest that what is happening now is a renewal of the same effort. Sadly, there are those here and in Europe who fail to see what is really happening now in the light of history.
Jan 4, 2009 - 2:54 pm 24. Ginger:Paul, I think that you are right. In the UK after suicide bombings occurred a few years ago, a panel was created to study the reason why these Muslim terrorists were attack their countrymen in the UK. The panel concluded that it was poverty and lack of educational opportunities, etc. That reasoning fell apart when a group of doctors attacked several targets (unsuccessfully—thank heavens).
Jan 4, 2009 - 3:27 pm 25. Get em Israel:I hope that Israel keeps on plowing ahead, in spite of the howling from liberal academics, weak-kneed politicians and Islamic nuts from the “religion of peace”, and kills every last machine-gun toting member of Hamas (Ham Ass). The death of innocent people in the Palestinian-occupied territory is a tragedy to be sure, but they are being put in harm’s way by their own terrorist-loving fanatical leaders, not Israel.
President Bush needs to let Israel kick as much butt as they can before Obama gets in office and gets in the back pocket of Hamas, against Israel. These other politicians who want to let Muslims of all stripes overrun Israel are dense to the reality of how things are going to unfold in the Middle East (biblically and prophetically) and had better wake up to the mentality of Islam. It doesn’t stop with Israel. They want us all kissing allah’s boot or dead.
God bless Israel.
Jan 4, 2009 - 3:55 pm 26. Peter Chemeris:Invest in a ~2 months (PR campaign effort) re. getting out of the UN due to the UN/Rus/EU/US… pro-paleos’tinian’ bias; then exit from the UN. Turn the “defensive” upside down = call into question & expose methodically (in detail) ea. other ‘major’ ‘powers’ misdeeds v-a-v their own multimillion minorities (Chechens, Kurds, etc. Volumes of documents/facts. As well as re. more being slaughtered in a day in Africa w/o any int’l uproar protest demonstrations around the “world”. As well as who & why runs the “security councils”)
& even though Israel is blinded in its “left” eye — among the (even if willingly) blind even a one-eyed can lead.
Re. a potential for ‘divestment/boycott’ — raw materials & fuels to import to & export from Israel — … in this (scheduled/set up/long awaited for) crisis — plenty of high-minded hunimal kingdoms will compete to sell to & buy from — the same commodities & even @ a reduced price; same arabo’erobians’ following papa-Lenin’s directives will sell the rope to be hanged on.
Do not forget — while
Jan 4, 2009 - 3:58 pm 27. L:Commenter “3. Perry” has the right idea.
Jan 4, 2009 - 4:35 pm 28. cedarford:Imagine there’s no Muslims
It’s easy if you try
They’re with Lucifer below us
It’s safe now when you fly
Imagine there’s no Muslims
It isn’t hard to do
The world’s now safe for Christians
Atheists and Jews
You may say I’m a dreamer
There are many other ones
To solve the world’s problem
Eradicate Allah’s sons.
I don’t agree with Perry, but that stanza was bigoty-riddled, genocidally hilarious.
For a counter:
Imagine there’s no Jews
It’s easy if you try
The financiers are in Fed prison,
and
It’s safe now when you invest…..
Imagine there’s no Jews
It isn’t hard to do
The world’s now safe for Christians
Atheists, hispanics, Asians, and whites.
You may say I’m a dreamer
There are many other ones
To solve the world’s biggest problem
Eradicate Abraham’s sons.
Peace
(Starting with Jewish lawyers…)
Jan 4, 2009 - 5:32 pm 29. Bogdan of Australia:Israelis are living like the heroes from the movie “Alien Versus Predator”; whoever wins they loose. In this case the Aliens are Islamofascists and the Predators – so called “World Community”. No matter what they do, every time they will be worse off. And as any “political” solution is no longer possible (and there has NEVER been any) and they can no longer count on the world’s help or protection, the only workable solution is to spike all their nukes (300-400 of them) with as much of tritium or deuterium as possible and tell the world that if Israel goes so does the world. Only then the “world” will listen…
Jan 4, 2009 - 7:49 pm 30. Linda Mae:Facts:
Bombs were fired out of Gaza in to Israel – continuously. They were NOT harmless bombs.
Bombs were fired out of Gaza to Egypt – continuously.
Tunnels were dug under the border of Gaza and Egypt. The cry for humanitarian aid being denied makes no sense. If bombs could be smuggled into Gaza via tunnels – and there is proof they were – then why wasn’t food and medical supplies for the starving children also smuggled? Or were they?
Israel got tired of being bombed continuously. Egypt got tired of being bombed continuously. Years ago, Jordan got tired of being bombed and threatened by suicide bombers so they threw these Arabs who lived in Gaza out. (They did more than that but I’ll let you read about it on your own.)
Those Jews in the Ghettos NEVER bombed the Nazis who were outside the Ghetto. If the Gazans had NOT bombed Israel, then this war would not have begun.
