Israel is continuing to flatten the households of Hamas leaders, now having taken out a couple dozen of them. This is necessary because these terrorists use their homes as caches and storehouses for weapons and other war materiel. Israel is also targeting some mosques, which are similarly used as gathering places for men and weapons. Another big development is that Israel has moved ground forces into Gaza, and is signaling an extended operation to root out the locations that are firing rockets into Israel.
Speaking of which, here are some sobering statistics about the rocket attacks against Israel:
* There have been approximately 7,200 rockets (Grads, Qassams) and mortars launched at Israel since 2005.
* Since Hamas' election there has been a steady increase of these rocket attacks against Israel's citizens:
* Between Israel's evacuation of Gaza and the election of Hamas (Aug. 15, 2005 – Jan. 25, 2006), there was an average of over 15 rocket and mortar attacks a month.
* Between Hamas' election and Hamas' forceful takeover of the Strip (Jan. 25, 2006 – June 14, 2007), there was an average of over 102 attacks per month—an over 650% increase.
* Between Hamas' takeover and the start of the Tahadiya (State of Calm), (June 14, 2007 – June 16, 2008), there was an average of over 361 attacks per month—an increase of an additional 350%.
Hardliners in Israel are gaining more and more support, which indicates a stiffening of the collective Israeli spine, thus increasing the likelihood of an all-out war in the region. Some say -- accurately, in my opinion -- that Hamas has chosen this all-out war, and are finally getting it. The international community is still coming down hard on Israel, mostly because of civilian casualties, but the responsibility for that tragedy rests on Hamas, who uses civilians as human shields. For example:
Historian Victor Davis Hanson says this about the conflict:
There is something especially nauseating about the latest Middle East war — scenes of worldwide Islamic protests with photos of Jews as apes, protesters (in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida of all places!) screaming about nuking Israel and putting Jews in ovens, parades of children dressed up with suicide vests and fake rockets, near constant anti-Semitic vicious sloganeering, Gaza mosques stuffed with rockets to be used against civilians — all to be collated with creepy Hamas rhetoric about the annihilation of Israel. This is the world in which we now live.
Almost no other issue in recent memory has illustrated the moral bankruptcy of much of the international community. Hamas has no pretensions, like the PA, of being a governing authority; it used violence to rout the PA and then bragged that its charter pledging the destruction of Israel remained unchanged. Israel evacuated Gaza; Gazans in response looted their own infrastructure, alienated both the PA and Egypt,and then sent off more than 6,000 rockets against Israeli civilians, while eagerly becoming a terrorist puppet of theocratic Iran.
Only the U.S. (for now) stands by a constitutional state in its war against a murderous terrorist clique, with annihilation its aim and religious fascism its creed.
Here's what he says is at stake:
When should Israel stop? When they think there is a good chance the rockets will stop — and not until then. That will happen only when the message seems to be getting through to Gazans that they might better jeer rather than cheer rockets launched from their empty lots and rooftops, given the retribution that will inevitably follow, despite the promulgation of phoney doctrines like proportionality and the tired old game of "hood on — I'm a scary rocket launcher"/ "hood off — I'm a scared civilian victim of Israeli aggression".
That deterrence is huge, and would go a long way toward actual security.
Fortunately, there are also some pro-Israeli gatherings. In France, of all places, thousands of people gathered close to the Israeli embassy to show support. Unshockingly, there was no violence, there were no torched cars, and no one was attacked. Hm. Another thing I find interesting is that over 60% of Republicans side with Israel, while only about 30% of Democrats do so. I'll let you figure that one out.
Just to give you some more glimpses into the kind of animals that these Hamas terrorists are, look at what they've done to their political rivals, Fatah (who are also terrorists, just not quite as radical). Hamas put a bunch of Fatah activists on house arrest, shot their legs, and broke their hands lest they dare think of working with Israeli forces or try to take over after Israel decimated Hamas. They also use TV to brainwash their children into hating the Jews from before they're even potty trained. Nice guys, huh?
Oh, by the way, did you know this whole war was Bush's fault? Naturally, that's what liberals are saying.
So, what are we to make of all this? Here are a couple pieces of analysis that I think are worth considering. First:
Next read this:
Mr. Peres is tragically emblematic of Israeli leaders and policymaking elites who for generations have ignored how the living institution of jihad war -- conjoined in Israel's unique case to Islamic Jew-hatred -- was always, past and present, the primary motivation for those masses in the Arab and non-Arab Muslim world seeking the Jewish State's destruction.
The root of the problem is Islam. Hamas and their Islamic/terrorist brethren believe fervently that Israel has no right to exist, nor do any Jews anywhere. That's the root of the problem, and it has existed in one form or another clear back into Biblical times. It's not hard to understand, but it does require open eyes to see. The history of Islamic Jew hatred is as long as Islam itself, and the evidence is literally too vast to count (read here for some more). But, until the world decides to confront this radical Islamic Jew-hatred, it cannot appropriately dissuade Hamas and its brethren from attacking Israel.
