Analysis: Israel's Gaza assault

[bemildred]

---

"If you remember what Tzipi Livni said in Egypt after her meeting with President Hosni Mubarak and the foreign minister, she made a clear warning, not just about a tit-for-tat attitude, but about a change in Gaza.

"That's why I suspect that the operation is not only intended to be limited, but aimed at toppling the regime in Gaza altogether, otherwise why would Israel target the police force?

"They are not the ones firing missiles in Israel - the police force keeps the order in Gaza. This is an operation that will create disorder and I suspect that Egypt and Ramallah are colluding in this.

"Israel would never have carried out such a massive attack had it not been for a green light from people that matter - for instance the United States, some of the European powers and also from Egypt and Ramallah.

---

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/20081227131419185168.html

[burythehatchet]

1. Elections will continue until the correct result is achieved

Why not send Diebold over there rather than kill people?

[bemildred]

2. Israel's hammer blow in Gaza

---

Retaliatory Palestinian fire killed one woman in southern Israel – underlining the unequal military balance.

---

Hamas leaders can hardly have been surprised by the aerial onslaught. Israel's foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, warned clearly and publicly in Cairo on Thursday that Israel "cannot tolerate" continuing attacks after about 50 rockets or mortars were fired from the Gaza Strip.

Livni's high-profile visit to Egypt was seen as part of an Israeli diplomatic offensive to prepare the ground for an attack. But mixed signals confused the picture: Israel also briefly reopened the border crossings into Gaza to allow the delivery of urgently needed fuel, food and humanitarian supplies in the face of mounting international protests at the effects of the continuing blockade.

---

The looming general election is another reason Israel is not keen to send troops into Gaza on a large scale, which would expose its own forces to heavy casualties. Instead Israel prefers to use its unchallenged aerial superiority – clearly a blunt instrument that cannot distinguish between fighters and civilians.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/27/gaza-attacks-analysis-ian-black

[Vegasaurus]

4. Hamas was warned time and time again

They refused to stop their violent resistance.

They can hardly cry foul now, after Israel has sat and taken rockets without any response.

[bemildred]

5. Thank you for clearing that up. nt

[shellinaya]

35. Israel has had Palestine under lockdown

Do you understand what Israel has DONE to Palestine for the last 1+ years? They have been under constant military seige. They are cut off from the basics of life, from food, from power, from medicine, from freedom of movement. Palestinians have been held hostage, have been held as prisoners in a tiny strip of land for a long time by the govenrment of Israel. Israel hates freedom, they are ethnically cleansing the Palestinians and they are now as murderous as George Bush has ever been. In fact, they are worse. There is NO WAY these air strikes are justified. You could talk for a month and it would still not justify these air raids on a civilian population that the UN has said has been starving for months, its people picked up and jailed for nothing, women dying every month at checkpoints, no food or medicine allowed to go into GAZA, there is NO WAY this is justified. palestinians have been suffering for years under the boot of the Israel government. We need to stop justifying and allowing that. There is NO justification for these air strikes or the systematic starvation of over a million people. Look up the word apartheid.

Read: http://www.freegaza.org/

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[leftchick]

3. they will have to kill everyone in Gaza

which is most likely their goal since they refuse to negotiate.

<snip>

"I believe Israel is not learning the lesson. They don't know that this kind of aggressive attack against the Palestinians creates a new cycle of violence inside Palestine. It will not defeat the Palestinian resistance.

"We are talking about six decades of occupation and, until now, the Palestinian people are resisting. What has happened today in Gaza will not stop the resistance, will not defeat the Palestinian people. They will find themselves under a reaction from the resistance.

"The peace process has completely failed, so we have to talk about a new process in the region which is supposed to start from the restoring of Palestinian rights and the commitment towards those rights.

"No one will accept now any talk about a peace process, because everyone knows that the Palestinian people are fed up with 17 years of negotiation without any result.

"The second thing which I believe is happening every morning is that Palestinians believe that there is no solution unless there is a resistance."

[Vegasaurus]

7. Definition of insanity

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

How has that been working out for the Palestinians over the last 60 years?

(the same is true for the Israelis, incidentally)

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[oberliner]

14. You seriously believe that Israel wants to wipe out all the residents of Gaza?

Are you saying that Israel wants to kill one and a half million Palestinians?

Why?

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[polly7]

43. Why has it turned Gaza into the world's largest open-air prison?

Probably over half a million children, what did they do? This all reminds me of NA natives being herded onto the reserves and murdered when they rebelled.

[The Stranger]

77. That can be the only explanation for denying food, water and medicine.

[rustydad]

83. Original deleted

But in answer to your question i would say that Israel is not concerned about the fate of Gaza or it's 1.5 million souls. But the extermination of so many "lesser" beings would bring on horrible repercussions around the world. No, what Israel wants is for Palestinians to immigrate out of what is called Israel. The Jews of Israel face a demographic problem because the birth rate among Palestinians is much higher than among Jews. In a decade there may be more Palestinians than Jews in Israel. Can you imagine the day when Israel elects a Palestinian government in what is called the Israeli democracy? Bob

[bemildred]

10. Hey LC, Merry end-of-the-year holiday-of-your-choice.

:hi:

[leftchick]

12. Back atcha bemildred!

[shellinaya]

36. Americans are dumb, aren't we?

READ: http://www.freegaza.org/

[ProgressiveProfessor]

50. I really don't think so...every member of Hamas I might agree with.

PA has already said they are waiting in the wings to take over Gaza when Hamas capitulates, but its not clear if that is going to happen. Hamas did a number on members of the PA some time back, so its not clear how much of the PA is left in Gaza.

[oberliner]

8. Azzam Tamimi?

This is a man who has spoken positively about Hamas and does not object to the use of suicide bombings against Israel.

He also never misses an opportunity to suggest that the PA/Abbas is colluding with Israel against Hamas.

His views should be taken about as seriously as those of the far right wingers in Israel.

[bemildred]

9. Some parts of his argument are disingenuous.

But other parts are "interesting". Since one can only speculate about motives at this point, and since so many distinct possibilities present themselves, one can only wait for events and consider the views of people less cautious about speculation.

[bemildred]

13. ANALYSIS / IAF strike on Gaza is Israel's version of 'shock and awe'

The events along the southern front which commenced at 11:30 on Saturday morning are the closest thing there is to a war between Israel and Hamas. It is difficult to ascertain (geographically) where and for how long the violence will reach before international intervention forces a halt to the hostilities. However, Israel's opening salvo is not merely another "surgical" operation or pinpoint strike. This is the harshest IDF assault on Gaza since the territory was captured during the Six-Day War in 1967.

Palestinian sources in Gaza report that 40 targets were destroyed in a span of three to five minutes. This was a massive attack much along the lines of what the Americans termed "shock and awe" during their invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Simultaneous, heavy bombardment of a number of targets on which Israel spent months gathering intelligence. The military "target bank" includes dozens of additional targets linked to Hamas, some of which will certainly come under attack in the coming days.

Like the U.S. assault on Iraq and the Israeli response to the abduction of IDF reservists Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser at the outset of the Second Lebanon War (the "night of the Fajr missiles," a reference to the IAF destruction of Hezbollah's arsenal of medium-range Fajr missiles), little to no weight was apparently devoted to the question of harming innocent civilians. From Israel's standpoint, Hamas, which persistently fires rockets while using the civilian population as cover, had plenty of opportunities to save face and lower their demands. In stubbornly continuing to launch rockets during the course of recent weeks, it brought this assault on itself.

A final decision on the precise timing of the operation was made on Saturday morning during consultations between the prime minister, the defense minister, the IDF chief of staff, and army generals. The cabinet approved the assault in its last meeting on Wednesday. Since that day, the government has waited for the opportunity to strike. Apparently, an intelligence tip indicating that members of the Hamas military wing were convening for a meeting expedited the decision-making process on giving the go-ahead to act. According to initial reports from Gaza, a number of senior Hamas officials were hit, yet the scope of the harm done to the group's leadership has yet to be precisely determined. The Israeli objective is clear: deal as serious a blow as possible to the Hamas chain of command in order to throw its operating capabilities off kilter. Ostensibly, it will not prevent heavy rocket fire on the Negev towns, but it will likely make it more difficult for Hamas to carry out more damaging attacks against Israel.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050405.html

[bemildred]

15. Our fill of restraint

After all the recent events, neither the defense minister nor the chief of staff, the main opponents of action in the Gaza Strip, can delay it much longer. We have had our fill of restraint. But it is not the intolerable suffering of the residents of the Western Negev that is the most worrisome component of this restraint. Rather, it is the reasons that the defense minister, who in this matter is in agreement with the chief of staff and most of the officers of the General Staff, are opposed to action that will lift the immediate nightmare from civilians in the south and the indirect suffering of everyone in Israel.

The first signs of the strategy of restraint (known after going through the language laundromat as "containment") appeared back in the Yom Kippur War and reached new heights during the present decade's war on terror and helplessness in the face of Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces has given up its main ethos and has become a defensive army that mainly protects itself.

In the war on terror it operates according to the distorted "containment strategy," which is mainly avoiding initiatives that could get soldiers hurt, even if this means more civilian casualties. The result: The number of civilians hurt, whether within or over the Green Line, has been more than double that of soldiers. Soldiers, even if they were not in action, were not allowed to travel in non-bullet-proofed vehicles. The wives and children of career-army personnel who lived in the territories traveled - and some were even hurt - on dangerous roads, while their husbands were taken (and agreed to travel!) in armored vehicles. Ehud Barak was defense minister, then, too. It was during his tenure that the IDF's twilight period began in terms of values (among other things, the Madhat Yusuf affair and Mount Ebal), from which it recovered - very partially, as can be seen from its conduct during the Second Lebanon War and in the Western Negev - during Operation Defensive Shield. That operation, it will be recalled,took pace after voters had had enough of Barak, who did not order the IDF to act even in light of hundreds of victims of suicide bombers. The voters handed Barak one of the harshest defeats in the history of elections in Israel. A similar fate awaits him, now: Not because he is "not nice" and does not communicate, but because he does not act like a leader. The last job in which he applied the motto "those who dare, win," was when he was commander of the Matkal reconnaissance unit. Since that time it is difficult to point out any daring in his military or civilian posts.