Palistine is the name the ancient Romans gave to that part of the Middle East. Everyone – present day Jews, Egyptians, Jordanians, Iraqi – plus – can be considered people who have lived in Palistine – Palistinians. It is not the name of a people – but a place. Those Arabs in Gaza are as Palistinian as the Jews, Egyptians, etc. are. History is being ignored or rewritten so that there is a reason for Arab militants to further their cause to destroy Israel. Hamas has held these people hostage. They are the ones who need to be held accountable.
Jan 4, 2009 - 8:54 pm 31. gcblues:to perry and the other like minded fools.
killing all muslims is a pathetically stupid ideal.
Jan 4, 2009 - 9:10 pm 32. IsraelsFriend:Please forward this video about Hamas’ true identity:
Jan 4, 2009 - 10:01 pm 33. bob:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTGbP55HGi8
Ah, I think I get it now. Cedarford got his ass whipped by a Jewish lawyer in a lawsuit some time in the past. At least, that’s my current analysis.
You may say I’m a dreamer
There are many other ones
To solve the world’s biggest problem
Eradicate Abraham’s sons.
Peace
(Starting with Jewish lawyers…)
Jan 4, 2009 - 10:25 pm 34. Danny:#22, Palestinian mandate didn’t exist before 1919, and after 1923, over 80% was hived off to Syria and to Jordan and before 1919 “Palestine” simply never existed. That’s a historical fact.
But i guess a fruitcake who believes that the Jews control the world doesn’t really care about facts.
Jan 5, 2009 - 12:06 am 35. Danny:#30, Palistine is a distortion of Philistine. The Romans called it Judea.
Jan 5, 2009 - 12:08 am 36. Scott M:The Palestinians elected Hamas, they are not innocent in this matter. If Israel entertains truce talks you will know Israelis have yet to overcome their death wish. If Israel went to war to end the rocket attacks then a truce is only beneficial to their enemy. If only I could find a way to bet my rent money that Israel will once again stop short and only make the future conflict worse.
Every measure the Israelis take to increase the precision of their weapons, every measure they take to avoid civilian casualties among the Palestinians only serves to tell their enemy Israel ultimately lacks the will to win. That message is why Israel must continue to fight.
The Israeli leadership should be asked if they are willing to destroy all of Gaza to end the rocket attacks. If they won’t entertain that thought they should surrender. There is no easy way to end this and every effort to find the easier solution only advertises Israel would rather lose than create their own security.
The US is afflicted with the same impulse as Israel and the US should have turned Afghanistan into molten glass on Sept 12. That would have wiped out the Taliban, and it’s ISI support, and sent the ultimately clear message that total destruction awaits anyone injuring the US. The lawless areas of Pakistan should have been included and that problem would have been fixed.
We can keep hoping nobody uses nukes against the West or we can make that happen. But we must stop hoping that we can prevent a nuclear attack in the West and make the barbarians like us. They’ve had centuries to learn the easy way and they have studiously avoided learning those lessons.
“Paging Generals William Sherman and Curtis LeMay, please pick up the red courtesy phone.”
Jan 5, 2009 - 3:44 am 37. Markus:What the hell is the end game here? Israel destroys Hamas, then what? Who rebuilds the strip and governs the 1.5 million Gazans? The Palestinian Authority? Not unless they really want to be seen as lackeys of the enemy. Egypt or the other Arab states? What is in it for them to deal with Israel’s mess? Israel, again? As if the occupation went swimmingly the first time.
No one seems to be thinking long-term.
Jan 5, 2009 - 12:39 pm 38. myth buster:I wouldn’t be surprised if Israel’s nuclear arsenal includes Cobalt bombs- those things are environment killers designed to render large areas of land uninhabitable for at least 50 years. Coming soon to a city near the thugs.
Jan 5, 2009 - 2:48 pm 39. Another View:I just have ask what is acceptable? O.K. Israel is there NOW. They have with the Balfour Agreement conquered Palestine. With that said does that give them moral authority to do what they do? I think not. If my house was bulldozed and my Grandparents refused to leave the house they built and had paper work for and were murdered. I would also fight to the death. What is sad is the innocent suffer. Hamas and every Palestinian has every right to try to force Israel from Palestine. I am embarrassed by my countrys support for Israel. Yes born and reared in the U.S. How many of you would support American Indian land seizure today? Or Apartheid, Darfur ethnic cleansing, or the holocaust? That is what has been going on for years in Israel.
Those Hamas rockets are glorified fireworks. I completely understand why the Arabs call us the Great Satan and want Israel destroyed. I don’t agree but I truly understand. Israel is a oppressive occupier. And I want none of my tax dollars going there way. Israel gets the equivalent to $10,000.00 a year per citizen in U.S. aid.
You can’t address todays issues without facing what Israel really is. A occupying force that hordes all resources and keeps the original people in permanent refugee status.
Religion is a non factor in my view.
Jan 6, 2009 - 6:02 am 40. susan:troll alert
another view has been copying and pasting the same stupid post for 5-6 times all over the gaza/hamas threads.
it is evident from his cross posting that he is unable to formulate a logical argument but simply copy and paste the same idiocy all over.
Jan 6, 2009 - 10:25 am 41. Lilith:Perry — love the song — made me smile for the first time in many days!
Jan 9, 2009 - 8:04 am