The Latest Attacks On Israel

A new conflict has erupted against Israel, and I wanted to pass it along to you.

Terrorist organization Hamas launched a dozen long-range rockets into the city of Ashkelon over the weekend, signaling a new phase in the assault against Israel.  Ashkelon, a city of 120,000 about 11 miles north of Gaza, has received random strikes in the past, but never in a sustained repeated attack like this.  It is one of the largest cities in southern Israel, home to Mediterranean beaches, a college and strategic installations like an electric plant and a water purification plant.  The mayor pledged not to allow Ashkelon become a war zone like Sderot or other cities on the border of Israel and Gaza.

In response to the attacks, Israel launched airstrikes into Gaza, wiping out numerous rocket launching sites and killing dozens of Palestinian terrorists (though some civilians were also killed):

An Israeli spokesman, David Baker, said that Israel was conducting "defensive measures" to protect its civilians from rocket fire against cities, which Mr. Baker called terrorism. "We have over 200,000 Israelis in range of Palestinian rockets. We cannot allow this to go on."

The U.N. is pleading with both sides to cease hostilities, but it naturally helpless to actually do anything about it.  Of course, they blame Israel for using 'excessive force'.

Signs of escalating violence indicate a weakening of Washington's influence in the area, as the Palestinians seem to be ignoring the peace process that Bush began last year.  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on the way back to the region to try to shore up support for the peace process, but skepticism is rising.

Personally, I don't know why anyone thinks Hamas (or any other terrorist group) is capable of sticking to peace terms with Israel.  History clearly shows they refuse to do so, and any concessions on the part of Israel only end up in further violence against Israel.

Anyway, in retaliation against Israel's airstrikes, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas officially suspended the peace talks until Israel ends its 'criminal war on the Palestinian people'.  Israel, of course, is showing no signs of ending their self-defensive measures.

Rick Moran at American Thinker says that Israel is, in an indirect way, showing Hamas the results of continued rocket attacks:

There are many in Israel calling for the government to go all the way and smash Hamas and occupy Gaza. Such a move would almost certainly derail the peace talks but would almost as certainly increase the security of the Israeli citizens whose towns border Gaza.

But such an occupation would also be bloody and involve a huge international headache for the Jewish state - one more than they need at this point. So the chances are that this is the beginning of a cycle of strike and counter strike as Hamas is punished for continuing to launch rockets at civilians.

I just wanted you to be aware of what's going on over there.

There's my two cents.