The function of an army - how sad it is to have to remind people of this - is, first of all, to protect the lives of civilians. Since the early years of this century, Defense Minister Barak and chief of staff Shaul Mofaz have changed this axiomatic - and moral - concept, and since that time the policy has been weak in terms of values. Therefore the soldiers in army camps in the south have been taken out of Qassam range. The defense minister is studying the statistics and is finding that most of those hurt by Qassams are civilians, and that allows him to take less into consideration the harm to morale, and psychological, economic and strategic damage - not to mention to national honor - in restraint. Although the army knows that reinforcement of buildings increases the motivation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad to attack, it supports reinforcement and its economic and educational costs, so it will not have to act.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1049800.html

[Vegasaurus]

21. Fill of restraint is it

The only way some people here would be happy is if Israel simply allowed themselves to be annihilated again, like Jews throughout history.

No response at all, since Israel is the only nation on earth that is not allowed to protect herself from violent terrorists.

[bemildred]

23. You disagree with Mr Harel?

You really ought to read the piece first.

[bemildred]

16. Support for Likud falling among right-wing voters, survey finds

Support for the Likud is falling, with a projected 15 percent of its former electoral supporter planning to vote for other right-wing parties, a poll commissioned by Haaretz and performed by the survey company Dialogue found Wednesday.

The poll found the Likud would receive 30 seats in the Knesset compared to 36 in a previous survey by the same pollster.

Apparently, all the votes that make up the six-seat difference went to Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas and Habayit Hayehudi - all of which could boast a significant increase in constituents. On the whole, the rightist bloc is still leading over the centrist Kadima and the leftist Labor by some 12 seats. The Pensioners Party managed to garner more support compared to the December 10 poll, bringing it to a total of two seats.

A possible explanation as to why Likud hemorrhaged votes can be found in the controversy surrounding hardliner Likudnik Moshe Feiglin's election to the relatively high 20th spot during the party's primary election last week.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050009.html

[ProgressiveMuslim]

20. Did you see this piece on Feiglin?

The Rebel Prince

Benjamin Netanyahu is the front-runner in Israel's election. Will voters notice that a radical rightist has hijacked Netanyahu's Likud party?

Gershom Gorenberg | December 23, 2008 | web only



I met Moshe Feiglin, today the rebel prince of Israel's Likud party, in September 1998, at the Jerusalem Convention Center. Fifteen hundred radical rightists were pouring into the big graceless lobby. They'd come for an annual convention dedicated to rebuilding the ancient Jewish Temple where the Dome of the Rock now stands. Pamphleteers from sundry splinter groups worked the crowd. I recognized Feiglin's face -- lean and hungry, with a close-trimmed beard -- from news stories. Before Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, Feiglin's Zo Artzeinu (This Is Our Land) movement had led stormy protests, including blocking major highways, in a bid to prevent Israel from ceding territory for peace.

In the lobby, he was handing out bumper stickers demanding "Jewish Leadership for Israel." I asked, "We don't have Jewish leaders?" Feiglin sneered, as if everyone knew better. Right-winger Benjamin Netanyahu, then prime minister, obviously didn't fit Feiglin's requirements.

The next spring, Feiglin's Jewish Leadership group made a brief, failed effort to run for the Knesset. Afterward, he chose a new strategy: Rather than remain head of a fringe party, he'd join the Likud. He'd get his supporters -- mostly hard-line settlers, like himself -- to sign up as members of the mainstream rightwing party, and he'd take it over. The scorpion would ride to power on the back of the tiger.

Today, he's closer to that goal than anyone expected. Netanyahu, it's true, is again the Likud's candidate for prime minister in the February election, and he's generally leading in the polls. Following the Likud's Dec. 8 primary for its Knesset candidates, however, Feiglin looks like the real power in the party. Though he himself is unlikely to enter the Knesset, he was able to exert more influence than Netanyahu did on the choice of candidates. The result is a slate of hard-right politicians indebted to Feiglin.

The idea of Netanyahu regaining power is disturbing enough. He supports West Bank settlement unreservedly and hopes to avoid substantive peace talks with the Palestinians. Economically, he is a doctrinaire free-marketeer. But a party beholden to Feiglin is a whole different level of danger. It's the difference between mere conservatives and the far fringe of the right.

If there's any reason for optimism, it's the possibility that Feiglin is already scaring center-right voters away from the Likud. This week's polls show the Likud marginally losing support. That may be a temporary dip -- or the start of a trend. Perhaps the scorpion has stung the tiger.


more.....
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_rebel_prince

[bemildred]

22. I've been watching that, yes.

I don't see any reason for optimism. As I said in the other thread, it's not going to be pretty.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

51. The real key is the Shas Party

If any group can get a majority without them, I expect to see major changes in Israel

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TomClash]

19. Silly quote

Israel doesn't need Cairo and Ramallah to "collude" in or "green light" this attack. And it has carried out significant attacks without the blessing of the US and Britain before -which is an open and frankly, irrelevant, point.

[bemildred]

24. Israel-Hamas conflict could escalate

Jerusalem, Dec. 27: Israel’s air attack on the Gaza Strip on Saturday could signal a return to a much higher level of violence in the conflict with Palestinian Islamist group Hamas after nine months of lower-level confrontations.

The peace process with Israel, already in a coma in the last days of George W. Bush’s presidency in the United States, could be killed off by renewed violence.

Several factors point to the likelihood of violence worsening following a series of Palestinian rocket attacks since Hamas ended a ceasefire just over a week ago.

Israel’s defence ministry signalled it was ready to pursue and widen actions against Hamas in Gaza, including targeting the militant group’s leaders, and made clear it was preparing for a potentially long campaign. "We face a period that will be neither easy nor short, and will require determination and perseverance until the necessary change is achieved in the situation in the south," defence minister Ehud Barak said.

http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/international/israel-hamas-conflict-could-escalate.aspx

[bemildred]

25. Analysts: Expect Major Drop on TASE Sunday

Analysts said Saturday night that investors should expect major losses on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Sunday morning. Speaking to "The Marker" financial website, analysts said that already last Wednesday, when it appeared that Israel was moving towards an imminent attack in Gaza, the TASE dropped 3%. Subsequent reports said that the IDF had planned to attack Wednesday, but postponed the operation because of the rainy weather last week.

"The operations comes at a difficult time, in which the stock markets are already in a sensitive state because of the worldwide recession," the analysts said. Dr. Michael Sarel of the Harel group told The Marker that if the operation ends "quickly and neatly," the stock market would not be harmed over the long-term – and might even gain, over the increased security that a successful operation would ensure.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/158140

[bemildred]

26. Israel PM Vows To Avert Humanitarian Crisis In Gaza

JERUSALEM (AFP)--Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed to avoid a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip where punishing air raids on Saturday left at least 210 people dead.

"I promise you on behalf of the government of Israel that we will make every possible effort to avoid any humanitarian crisis in Gaza," he said in a statement he delivered both in Hebrew and in English.

"The people in Gaza do not deserve to suffer because of the killers and murderers of the terrorist organization," he said in reference to the Islamic Hamas movement that rules the Palestinian territory.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20081227/ACQDJON200812271356DOWJONESDJONLINE000178.htm

[ProgressiveMuslim]

27. My, that's charming. Hasn't the whole past 2 years been about CREATING a

humanitarian crisis?

[bemildred]

28. I thought it was a sterling example of NewSpeak. nt

[bemildred]

29. Analysis: Hamas unlikely to be toppled

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Gaza's deeply entrenched Hamas rulers won't be easily toppled, even by Israel's unprecedented bombings Saturday that killed more than 200 people, most of them men in Hamas uniform.

For now, Israel's defense minister says he's striving for a lesser, temporary objective - to deliver such a punishing blow to Hamas that the Islamic militants will halt rocket attacks on Israel.

But Israel's offensive, launched just six weeks before a general election in the Jewish state, is fraught with risks. The horrific TV images of dead and wounded Gazans are inflaming Arab public opinion, embarrassing moderate Arab regimes and weakening Hamas' rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israel also risks opening new fronts, including unrest that could destabilize the Abbas-ruled West Bank and possible rocket attacks by Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas on northern Israel.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-ml-israel-gaza-options-analysis,0,6961093.story

[bemildred]

30. Mashal Calls for Third Intifada

Hamas' top terrorist Khaled Mashal on Saturday night called for Arabs to open a third intifada against Israel. In a message aimed at Arabs in Judea and Samaria, Mashal said that "the intifada should be peaceful among Palestinians, and military against the Zionist enemy. This will save Gaza and protect the West Bank," he said.

Mashal also promised that Hamas would respond to Israel's attacks. He accused Israel of mass murder, saying "the world has not been witness to an uglier massacre." He said that 205 Gaza Arabs had been killed, and 750 injured.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/158144

[bemildred]

31. Disinformation, secrecy, deception: How the Gaza offensive came about

Long-term preparation, careful gathering of information, secret discussions, operational deception and the misleading of the public - all these stood behind the Israel Defense Forces "Cast Lead" operation against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, which began Saturday morning.

The disinformation effort, according to defense officials, took Hamas by surprise and served to significantly increase the number of its casualties in the strike.

Sources in the defense establishment said Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for the operation over six months ago, even as Israel was beginning to negotiate a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. According to the sources, Barak maintained that although the lull would allow Hamas to prepare for a showdown with Israel, the Israeli army needed time to prepare, as well. Barak gave orders to carry out a comprehensive intelligence-gathering drive which sought to map out Hamas' security infrastructure, along with that of other militant organizations operating in the Strip.

This intelligence-gathering effort brought back information about permanent bases, weapon silos, training camps, the homes of senior officials and coordinates for other facilities.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050426.html

[bemildred]

45. Most Hamas bases destroyed in 4 minutes

Preparations nearly two years in the making were put into action yesterday as a two-wave offensive of 88 Israel Air Force fighter jets and helicopters delivered over 100 tons of explosives to approximately 100 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Planning for the operation began in early 2007, but the operation was suspended amid tensions with Syria that lasted several months until the strike on September 6 destroyed its North Korean-built nuclear reactor. The Israel Defense Forces then raised its state of readiness last March, but after the Givati Brigade's Operation Warm Winter in the Strip, the government decided to again postpone the air force operation.

Still, planning continued even as a ceasefire was declared in June and the operation itself was temporarily shelved. Since then, in light of lessons learned during the Second Lebanon War, a "target bank" was compiled by the IDF General Staff's intelligence and operations branches with the aid of GOC Southern Command and the Shin Bet security service. The list was compiled to allow a prolonged, effective strike capability, in contrast to the air force's experience in Lebanon where the list of targets was exhausted after only three days.

The "bank" included hundreds of targets including positions, command centers, offices and training grounds affiliated with Hamas as well as with Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees. Information was also compiled on civilian sites such as roads, bridges and power plants.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050432.html

[bemildred]

32. Israeli leaders face crucial choice in Gaza

Will they escalate their campaign into a general offensive on Gaza, or draw back having inflicted serious punishment on Hamas.