Interestingly, a Hamas leader's son recently converted to Christianity. Growing up in the indoctrination of Hamas, he would know what he's talking about, don't you think? Here's what he said in a recent interview:
MOSAB HASSAN YOUSEF: There is no chance. Is there any chance for fire to co-exist with the water? There is no chance. Hamas can play politics for 10 years, 15 years; but ask any one of Hamas' leaders, 'Okay, what's going to happen after that? Are you just going to live and co-exist with Israel forever?' The answer is going to be no … unless they want to do something against the Koran. But it's their ideology and they can't just say 'We're not going to do it.' So there is no chance. It's not about Israel, it's not about Hamas: it's about both ideologies. There is no chance.
When you boil it all down, Israel's problem is also America's problem. Remember, for all their hatred of Israel, these terrorists still call us the Great Satan (Israel is only the Little Satan):By routing Hamas in Gaza, Israel can improve its security - and perhaps enhance prospects for eventual peace in the region. But the defeat of a US-certified terrorist group will also be a boon to America's strategic interests. And to that end, Washington can do itself much good by helping the Jewish state achieve victory - specifically, by providing the diplomatic space for Jerusalem to get the job done.
That, certainly, is a chief lesson from Israel's less-than-spectacular performance in its 2006 fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon. In that campaign, Jerusalem believed it was constrained by an international deadline. It ran the war aimlessly, as if it was caught in a race against time.
As worldwide pressure grew, culminating in a UN Security Council resolution, Jerusalem lost its focus and ran out of time and resources to crush Hezbollah.
The result was that Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist group in Lebanon responsible for the murder of hundreds of US citizens, survived - and, indeed, went on to re-arm. Iran chalked up a major strategic victory.
Should Israel fall short again, Iran - which also backs Hamas - will carve yet another notch in its gun. Meanwhile, the outcome in Gaza could severely complicate President-elect Barack Obama's plans for Israeli-Arab peace: Any plan, after all, that doesn't take into account the fact that Hamas will fight tooth and nail to undermine it will soon be mugged by reality; Hamas must be defanged before any political progress can be achieved.
What can Washington do? Specifically, it can resist pressure to rein in Jerusalem prematurely - by objecting, for example, to knee-jerk European, Arab and UN calls for a quick end to Israel's campaign.
Some of those parties, incidentally, quietly hope Israel will inflict military punishment on Hamas. But Arabs and Europeans can't express their desire for an Israeli victory out loud. Only America can - and it must.
The point here is that if America can operate behind the scenes politically, all it needs to do is buy Israel the time it needs to win a decisive victory against Hamas. That would not only secure Israel, but it would also benefit America militarily and politically.Is Bush doing that right now? Yes. He has gone on the record saying Hamas caused this, and that Israel is justified in its response. Will Barack Obama continue when he takes office? We don't know. He has shown little support for Israel -- outside of speeches to Jewish audiences -- so far, and has a staff full of Israel haters. It's possible he could continue Bush's policy, but that is far from given. Either way, we need to keep an eye on this conflict, because it will affect us one way or another.
There's my two cents.
Sources:
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/01/israel-flattens-homes-of-20-more-hamas.html
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/32341_Video-_IAF_Bombs_Another_Mosque_Full_of_Bombs#rss
http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/could-hamas-rockets-hit-israels-nuclear-plant-new-poll-finds-israels-moving-toward-likud/
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2008/12/30/edi_505808.shtml
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230733150721&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D95FS1RG0&show_article=1
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/195676.php
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/195694.php
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/01/surprise-pro-hamas-youths-torch-cars.html
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/01/pro-hamas-protesters-in-fort-lauderdale.html
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/01/hamas-turns-on-fatah-officials-in-gaza.html
http://minx.cc/?post=280620
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/01/iranian-tv-uses-gaza-conflict-to-teach.html
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/01/thousands-protest-in-support-of-israel.html
http://righttruth.typepad.com/right_truth/2009/01/watch-palestinian-supporters-vs-israelis.html
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/01/confronting_hamas_genocidal_je.html
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/01/the_cost_of_provocation.html
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12312008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/our_fight__too_146551.htm
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/01/hamas_and_its_liberal_supporte.html
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YmI4MWRiODAxNzhkN2QwOTk4NGIyYzFmNzdlOTk4MjI=
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NTQ5NTVmY2YwMGQ5MDI5MzU1MTFlOWRhZmQ5OTA2Njg=
http://minx.cc/?post=280539
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/01/jewish-kids-stoned-in-yemen-by-muslim.html
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