The options before Israel's government are as follows:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/3982508/Israeli-leaders-face-crucial-choice-in-Gaza.html

I am always amused with these things which never mention that all of this shock and awe stuff costs boatloads of money, and that that fact might affect the nature or duration of the military action.

[bemildred]

33. Israelis near Gaza call for more strikes on Hamas-run enclave

NETIVOT, Israel (AFP) — In the impoverished Israeli town of Netivot where a Palestinian rocket killed a man on Saturday, residents want the military to keep hitting the nearby Hamas-run Gaza Strip, and hit it hard.

"The government does not do enough, but it has to do the job. They must keep bombing Gaza until the Qassams stop," said Motti Turdjman in reference to the home-made rockets fired at southern Israel by militants in the Palestinian enclave fire on an almost daily basis.

'If they want calm, the people of Gaza must also give us calm," he said, shortly after a rocket killed a man in this town of 25,000 on the edge of the Negev desert.

---

Another resident of the small town, Over Almalia, wants Israel to take drastic measures. "The army should send an atomic bomb and get rid of the situation there," he said angrily. "If we are scared, the people in Gaza should also be scared."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gV-9ygdUXXX42w6zF7ZYQoI7tCrw

I am reminded of Deacon Mushrat's comment: "Ha! I'd show those who would live by the sword --- I'd drop that bomb and I'd force peace right down their bloodthirsty throats!"."

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Scurrilous]

37. Gaza raids expose Israeli failure

<snip>

"The unprecedented wave of airstrikes yesterday could not have been a more dramatic indication of the failure of Israel’s policy to remove Hamas from power in Gaza.

For the past few weeks, as a six-month truce between Hamas and Israel unravelled, Israel has tightened its siege of Gaza, opening the border only intermittently to allow the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the 1.4m Palestinians in the crowded Strip on the Mediterranean.

That was just the latest stage in a vicious cycle. Israel insisted that Hamas stop the launch of rockets from Gaza on its southern cities; Hamas, which claims it is not responsible for the attacks, said it would do so if Israel stopped its attacks on Gaza and opened the borders. An Israeli attack inevitably followed a rocket, which would provoke another attack, and so it has gone on for more than a year.

Last week, days after the ceasefire officially ended, 80 rockets were launched against Israel in just one day. However ineffective they were – no Israeli was killed or injured – it was the breaking point for the Israeli government. The devastating response came yesterday.

It will, however, have achieved little in terms of the ultimate Israeli goal: to create conditions that were so intolerable that either Hamas would recant its hardline stand against Israel, or that the Gazan population would turn on the Hamas government."

more

[bemildred]

38. I was thinking that it resembles the Second Lebanon War,

in that it's a strategic blunder driven by domestic political considerations. But it's a bit early to try to make an assessment.

[Lithos]

44. The blunder was caused by lack of decisiveness and muddled objectives

Ostensibly it was about removing Hezbollah's military force, but not being decisive what this meant and in applying the necessary forces to do so. Olmert sent the troops in with the general idea to just do something thinking that the IDF would magically reenact 1982, which of course was not the case. In the end, they got bogged down, let Hezbollah control the initiative, and paid a high price in troops.

I think Gaza is more about infrastructure and making it easier for third parties to gain some semblance of organization. Hamas' main instrument to crack down on Fatah has been police.

[bemildred]

46. There are certainly differences.

But fundamentally, the issue is not military, and it will not be solved by military means. I suppose you can argue that it lies in the twilight zone between military and police action, but I don't see that it puts you in a better position to argue for massive use of force. At best you buy a bit of time. And it seems to me reasonable to think that domestic political considerations are a driver here, as in 2006.

[bemildred]

47. Commander: Operation will 'send Gaza decades back'

Another echo from 2006 ...

In attacking Hamas' regime in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces will try to "send Gaza decades into the past" in terms of weapon capabilities while achieving "the maximum number of enemy casualties and keeping Israel Defense Forces casualties at a minimum," GOC Southern Command Yoav Galant said.

Major General Galant, one of the key figures in the Israeli operation that began yesterday in the Gaza Strip, said this during discussions before the move. Israel's aim in the operation will be to significantly damage Hamas' leadership, tactical capabilities and smuggling routes, he said. Despite efforts to keep IDF casualties to a minimum, Galant said that once troops are actually sent after the enemy, "what will take precedence is the need to fulfill the mission." He added, "Under no circumstance can we accept a norm that leaves missions unmet."

As for Hamas' military presence in Gaza, Galant proposed treating it as a force tantamount to a fortified infantry division with anti-tank capabilities, deployed in defensive formations. The urban setting - Gaza is one of the world's most densely populated areas - "presents complexities and difficulties," he said.

This setting dictates that ground forces closely cooperate with the Air Force. "This will underline our military achievements and reinforce our legitimacy in continuing the IDF activities," he added.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050434.html

[Lithos]

48. He is entitled to his opinion

Tactically he is right about Gaza, but strategically he is in error. It would set Israel back a decade or so and would probably result in a war of attrition which Israel is not as prepared as he thinks.



L-

[bemildred]

49. Which is why I said: "strategic blunder driven by domestic political considerations".

It's not like I think this sort of mistake is unique or new, it's old as the hills. But it still seems early to start taking up positions about this, I was just speculating.

[bemildred]

39. Britain and US refuse to demand end to Israeli airstrikes on Gaza

Britain and the United States were on a collision course with their European allies last night after refusing to call for an end to Israeli airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza.

The wave of attacks marked a violent end to President George W Bush’s sporadic Middle East peace efforts. The White House put the blame squarely on Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organisation, for provoking the Israeli blitz.

Britain echoed the call for “militants” to stop firing rockets into Israel while calling for “maximum restraint” to avoid casualties.

The response was in sharp contrast to demands by the European Union for an “immediate ceasefire” and criticism by France of the use of “disproportionate force”.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5404545.ece

[bemildred]

40. Switzerland condemns "excessive" Israeli attacks on Gaza

GENEVA, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Switzerland on Saturday joined a chorus of international criticism against Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip that has so far killed more than 200 Palestinians, the official Swissinfo news website reported.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry acknowledged that Israel has a right to protect itself but condemned Saturday's attacks on Gaza City as "excessive," according to the report.

The ministry has also called for a ceasefire from all sides and for humanitarian supplies to be allowed into the blockaded area immediately, Swissinfo said.

Israeli warplanes pounded dozens of security compounds across the Hamas-ruled territory in unprecedented waves of airstrikes on Saturday to retaliate for rocket fire from Hamas militants, according to media reports.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/28/content_10568944.htm

[bemildred]

41. Hysteria in Gaza

Children's bodies are being covered with cardboard boxes in Gaza -- the hospitals have run out of sheets -- as Washington and London urge Israel to use restraint and avoid civilian casualties.

Palestinians on the West Bank are organizing in protest, but this was Israel's plan all along. Less than two weeks ago some 50 Israeli policemen injured each-other in "gloves-off" training that a spokesman described as "a huge police training exercise to prepare for riot control and to deal with different scenarios."

Israel is trying to decapitate Hamas in Gaza, to use an favorite expression of military spokesmen and a docile American media, and the bodies are piling up. What is the limit? As it stands, over 200 Palestinians are dead. One Israeli died today from a rudimentary rocket fired from the Gaza, the supposed impetus for all this.

When the "operations" subside -- after how many days? -- what will have changed? More Palestinians will have died because Israeli "security" is sacrosanct in the current international system but Arab lives are not. But it goes beyond American-made bombs and jets and stonewalling in the Security Council. Blame falls also on the supportive Arab regimes in America's orbit -- perhaps Egypt most of all -- as Gaza is blockaded, bombed, blockaded, and bombed again, this time among the worst in its history.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/freddy-deknatel/hysteria-in-gaza_b_153711.html

[bemildred]

42. Barak in US interview: Israel won't accept ceasefire with Hamas

efense Minister Ehud Barak on Saturday night vowed that Israel would not accept a ceasefire with Hamas.

"For us to be asked to have a ceasefire with Hamas is like asking you to have a ceasefire with al Qaeda. It's something we cannot really accept," Barak said in an interview with Fox News

Barak added that a ground operation might follow the air strikes.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230111721896&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[bemildred]

52. Is Israel reprising the Lebanon war in Gaza?

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's Gaza offensive, with its unprecedented toll on Palestinian lives and infrastructure, aims to pummel Hamas Islamists into a truce on terms more favourable to the Jewish state's long-term diplomatic goals.

Israeli officials have likened the aerial onslaught launched throughout the Gaza Strip on Saturday to the opening strategy of the 2006 Lebanese war, where a border ambush by Hezbollah guerrillas triggered a devastating surprise bombing campaign.

The fact Israeli troops and tanks then poured into Lebanon, gaining ground and pressuring the international community into imposing a cease-fire, suggests what might come next for Gaza if Hamas does not halt cross-border rocket attacks.

"There are definite similarities to what we are seeing now and the execution of the war in Lebanon," said Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE4BR1D420081229

[IndianaGreen]

54. Same old shit, with the same disastrous results

Except that Israel forgets that with the US so weakened by GWOT, the day will soon come when America won't be there to bailout the idiots in Jerusalem.

[bemildred]

56. Yeah. You said it. I'm scratching my head.

"It's got to work this time ..."

[bemildred]

66. The 2006 stalemate in Lebanon is influencing Israel's tactics in Gaza Strip

JERUSALEM -- As they prepared for lightning airstrikes on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, Israel's leaders drew sobering lessons from their stalemate against another Islamic paramilitary force, Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas.

In that setback in the summer of 2006, Israel rushed to battle without a detailed plan or realistic goals, and was handed its first failure to vanquish an Arab foe in war. Hezbollah not only withstood the 34-day offensive, it emerged stronger politically.

Faced with frequent Hamas' rocket fire across its southern border, Israel planned its Gaza operation more meticulously, over nearly two years. As a result, Israeli officials said yesterday, their intelligence services developed a longer list of targets to bomb, enabling the air force to inflict more damage on the militant Palestinian group before Israel contemplates a risky ground assault.

And rather than boasting that it would "destroy" the enemy, as they did in Lebanon, Israeli leaders set the more modest aim of "improving the security" of terrorized Israeli communities.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08364/938285-82.stm

[bemildred]

164. ANALYSIS / Rivalry among Israel's leaders at root of row on Gaza cease-fire

Four days after the launch of "Operation Cast Lead" in the Gaza Strip, the first signs of a rift among the Israeli leadership over the campaign's management began to emerge. Even though the IDF operation has thus far been considered a relative success (and the ministers who approved it have benefited from an improvement in their political standing as a result), a dispute has erupted among the country's senior political echelon over the question of when to begin the process of winding down the operation.

The disagreement is rooted in the antipathy that has taken hold among the major players on the Israeli side as well as the tense jockeying for votes. In addition, there remains much confusion in the decision-making process that is similar to that which was cited by the Winograd committee report which investigated the lapses during the Second Lebanon War.
Advertisement
There are many similarities to the Lebanese affair, only this time the differences of opinion are given greater public airing. Four days after the breakout of the Second Lebanon War, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (and deputy IDF chief Moshe Kaplinsky) sought to set in motion a diplomatic process that would put an end to the fighting. Prime Minister Olmert balked.

In the current situation, the argument centers on an exit strategy. The defense minister told Olmert and Livni on Tuesday night that Israel needs to consider a 48-hour cease-fire during which Hamas' willingness to cease its launching of rockets will be tested. Nonetheless, Barak is convinced that Israel should not take any unilateral measures. Rather, it should exploit one of the proposals, including that offered by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, for a two-day lull in the fighting so as to address any pressing humanitarian issues.

Barak's recommendation comes against the backdrop of a possible ground incursion into Gaza. Over the course of the last two days, the troops have been concentrated near the border while absorbing mortar fire, all in difficult weather conditions. Hamas is using the poor visibility afforded by the clouds and rainfall to continue its rocket fire at Israel. More Israeli deaths on the home front are likely to augment the pressure on the government to give a green light to a ground operation before it can exploit the opportunity to exhaust diplomatic options to end the fighting.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051547.html

[bemildred]

180. Donald Macintyre: Lessons of Lebanon return to haunt Israel

Livni adopts hardline stance against truce as candidates seek votes in Israeli elections

Although their proposals differ in detail, two of Israel's best-known writers, Amos Oz and David Grossman, have joined the calls for a ceasefire after several days of Israel's offensive.

But Mr Grossman's article in Haaretz, which draws inescapable parallels with the 2006 Lebanon war, is especially poignant for a reason which he is far too dignified to mention. Had the war not been fruitlessly prolonged, his own tank-commander son, who was killed during its last days, would probably still be alive.

For there was a moment, back at the end of July 2006, when the second Lebanon war might just have ended five or six days after it began. We now know that Tzipi Livni, Israel's Foreign Minister, expressed serious concern that Israel might be missing a chance to reach a peace agreement at least as good as the one which would come a full four weeks and many hundreds of casualties – on both sides – later.

It is fairly clear that Ms Livni was right then. Yesterday, however, more than two years on, she was closely involved in the Israeli government's decision to reject the French proposal for a 48-hour humanitarian halt to hostilities in Gaza – one that her own ministry briskly described as "unrealistic" – and with it the possibility that it might have created a window for wider mediation on a possible durable ceasefire. Of course, there are differences between that conflict and this. But some of the confusion that emerged on Tuesday within the highest reaches of the government, about whether to pursue a ceasefire or prolong an operation which may include ground forces, is strikingly similar.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/donald-macintyre/donald-macintyre-lessons-of-lebanon-return-to-haunt-israel-1220047.html

[bemildred]

53. Attacking Gaza, Israel Worries About Lebanon

As Israel continues its air offensive against Hamas in the Gaza strip, one unsettling specter has emerged from the recent past: the failed campaign to crush the Lebanese militants of Hizballah in July 2006. Lebanon was clearly on the minds of Israel's military planners. Even as Hamas targets were pounded in Gaza, Israeli jets flew low level saber-rattling sorties over southern Lebanon, a warning to militants not to launch reprisal attacks along Israel's volatile northern border. (See photos from Israel's 2006 war in Lebanon.)

For now, the Shi'ite Hizballah appears to be confining its protests to fiery rhetoric and street demonstrations. In a widely-watched televised address Sunday night, Hizballah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah directed his anger more toward Arab governments, Egypt in particular, for complicity in the onslaught against Hamas than toward Israel itself. "Some Arab regimes... are helping by all means to impose the conditions of surrender on the resistors of the American-Zionist project," he said. "The 2006 July war occurred under Arab approval, even Arab request... They told the Israelis to get rid of Hizballah. They are doing the same thing in Gaza, they are asking the Israelis to destroy Hamas and the resistors."

The black-turbaned cleric added that Israeli military movements along the border with Lebanon could be a "defensive measure," but warned that "the enemy, with Arab collaboration, the financial crisis and the transition period in the United States, might take advantage of the situation to launch an attack on Lebanon." He added: "We are not concerned nor afraid... We are ready to face any attack on our country." (See photos from inside Hizballah.)

The Lebanon-Israel border long has served as a locus of Arab retaliation against Israel during periods of heightened violence. But since the 2006 war between Hizballah and Israel, the border has remained calm with the Shi'a militants concentrating their efforts on a military build-up for what they believe is an inevitable future encounter with their Israeli foes. "I think Hizballah has to keep it quiet along the border. The rules have changed since 2006," says Timur Goksel, a university lecturer in Beirut who served from 1979 to 2003 with the United Nations peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, known as UNIFIL.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1868859,00.html

[bemildred]

112. Hezbollah watches for now as Israel hits Hamas

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah guerrilla movement - widely seen as the Arab world's most effective force against Israel - is a staunch Hamas supporter but has so far held its fire as its Palestinian ally faces down Israel's assault in Gaza.

Hezbollah possesses a formidable arsenal of rockets and missiles that bloodied Israel during a monthlong war between them in 2006, but is constrained by its own domestic political goals and fears of Israeli retaliation.

Once considered as just a fighting force backed by Iran and Syria, Hezbollah has seen its political power in Lebanon grow since 2006. With Israel threatening massive retaliation if Hezbollah renews its rocket bombardments, that influence could come into doubt by Lebanese reluctant to be drawn into another war.

So Hezbollah is instead calling for protests in Lebanon and across the Middle East to pressure Arab governments to act against Israel.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_LEBANON_HEZBOLLAH?SITE=NCKIN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[ProgressiveProfessor]

147. As predicited

The psychwar aspects of what happened in Gaza has got to have their heads turning inside out.

[bemildred]

156. I figure that Nasrallah is all about Nasrallah.

And that pretty well explains it.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

157. Nasrallah is a gasbag but Hezbollah is a large orginazation with lots of functions in Lebanon

Everybody talks about how armies train to fight the last war...that us true for Hezbollah as well. However in Gaza Israel showed some new stuff, mostly intel gathering. A major departure from their long term run and gun style. Hezbollah saw a well planned destruction of Hamas facilities at all levels not just personnel. The IAF clearly had large amounts of data that they have not had before. That takes the paranoid Muslim street to new heights over *spies*. At this point Hezbollah has to believe the same kind of workup has been done on them.

To counteract that they would be:
- building duplicate comm paths
- decentralizing especially out of the cities and towns where they occupy large contiguous areas
- Jacking up internal security
- moving all their high values items elsewhere
- Getting even more paranoid

Those kind of changes take time and are very disruptive. Any thought of power projection is of the table for now.

[bemildred]

158. I think my theory is simpler. nt

[bemildred]

55. Olmert's Final Failure

Israel's new battle with Hamas in Gaza means that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be remembered for fighting two bloody and wasteful mini-wars in less than three years in power. The first one, in Lebanon during the summer of 2006, punished but failed to defeat or even permanently injure Hezbollah, which is politically and militarily stronger today than it was before Olmert took office. This one will probably have about the same effect on Hamas, which almost certainly will still control Gaza, and retain the capacity to strike Israel, when Olmert leaves office in a few months.

The saddest aspect of all this is that Olmert, a former hard-line believer in a "greater Israel," was more committed than any previous Israeli prime minister to ending the country's conflicts with Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians. Thrust into office in January 2006 by the incapacitation of Ariel Sharon, Olmert won his own mandate by promising to unilaterally withdraw Israeli soldiers and settlers from most of the West Bank. When that project was undermined by the Lebanese war, he launched into one-on-one negotiations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in which he discussed terms for a two-state settlement going well beyond those previously offered by an Israeli government. He also initiated indirect talks with the Damascus regime of Bashar al-Assad over the objections of the Bush administration.

Olmert has the passion of a latter-day convert to the two-state solution. He is convinced that, unless Israel is able to separate itself from the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza in the relatively near future, it will be overwhelmed demographically and will have to give up either its democracy or its status as a Jewish state. As recently as his last visit to Washington in late November, he was still pushing -- after virtually everyone else in Jerusalem and Washington had given up -- for some kind of "framework agreement" with Abbas that would spell out the terms for a deal, and be ratified by the U.N. Security Council.

In the end all Olmert got was U.N. Resolution 1850, passed Dec. 16, that endorsed a two-state solution without any specifics. Instead of a groundbreaking accord with Abbas or Assad, he will leave behind scorched earth in Gaza, a Lebanese front bristling with Hezbollah's missiles and an Israeli West Bank presence that has expanded rather than contracted during the past two years, with thousands of new homes for Jewish settlers under construction. To top it off, Olmert may well go to prison on the corruption charges that have forced him from office.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/28/AR2008122801277.html

[IndianaGreen]

57. Abbas is the Palestinian version of Afghanistan's Karzai

and they will both meet a similar fate.

[bemildred]

58. You're just trying to cheer me up. nt

[Alamuti Lotus]

59. Sayyed Nasrallah Calls for Massive Rally Monday

Initial paragraph formatting left a bit to be desired. Note that the conclusion of (10-day) Ashoura events this year is January 7th; the allusion is quite fitting. This wacky compulsion to appear 'respectable' has taken the fire out of his speeches.. but such as it is, here it was.

Sayyed Nasrallah Calls for Massive Rally Monday

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah called for a massive gathering in Beirut’s southern suburb to denounce the Israeli aggression on Gaza and to express solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Sayyed Nasrallah was speaking through a large screen as he marked the first night of Ashoura at the Sayyed Shouhadaa complex in Dahiyeh.

His eminence addressed the situation in Gaza and expressed deep regret at the Arab collusion “that is similar to the Arab collusion during the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon.”

“It is truly unfortunate to begin our Hijri new Year and Gregorian new year with a serious humanitarian calamity that has so far taken the lives of three hundred Palestinians in the besieged, oppressed yet resistant and steadfast Gaza Strip. Today, we might not need to speak about the notion as we are witnessing the model of a new Karbala. What is taking place today helps us more to understand history. Karbala’s reality is that a few believers had refused humiliation and yielding to tyrants. Those believers were to choose between humiliation and disproportionate confrontation that may lead to martyrdom, so they chose martyrdom. Imam Hussein peace be upon him created this model and said his famous words: We shall never be disgraced. It was not a matter of emotions, it was rather a matter of humanitarian and ideological commitment. This is the school of Prophet Mohammad peace be upon him in Karbala,” Sayyed Nasrallah explained.

His eminence went on saying that this was the choice in Karbala “and this was the choice during the July 2006 war.” He told the resistance community in Lebanon that “when you were to choose between surrender and confrontation, you chose to stand up, thus refusing disgrace regardless of the tens of thousands of homes destroyed and the hundreds of martyrs and injured. You stood up against collusion, betrayal and disgrace and this is how blood conquered the sword.”

The Hezbollah chief underlined that what is taking place in Gaza today was identical to what had taken place in Lebanon during the 2006 war. “It’s the same choices, the same collusion and inevitably the same consequence,” he said predicting victory in the end.

“When the legitimate Prime Minister Ismail Haniyyeh come out from under the rubble and fire to say ‘we will not surrender and we will preserve our dignity…this is Karbala.”

Sayyed Nasrallah openly spoke about the ongoing confrontation in Gaza. “Allow me to dot the i's and cross the t's, because we’re in dire need for the nation to shoulder its responsibility. What is taking place today in Gaza is similar to what had taken place in Lebanon; there is a US-Israeli scheme in the region and they want to impose humiliating conditions on the Palestinians, Lebanon and Syria after Egypt and Jordan made so called peace agreements with Israel. They are working on imposing these conditions by force, pressure, isolation, internal sedition, media and psychological wars, assassinations and wars. For them, it is essential to yield those who have not yet yielded t the US-Israeli scheme.”

I have asked the brothers in the resistance in the south specifically to be present, on alert and cautious because we are facing a criminal enemy and we don't know the magnitude of the conspiracies being weaved around us."
Sayyed Nasrallah concluded his speech by calling on the Lebanese, Arabs and Muslims to act responsibly at this stage and exert every effort to stop the aggression on Gaza.
“Imam Sayyed Khamenei has called for mourning on Monday. We are concerned in this. For my part, I invite you to gather tomorrow at 1500 (local time) at the Raya field, men and women, young and old, to consolidate with Gaza and the martyrs. We have to make the whole hear our voice and see our fists rising. Tomorrow is Ashoura as well because every day is Ashoura and every land in Karbala

[bemildred]

60. Nasrallah Calls for Overthrow in Egypt

(IsraelNN.com) Hizbullah head Hassan Nasrallah made an unprecedented speech on Sunday calling on Arabs, particularly Egyptians, to protest government policy and force their governments to stand with Gaza. On Monday Egypt responded, accusing Nasrallah of inciting chaos in Egypt.

In his Sunday speech, Nasrallah accused Egypt and Jordan of putting down popular support for Gaza Arabs. “There is true and full collaboration between certain Arab regimes, especially those who have already signed peace deals with Israel, to crush any form of resistance,” he said in a speech televised and broadcast to supporters in Beirut.

Nasrallah criticized Egypt in particular, and called on the Egyptian government to open the Rafiah crossing between Gaza and northern Sinai. Egypt does not need to fight Israel, but must help those who are fighting, he ruled. “If you do not open the crossing, then you are partners in the crime,” he warned.

Egypt has kept the crossings on its border with Gaza closed despite many attempts by Gaza Arabs to break through. Egyptian soldiers fired on those who tried to force their way through the border, wounding several.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129095

[Alamuti Lotus]

95. the subject is incorrect..

but it is Arutz Sheva, a certain amount of drool can be expected. His exact phrasing was: (another excerpt from almanar article)

The leader of the resistance urged the pride and noble people of Egypt “who we know what really lies in their hearts to take to the streets. If the people took to the streets by the millions, could the police kill millions of Egyptians? People of Egypt, you must open this crossing by the force of your chests," he said. “We know that Egyptian officers and soldiers adhere to their authentic Arab identity. I am not calling for a coup in Egypt, but those officers should tell their government that they are not with watching the Palestinian people being slaughtered while they guard Israel’s border. No one is justified today; the Egyptian stand can change the situation. If Gaza was steadfast for a few days or weeks, the aggression will eventually end because the Israeli enemy cannot tolerate war of attrition and will be forced to stop and abandon its goals.”

Personally, I think the bolded passage was a mistake - though he has tamed slightly since 2000, Nasrallah remains the most popular Arab politician with two Israeli defeats under his belt; he could safely take such a stance.

[bemildred]

97. True, but that happens a lot. nt

[Alamuti Lotus]

99. Indeed.. Completely as an aside--

thanks for using this thread as an informational section, it is easy to lose track of good articles amidst the many eStreetfights.

[bemildred]

101. Seems silly to have bazillions all repeating themselves.

And I'm paying attention and have the time today.
:hi:

[Alamuti Lotus]

103. Sayyed Nasrallah: Time for Palestinians to Unite

Sayyed Nasrallah: Time for Palestinians to Unite

Sayyed Nasrallah urged the Palestinians everywhere to unite and cooperate. “It is wrong to believe that this war is waged against Hamas. It is in fact waged against all the Palestinians and their will, right and determination. The US administration’s scheme is to establish the Zionist entity over the heads of all Arabs in the region. It does not care who governs Arab states. In principle, the US administration has no objection if an Islamist, extremist or fundamentalist rules any Arab country. What’s important for the US is the ruler’s political program and his stance regarding Israel and the US; will he sell his oil and yield to Washington and Tel Aviv’s political and economic terms or not? Will he abandon his rights and the rights of his people or not? That’s what governs the US position concerning any political regime in the Arab and Islamic worlds. The US administration regards any Islamist party according to its position from Israel but not according to its religion, religious rites or ideology.

The war is waged today on the program of the resistance. If our brother Khaled Meshal calls any of the mediators and says that he is ready for negotiations with Israel, the bombardment of Gaza would, the bombardment of Gaza would stop in no time and Hamas would govern Gaza and the West Bank as well.

Israel and the US problem with Hezbollah is not based on the party’s religious nature. If one Hezbollah leader calls Washington, and they really wish we’d do this, and told the American that we are ready to discuss our weapons, our resistance and our sovereignty, the American will help us govern Lebanon. Their real problem is with our political program that refuses to abandon prisoners, land and sovereignty.”

The Hezbollah chief also stressed the target in Gaza was the remainder of the resistance and the will of the Palestinians. “This is why I support all call for a third Intifada in Palestine and similar uprisings in the Arab and Islamic worlds. We call on all Palestinian factions to unite and work on stopping this aggression without allowing the Israelis to achieve their goals. We also call on Arabs and Muslims to continue action because the aggression continues.

The Qana massacre in the Israeli war of 1996 changed the formula and the second Qana massacre changed the formula of the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon, however the difference between these wars and the war on Gaza is that Israel began its aggression on the Strip with a massacre which means they are determined to exploit every second to achieve their goals and this is why Arab rulers are requested to exert real efforts to stop this.

People have begun taking to the streets of Arab capitals and this is a good sign that we did not witness during the 2006 war. This also means a real improvement in the position of the peoples.”

Sayyed Nasrallah said he had expected he would be assailed after his Sunday speech, yet he firmly said that defending Gaza is worth offering blood and being blasphemed or insulted in much less that offering blood. “We are all engaged in the battle of the nation and the battle to awaken awareness against delusive campaigns. Yesterday I hears one of the Arab blasphemers and liars saying that Hezbollah has bombarded the Egyptian embassy in Beirut. What kind of lies are these. We avoided going to the Egyptian embassy because of the sensitivity of the situation. All we are doing is peacefully asking the Egyptians to change their position. I also read prominent Arab journals accusing Hamas and the resistance of selling their people for the sake of regional powers and regime and they named Syria! What is Syria’s interest in killing civilians in Gaza? Syria took the initiative and stopped its indirect talks with Israel. And is Hamas really defending Iran in Gaza? These are trivial and hateful accusations regardless of their source. Resistance factions are defending their people in Gaza. They accuse the victim of being faithful to their people. The people of Gaza are the purest and most honorable people, and those who abandon them are participating in the crime, killings and treason. We have been calling to open the Rafah crossing; today if you hear all speeches you will see that the calls for Egypt to open the Rafah crossing are unanimous. We are talking about steadfastness in Gaza and the first condition to consolidate steadfastness there is to open the gates for it.”

[Alamuti Lotus]

104. Abul Gheit Assails Sayyed Nasrallah Over Protest Calls

one last piece closing out my brief scan of the beacon this evening. Just as that notorious (but forgiven) antisemite Mahmoud Abbas has recently gained an enthusiastic Israeli fan club, this should win FM Abul Gheit some friends (as if his pals Olmert and Livni were not good enough)..

Abul Gheit Assails Sayyed Nasrallah Over Protest Calls

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit assailed Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah for calling on the Egyptian people to stand with their brothers being slaughtered in Gaza.

Sayyed Nasrallah urged Egyptians in their "millions" to take to the streets to force their government to open the country's crossing with Gaza, where Israel is conducting deadly air raids against Palestinians. The leader of the resistance urged the pride and noble people of Egypt “who we know what really lies in their hearts to take to the streets. If the people took to the streets by the millions, could the police kill millions of Egyptians? People of Egypt, you must open this crossing by the force of your chests," he said. “We know that Egyptian officers and soldiers adhere to their authentic Arab identity. I am not calling for a coup in Egypt, but those officers should tell their government that they are not with watching the Palestinian people being slaughtered while they guard Israel’s border,” Sayyed Nasrallah said.

"Someone yesterday called on the Egyptian people to take to the streets and create an atmosphere of anarchy. In other words, they want an atmosphere of anarchy similar to the one they created in their own country," Gheit told a press conference in Ankara, without naming Sayyed Nasrallah.

"This person also called on the Egyptian armed forces, but he is not aware of the situation. If you do not know, let me tell you that the Egyptian armed forces are tasked with defending Egypt. If need be, they will also protect Egypt against people like you," he added. Abul Gheit arrived in Turkey for talks with Turkish leaders on the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

While Abul Gheit was speaking, Egyptian security forces were on high alert to suppress some 20,000 Egyptians who took to the streets of Cairo in support for Gaza.

[bemildred]

171. Nasrallah: Israel learned nothing from Lebanon War

Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised interview that "the Israelis claim they learned from the experience of the Second Lebanon War, but this is not true." He said Israel had not declared any objectives, and that it would not do so because it is uncertain of gaining any ground with the Gaza offensive.

"The Air Force can't win the battle. It's not only me who says so, but Winograd. They have no targets left in Gaza." (Roee Nahmias)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3648385,00.html

[bemildred]

175. Nasrallah: Israel hesitant to invade Gaza for fear of failure

The head of the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, on Wednesday said that Israel is hesitating to launch a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip for fear of failure.

According to Nasrallah, a ground operation in Gaza will prove extremely difficult for Israel, because of the one and a half million residents who are "embracing the resistance."

In a televised speech made before an audience of Hezbollah supporters in Beirut, Nasrallah added that Israel hasn't declared specific goals for Operation Cast Lead because it won't be capable of achieving them. "What is happening in Gaza is a victory, despite all the pure blood being spilled," said Nasrallah.

Nasrallah on Sunday said that he had asked his fighters to be on alert for a possible Israeli attack on Lebanon following the raids on Gaza that have killed nearly 400 Palestinians.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051628.html

[bemildred]

196. Lebanon Shiite leader (Berri) criticizes Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip

Beirut - A Lebanese parliamentary leader on Thursday accused Israel of trying to end "resistance" in the Gaza Strip and urged Arab states to cut diplomatic ties to Israel. Speaking before a meeting of the Arab Parliamentarian Council, Shiite House Speaker Nabih Berri called for assistance to help Palestinians facing an Israeli onslaught.

"The objectives of the Gaza war exceed the upcoming Knesset elections," he said, referring to upcoming Israeli legislative elections. "This war is not limited to Gaza, it is the third Palestinian war for eliminating the resistance," he told the gathering in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre.

The meeting was called to show support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Berri, whose party has close links with Hezbollah, called for: compelling Israel to a cease-fire; holding an urgent Islamic summit; shuttering Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories; demolishing the wall separating Palestinians and Israelis; and the release of all Palestinian prisoners.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/248554,lebanon-shiite-leader-criticizes-israeli-attacks-on-gaza-strip.html

[bemildred]

61. Hamas: No truce before Israel stops attacks

A senior exiled Hamas official has rejected any talk of a new truce with Israel unless all attacks on Gaza cease and the border crossings are reopened.

Moussa Abu Marzouk has told The Associated Press in an interview in Damascus that Palestinian gunmen have a right to strike everywhere in Israel in response to the assault on Gaza.

Abu Marzouk called on Arab countries who have peace treaties with Israel to sever those ties, namely Egypt and Jordan. He also renewed accusations against Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, saying he was collaborating with Israel against Hamas.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230456518135&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[bemildred]

62. Israeli UN envoy: 'Don't even speak about peace at this moment'

As Israel bombed Gaza for a third day, Palestinian moderate and long-time peace negotiator Hanan Ashrawi stated that she does not accept Israel's argument that it is acting in self-defense and believes the bombing was planned ahead of time with an eye toward February's elections.

At the same time, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations told CNN, "Don't even speak about peace at this moment" and insisted that Hamas alone is responsible for the suffering of the people of Gaza.

"Israel is an occupying power," Ashwari angrily told CNN's John Roberts on Monday. "In Gaza, they've been under siege for months now, deprived of the most basic needs. ... And now Israel has decided that if the victims do not lie down and die quietly, it's going to shell them relentlessly from the air."

"Israel is playing politics with captive Palestinian lives," continued Ashwari. "In the middle of an elections campaign, they get their conventions by how many Palestinians they can kill. ... We see only a human tragedy ... and we see the Israeli parties playing politics with our lives. "

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Palestinian_lawmaker_Gaza_attacks_premeditated__1229.html

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67. Israel promises 'war to the bitter end' against Hamas as navy blasts Gaza and tanks mass on border

Israel today vowed ‘war to the bitter end’ with Hamas as it stepped up its bombardment of the Gaza strip.

Defence minister Ehud Barak said there would be no let-up until the Islamist group had been dealt a ‘severe blow’.

As the Israeli navy joined in the pounding and tanks massed in a newly-declared buffer zone, he said the offensive, which has claimed 300 lives including at least 50 civilians, would be ‘widened and deepened’ until it succeeded.

Today warplanes struck a house next to the Hamas prime minister’s home and flattened a building at a university linked to the militants.

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1102421/Israel-promises-war-bitter-end-Hamas-navy-blasts-Gaza-tanks-mass-border.html

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68. Israel gets ready for 'all-out war against Hamas'

Israel on Monday massed hundreds of tanks in expectation of a land strike on the Gaza Strip as fighter jets continued their blanket bombings of Hamas targets for the third day today, raising the toll of Palestinians killed to 315.

Amidst no let up in the fury and intensity of attacks even in the face of growing international calls for halt to the violence, Defence Minister Ehud Barak warned that Israel was in an 'all-out war against Hamas'.

"We have nothing against Gaza residents, but we are engaged in an all-out war against Hamas and its proxies," he said, indicating that a ground strike could be in the offing any time.

Barak said the Israelis were left with no other options as the Hamas had spurned "stretched hands in peace many times".

http://ia.rediff.com/news/2008/dec/29israel-gets-ready-for-all-out-war-against-hamas.htm

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108. Gaza campaign "could last weeks", says Israel

Israel has warned that its military action in Gaza could last for several weeks.

The Palestinian death toll from the air assaults has reached 340 so far, but despite growing worldwide condemnation, Israel has ruled out another ceasefire and has also raised the threat of a possible ground invasion.

Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he doesn't predict any let-up in the campaign.

"I think stopping the rocketing of Israeli cities is obviously a paramount goal", he said, "but ultimately we'll have to bring down the Hamas regime because it's an implacable flow. It's like Al Qaida with a base, supported by Iran, next to New York City."

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/world-news/middle-east/gaza-campaign-could-last-weeks-says-israel-1588376.html

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109. Israeli defense to recommend 48-hour truce with Hamas

JERUSALEM, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli defense establishment said Tuesday it would recommend Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to embark on a 48-hour truce with Hamas, before it becomes necessary to begin a significant ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

They would recommend Olmert to seek out a diplomatic initiative to abate the war against Hamas and initiate a 48-truce ceasefire, local daily Ha'aretz reported on its website.

Senior defense officials believe that such a diplomatic process need not be a unilateral Israeli procedure, but should rather be based on an initiative originally proposed by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, said the report.

The goal of the temporary calm would be to see if Hamas can abide by the truce and cease firing rockets at Israel, it added.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/30/content_10583314.htm

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110. Hamas source: We received message on truce; we won't agree to it

A senior Hamas source told Ynet that the movement had received messages from international elements, claiming that Israel was ready for a ceasefire.

According to the source, Hamas and the Israeli organizations would not accept the Israeli initiative. "Their offer is aimed, first and foremost, at serving their own interests, helping them prepare and emerge from the crisis and distress they have been facing in the past two days." (Ali Waked)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3647431,00.html

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111. Hamas demands an end to Israeli blockade

Israel has dropped tonnes of bombs on the Gaza Strip in a show of force to make Hamas stop rocket attacks, but has not said it will try to topple the Islamic militants who have ruled for 18 months.

Such a limited definition of goals gives Israel considerable flexibility in deciding when to end the assault, especially if international pressure mounts, while still calling it a success. But this approach also offers Hamas good survival odds, even if the onslaught leaves it badly weakened.

Israel's unwillingness to reoccupy Gaza or openly try to install a new ruler gives Hamas considerable leverage in ceasefire negotiations. In exchange for calm on Israel's border, Hamas demands an end to the crippling blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt after the violent Hamas takeover of Gaza 18 months ago. Ending the blockade could help Hamas recover quickly and prolong its rule indefinitely, all but destroying prospects of a peace deal.

Israel has been negotiating for a year with Hamas' rival, moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who controls the West Bank. It says it cannot implement an agreement as long as the Iranian-backed Hamas, sworn to Israel's destruction, controls half of what would be a Palestinian state.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10550125

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63. Israel aims to topple Hamas: deputy (Israeli) PM

JERUSALEM - The aim of Israel's massive bombardment of the Gaza Strip is to topple its Hamas rulers, Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon said on Monday in televised comments.

"The goal of the operation is to topple Hamas," Ramon said.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2008/December/middleeast_December637.xml§ion=middleeast&col=

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184. Short-term goal is not to overthrow Hamas: Israeli FM Livni

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told ABC television Wednesday that Israel's short-term goal in Gaza is not overthrowing Hamas.

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Overthrowing Hamas, she added, "is not the goal of the current operation, but at the end of the day, Gaza controlled by Hamas is a problem to Israel, a problem to the Palestinians and a problem to the entire region."

Livni justified Israel's rejection of a truce in the fighting in Gaza because the humanitarian situation is not dire, and because "knowing Hamas ... they are going to abuse any kind of ceasefire in order to put ... themselves in a better position for the next attack."

Asked about the likelihood of a ground assault on Gaza by Israeli forces, the foreign minister said: "I don't know yet. Everything is prepared. We started with the air force ... and we are making our decisions on a daily basis."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090101/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictgazaus

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64. Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan see anti-Israel rallies

BEIRUT, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Lebanese Shi'ite protesters, chanting "Death to America, Death to Israel", massed in Beirut on Monday, calling for an end to Israeli strikes on Gaza that have killed 320 Palestinians.

In the Jordanian capital, Amman, about 20,000 people staged a demonstration organised by the mainstream Muslim Brotherhood, while in Cairo about 1,000 people rallied to show solidarity with Gaza Palestinians.

"In Gaza today we face, as a nation, a battle against the fate of Palestine and not the fate of the Hamas government," Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah declared to a throng of demonstrators in Beirut's southern suburbs.

"I join my voice to the voices of other Palestinian leaderships that have called for a third intifada (uprising) in Palestine and other intifidas in both the Arab and Islamic worlds...," he said.

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnLT586010.html

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69. Renewed protests at Israeli raids

For a second day in Jordan, several thousand protesters gathered in Amman and burned Israeli and American flags.

There were similar rallies in Egypt, Syria, Libya and Iraq with many calling for a firm response from their leaders.

One of the largest gatherings was in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, organised by the Hezbollah movement.

Tens of thousands of people poured on to the streets of southern Beirut, many carrying Palestinian, Lebanese and Hezbollah flags and banners supporting the Palestinian people, the Associated Press news agency reported.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7803569.stm

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70. Protesters Burn Israeli, US Flags In Greece Demo

ATHENS (AFP)--Greek riot police fired tear gas Monday to keep protesters away from the Israeli embassy during a demonstration against Israel's Gaza Strip offensive

The protesters, who included Palestinians, burned Israeli and U.S. flags. Some beat shoes against photographs of U.S. President George Bush.

Two more demonstrations by leftists and communists will be held in Athens later Monday, and another two in the northern port of Thessaloniki.

Israel Monday bombed Gaza for a third day in an "all-out war" on Hamas, as tanks massed on the border and the Islamists fired deadly rockets in retaliation for the blitz that has killed at least 318 people.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20081229/ACQDJON200812291041DOWJONESDJONLINE000242.htm

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107. Non-Aligned Movement Denounces Israeli Aggression on Gaza Strip

New York, (SANA) – The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) strongly denounced on Tuesday the Israeli aggression n Gaza Strip which has claimed hundreds of innocent lives and inured hundreds more.

The New York-based NAM Coordinating Bureau affirmed in a statement approved by the UN that the Israeli military escalation constitutes a dangerous and blatant violation of international law and human rights, stressing that this sort of action widens the circle of violence and threatens international security and peace.

The NAM called for taking steps for dealing with the serious situation in Gaza, reiterating its support of the Palestinian people who are living a tragedy caused by the Israeli occupation.

http://www.sana.sy/eng/22/2008/12/30/206761.htm

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113. Israel's "Bloodstained Hands" Stir Up Anger: Mubarak

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday slammed what he called Israel's "savage aggression" on the Gaza Strip, and said its "bloodstained hands" were stirring feelings of rage among Arabs.

But Mubarak, who had been under pressure for Egypt's role in helping enforce Israel's blockade of Gaza that led to ending a six-month truce, also said part of the blame for the violence on the Islamist Hamas group.

"We say to (Israeli) leaders: you bear the responsibility for your savage aggression against the Palestinians, regardless of what justifications you use as an excuse. And we say to them: your bloodstained hands are stirring up feelings of enormous anger," Mubarak said in a televised address.

Israel has killed more than 350 Palestinians in four days of attacks on the Gaza Strip in what it says an attempt to end Palestinian rocket attacks on its citizens and warned its military action could last weeks, while Hamas vowed to keep up rocket attacks on Israeli cities.

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_212196370.shtml

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127. Iran Jews stage pro-Palestinian rally near UN offices in Tehran

Members of Iran's small Jewish community staged a demonstration outside of the United Nations' office in Tehran, to protest the Israel Defense Forces' operation in the Gaza Strip.

The official Iranian news agency, IRNA, reported that community members, alongside Jewish parliamentarian Siamak Mara-Sedq, urged Israel to do its part to return quiet and security to the region.

The chairman of Iran's Jewish Union, Rahmatullah Raafi, said the community had come out in support of the Palestinian people.

"We are here to express out support and sympathy for the Palestinian nation," he said, adding that Muslim nations could rise up as a single large force against Israel. He also said that the victors of the current conflict were the residents of Gaza.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051290.html

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128. Hundreds in London Israeli embassy protests

Hundreds of people today returned to the Israeli Embassy to protest at the country's bombardment of opponents in Gaza.

The crowd outside the Embassy in Kensington, central London, chanted slogans in support of Palestine from behind heavy metal barriers, facing a line of around 30 police officers while a police helicopter hovered overhead.

Yesterday's protest outside the Embassy saw seven people arrested for public order offences, including assaulting police officers, during angry clashes.

The atmosphere this afternoon was calmer, with protestors who attended yesterday noting that their numbers were slightly less - adding that people were now focusing on the rally in Trafalgar Square on Saturday.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hundreds-in-london-israeli-embassy-protests-1217704.html

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132. Demonstration in Brussels against Israeli atrocities in Gaza

BRUSSELS, Dec 30 (KUNA) -- An estimated 300 Arab and Belgian demonstrators gathered in front of the Israeli embassy here Tuesday afternoon to protest against the ongoing Israeli military attacks against Palestinians in Gaza.

"Israel is a terrorist state. Stop the massacres in Gaza," shouted the protestors who included many women and children.

A heavy police cordon kept the demonstrators away from the Israeli embassy which is situated in the Uccle suburb of the Belgian capital.

A Moroccan couple with a baby in arm told KUNA that they came to take part in the demonstration in spite of the freezing temperature to show solidarity with the suffering Palestinians in Gaza.

http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1964086&Language=en

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133. Protest against massacre in Gaza held in Valletta

Over 200 people, some wearing the keffiyeh and carrying placards calling for a stop to the massacre in Gaza, this afternoon took part in a peace march from Freedom Square along Republic Street in Valletta.

The march, organised by the non-governmental organisations Graffitti, the Peace Lab and Kopin, also included the participation of political parties, the General Workers’ Union, Zminijietna, the third world group and Koperattiva Kummerc Gust.

A spokesman for Graffitti called for the violence in Gaza to stop and asked the Maltese government to take concrete action and put pressure on the Israeli government to immediately stop the attacks and start participating in a process that would lead to peace and justice.

He said all acts of violence were to be condemned but the actions being taken by the Hamas were not on the same level with those by Israel.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20081230/local/protest-against-massacre-in-gaza-held-in-valletta

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141. About 1,000 in Dearborn, Mich., protest Israeli strikes on Gaza; hundreds demonstrate in NYC

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Close to 1,000 Arab-Americans and others marched through the Detroit suburb of Dearborn on Tuesday evening, waving Palestinian flags and shouting slogans to protest Israeli military strikes against the Gaza Strip.

Protesters braving 30-degree weather filled eight blocks of a major thoroughfare in Dearborn, widely seen as the heart of Arab America. Hundreds more gathered in New York City outside the Israeli consulate.

Since Saturday, 374 Palestinians have died in the Israeli air onslaught against Gaza's Islamic Hamas rulers. Most of the dead were members of Hamas security forces but the United Nations says at least 64 civilians have been killed.

The offensive came shortly after a rocky six-month truce expired. Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets and mortars at Israel before and during the Israeli offensive.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-israel-palestinians-protest,0,2815135.story

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144. Egyptian consulate stormed by protesters over Gaza blockade

ADEN – Yemeni protesters angered by Cairo’s co-operation with Israel in imposing a blockade on Gaza stormed the Egyptian consulate in the southern city of Aden yesterday, witnesses said.

The protest comes after about 350 Palestinians were killed and more than 800 were wounded in three days of Israeli air strikes on the enclave, of which Egypt is the only other neighbour.

Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said the incident at the consulate lasted 15 minutes.

One witness said the protesters burned the Egyptian flag and hoisted a Palestinian banner on the building. “Some of the protesters were able to enter the consulate and destroyed some property and papers,” another witness said, adding some of the protesters were Egyptian.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1231/1230581503969.html

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151. Thousands Of Protesters Demand End To Israeli Raids In Gaza

WASHINGTON (AFP)--Thousands of people demanded an end to Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip in a protest Tuesday outside the U.S. State Department in Washington.

Protesters carrying red-white-green-and-black Palestinian flags and wearing black-and-white checkered head scarves chanted slogans like "Stop the Killing, Stop the War, Stop the Genocide of Palestinians."

Some of them also held aloft banners that read "Stop U.S. Aid to Israel" and " Free, Free Palestine."

There initially appeared to be around 200 protesters, but a larger crowd returned to the State Department later in the evening following a march to the White House.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20081230/ACQDJON200812301947DOWJONESDJONLINE000396.htm

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154. Hundreds of Arabs protest Israel in US

Hundreds of Arab-Americans and others marched through the Detroit suburb of Dearborn on Tuesday evening to protest Israeli military strikes against the Gaza Strip.

Tuesday's protesters lined eight blocks of a major thoroughfare in Dearborn, widely seen as the heart of Arab America.

Marchers waved Palestinian flags and carried signs condemning Israel and showing pictures of casualties of the fighting. They chanted, "Gaza, Gaza don't cry, Palestine will never die."

Others chanted, "Israel is a terrorist state" and, in Arabic, "God is Great" and "A martyr is beloved of God."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230456537176&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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160. Gulf leaders assail Israeli savagery

MUSCAT, Dec 30: Gulf Arab leaders, wrapping up a two-day summit on Tuesday, strongly condemned Israeli military attacks on Gaza and endorsed an agreement to set up a long-sought after monetary union that would go into effect before the end of 2009.

In a summit ostensibly aimed at discussing a unified monetary pact that would pave the way for a single currency, leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council devoted much of their time to the Israeli air strikes on Hamas-ruled Gaza.

Gulf leaders were determined to exit the meeting with a unified stance about the attacks, and their final statement reflected the widespread anger in the region.

The statement condemned “Israel’s unjustified aggression and its inhumane practices against the Palestinians” in Gaza and held Israel responsible for the recent escalation.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/12/31/top11.htm

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165. Women's Groups Organizing 'Huge Rally' Against Gaza Operation

(IsraelNN.com) A broad coalition of Israeli women's groups is organizing the first large demonstration against the IDF's counter-terror operation in Gaza, "Cast Lead." The demonstration, which organizers believe will be "huge," will take place in Haifa Friday and will call on Israel to accept the international initiatives for an immediate ceasefire.

The organizers number 18 groups, including the Coalition of Women for Peace (itself a coalition which includes groups like Machsom Watch and Women in Black), Ahoti, Ruach Nashit, Isha L'Isha, Bat Shalom, The Organization for Women's Economic Empowerment, Women's Parliament and other groups.

In a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, the women's groups demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza. "The masculine way of killing and destruction must stop and give way to women's language and action for peace and dialogue between nations," they wrote.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129153

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176. Turkish mass rallies demand Israeli boycott

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"Let's have an economic embargo against Israel," chanted one protestor at a rally yesterday in İstanbul organized by the Health Workers Union (SES). The group issued a statement at the end of the rally and asked the Turkish government to suspend all commercial and diplomatic ties with Israel. "We are ashamed to learn that Israeli fighter pilots are being trained in Konya," the statement said.

The group also demanded a halt to the killing of all civilians by Israeli defense forces.

The protest was one of hundreds held across the country. In front of Israeli diplomatic posts in İstanbul and Ankara, human rights organizations staged protest meetings, calling on Turkey to cancel all bilateral agreements signed with Israel.

The call garnered support from political party leaders across the board. While Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the attacks "a crime against humanity," Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan condemned the Israeli actions strongly yesterday and said, "As a country we have been deeply hurt in our hearts by what is happening in Gaza."

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=162888&bolum=100

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177. People gather in downtown Salt Lake to protest attacks in Gaza

(KSL News) Over 100 people gathered at the Federal Building in Salt Lake City to protest Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip.

The group Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land says Israel's attack on Gaza is hurting more than just militants.

It says the Israeli military is targeting more than a million innocent civilians because of Hamas.

Protester Ali Hasnain says, "Over the course of the last three or four days, nearly 400 people have died due to the air attacks by Israel, and a lot of them have been innocent children and a lot of innocent people."

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5202807

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179. Protests in Egypt after Israel rejects Gaza truce

Thousands of protesters shouting slogans in support of Hamas and Gaza Palestinians have clashed with Egyptian riot police in Cairo.

The opposition Muslim Brotherhood says up to 600 of its members have been arrested.

Arab League ministers have been meeting at their headquarters a short distance from the protests to seek a common position on the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/200901/2457611.htm?desktop

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183. Tense battle for public opinion rages on US streets

WASHINGTON - Thousands of demonstrators on opposing sides of the Gaza conflict took to the streets in cities across America on Tuesday, staging confrontations that were at times tense but largely nonviolent.

Several pro-Palestinian groups held rallies and marches in front of Israeli consulates, at major intersections and at US politicians' offices, chanting anti-Israel slogans and demanding that the attacks on Gaza end.

"Israel is a terrorist state," chanted some of the close to 1,000 participants in one of Tuesday's bigger demonstrations, held in Dearborn, Michigan, home to one of America's largest Arab populations.

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Protests were also held in New York, Los Angeles, Boston and several other cities, with Jewish groups scrambling to hold counter-demonstrations upon learning of events being held opposing Israel's action against Hamas.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230733120038&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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186. Chilean president defends stand on Gaza situation

SANTIAGO, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) - Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday defended the government's stand on the Gaza situation.

Chile wants both warring parties, namely, Hamas and Israel, to stop fighting, a move that is in line with the appeal from the rest of the international community, she said in an interview with Radio Cooperativa.

"Our biggest call is to stop all actions from both sides," she said, noting Chile will spare no efforts to facilitate a "reasonable solution."

The Chilean Foreign Ministry on Saturday issued a statement "strongly" condemning the Israeli raids on Gaza and expressed its concerns on the escalation of violence in the region.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/01/content_10588518.htm

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201. Protests For, Against IDF in Tel Aviv

(IsraelNN.com) Residents of Tel Aviv and surrounding Arab villages held a protest against the IDF this week. Protesters accused Defense Minister Ehud Barak of "killing children" and dismissed rocket attacks on Israel as “not so bad.”

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The protest led to an enthusiastic counter-protest a day later. Dozens of young men and women turned out to sing and wave flags in support of the IDF.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129177

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65. Gaza and Goliath

This gestures in the direction of a central issue in this war: that it is always an error to get into a knock-down-drag-out fight with a foe of vastly inferior capability. You will be denied the rewards of victory (legitimacy, respect, deterrence) and you will always be seen as a bully. If you want to really be a winner, you have to fight someone your own size.


There’s a harrowing asymmetry in this conflict that is made all the worse when it is ignored. As reprehensible as the ideology and actions of Hamas are, none of the same criticism is given to Israel for committing acts that are illegal under international law, such as imposing sanctions and collective punishment on 1.5 million people.

Hamas may have broken then truce, but Israel didn’t hold to the conditions of the truce when it didn’t lift the debilitating blockade which has threatened a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. What’s more, it seems that Israel, too, wanted to break the truce.

We’d all like to see Hamas gone and Palestinians benefit from a government which is not hell bent on the annihilation of a whole country. But if we put long term ideology aside for a second, Hamas is doing for its people what any government would in its situation. It doesn’t see why it has to restrain itself in the same way Israel doesn’t.

Then we have the fact that the casualties on both sides don’t even begin to compare, as with the technological advancement, civil infrastructure and international standing of the two sides. I believe all of this is contributing to a deep sense of injustice amongst Gazans, Arabs and, yes, Muslims the world over. The real danger does not lie in some ineffective rocket attacks from an overpopulated, under-fed and beleaguered enclave on Israel’s border, but in more young people falling prey to Hamas’s rhetoric of religiously-inspired resistance, not just to feel more empowered but because they have become convinced that they are being treated this way because of their religion and race. And so will emerge a continual cycle of terror and civillian carnage.

http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/2616

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71. Israel's End Game

The attack on Gaza shows that the Olmert government feels it may be running out of options

Does the Gaza offensive signal that the Israeli government has decided to embark on the end game? The scale of the effort—a massive aerial assault, with Israeli tanks massing along Gaza's border in evident preparation for a ground campaign—certainly suggests that. What does the "end game" mean? It's the term a longtime senior Israeli defense adviser used in a conversation with me a few months ago: A military effort to crush Palestinian resistance for a generation.

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Consider the Palestinian resistance. The carnage in Iraq from 2003 to 2007 demonstrates what a truly determined insurgency can achieve. By comparison the three Palestinian intifadas have been amateurish: disorganized, limited in intensity and territory—low-level unrest largely confined to the West Bank. Israel itself was barely touched; and the toll of Israeli military casualties, though steady, was slight compared to those inflicted by Hizbullah in one month's fighting in southern Lebanon in 2006. In cold military terms, suicide bombers striking in Israeli cities—the tactic Hamas, in particular, espoused from the mid-1990s—offered the Palestinians their first strategic weapon, as Israel's political leaders acknowledged at the time. But the suicide-bombing campaign waned. One reason, no doubt, was because the Israelis managed to kill its early organizers. But such evidence as we have suggests that Hamas itself decided to halt the suicide-bombings. Why? A theory credited by significant Israeli analysts is that Hamas feared the campaign's success would provoke an overwhelming Israeli military response. In short, the Palestinians have held back from waging an all-out military effort—aiming, on this analysis, to do enough to coerce Israel to meet their settlement terms, but not enough to provoke Israeli wrath.

Now consider the Israelis' response. The mountains of rubble in Nablus and Jenin after the Israeli air and tank assaults in the summer of 2002 invite derision at any talk of Israeli restraint. But the reality is that the Israelis have, for most of this long-running conflict, showed remarkable military restraint. The destruction in Jenin and Nablus—or across southern Lebanon in 2006—could have been repeated many times over. That it was not suggests that the Israelis, like the Palestinians, have held back from a military resolution to the conflict.

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The great Athenian historian Thucydides, writing almost 2500 years ago, concluded that one reason a nation goes to war is a perception of waning power: act now because the future looks worse than the present. The scale of the assault on Gaza suggests that the Olmert government is validating Thucydides' analysis: embarking on the end game to crush Hamas before it gets stronger, and Israel's position gets weaker. As Thucydides also observed, though, nations taking this gamble tend to be poor judges of what the consequences will be.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/177064

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72. Gaza strategy divides Israeli military analysts

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Yossi Alpher, a former senior official at Mossad and a military commentator, agreed that Israel was seeking a ceasefire on more acceptable terms. But he was critical of the tough economic blockade Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip in recent years, limiting imports to humanitarian supplies and preventing all exports, a policy that has all but wiped out private industry and brought Gaza's economy to collapse.

"The economic siege of Gaza has not produced any of the desired political results," he said. "It has not manipulated Palestinians into hating Hamas, but has probably been counter-productive. It is just useless collective punishment."

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Some have even spoken out publicly against the current devastating bombing in Gaza. Tom Segev, one of Israel's most respected historians, has been particularly critical, arguing that the premise of bombing to secure a peace agreement was false. The government was failing to learn the lessons of the past, he said.

"Israel has also always believed that causing suffering to Palestinian civilians would make them rebel against their national leaders. This assumption has proven wrong over and over," Segev wrote in yesterday's Ha'aretz newspaper. "Since the dawn of the Zionist presence in the Land of Israel, no military operation has ever advanced dialogue with the Palestinians."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/29/israel-gaza-military-strategy

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73. What, Exactly, is Israel's Mission?

---

The first is the destruction of Hamas, a totally unrealistic goal. Even though the loss of hundreds of cadres and some key leaders will no doubt hurt the organization, Hamas is a robust political movement with widespread grassroots support, and it is unlikely to surrender or capitulate to Israeli demands following a military assault. Ironically, Israel’s attempt to destroy Hamas using military force has always ended up strengthening the organization, thus corroborating the notion that power produces its own vulnerability.

The second objective has to do with Israel’s upcoming elections. The assault on Gaza is also being carried out to help Kadima and Labor defeat Likud and its leader Benjamin Netanyhu, who is currently ahead in the polls. It is not coincidental that Netanyahu’s two main competitors, Livni and Barak, were invited to the press conference – since, after the assault, it will be more difficult for Netanyahu to characterize them as “soft” on the Palestinians. Whether or not the devastation in Gaza will help Livni defeat Netanyhu or help Barak gain votes in the February elections is difficult to say, but the strategy of competing with a warmonger like Netanyhu by beating the drums of war says a great deal about all three major contenders.

The third objective involves the Israeli military. After its notable humiliation in Lebanon during the summer of 2006, the IDF has been looking for opportunities to reestablish its global standing. Last Spring it used Syria as its laboratory and now it has decided to focus on Gaza. Emphasizing the mere three minutes and forty seconds it took to bomb fifty sites is just one the ways the Israeli military aims to restore its international reputation.

Finally, Hamas and Fatah have not yet reached an agreement regarding how to proceed when Mahmoud Abbas ends his official term as President of the Palestinian National Authority on January 9th, 2009. One of the outcomes of this assault is that Abbas will remain in power for a while longer since Hamas will be unable to mobilize its supporters in order to force him to resign.

http://www.counterpunch.org/gordon12292008.html

[azurnoir]

74. I have been told repeatedly that Abbas or the PA

will installed as leaders of the Palestinian people what do you think?

[bemildred]

75. It's the only one of those four points that seems likely to happen.

Though the effect on the elections seems uncertain; that would depend on the perceived "success" of this war some weeks from now.

However, Abbas was already installed, so this just would keep him installed for some period, at the cost of whatever credibility he had retained previously. Even that may not happen.

And we ought to consider at what cost (to the Israeli side) those four points are being sought. Mr Obama, for example, may be impatient at having this bomb thrown in his lap. Or not, it's hard to say at this point, one can only expect him to be circumspect.

I do like the argument in post #71 too, but it's more remote in it's thinking, thus more speculative, and less like how most people really think. I suppose I like it because it does represent my view of the harm the last 8 years have done to Israel's strategic position.

It is worth remembering that, as in 2006, all Hamas has to do is survive and keep hitting back to "win", because of the way the conflict has been spun.

[azurnoir]

82. Thank you I had not thought of this

conflict from that perspective Israel saying it is going to crush Hamas is really little different from 2006's crushing of Hezbollah all Hamas has to do to win is survive, thank you I knew I had a reason for asking beyond curiousity

[ProgressiveProfessor]

93. It won't be ther survival of Hamas, it will be if they still control Gaza and are shooting rockets

[azurnoir]

94. LOL well OK then n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

92. They are already the acknowledged leaders of the Palestinians

The question is will they retake control of Gaza. Some salient points:
- Hamas purged as much of the PA they could find.
- There was a story about some PA prisoners being killed in the air strikes
and that their Hamas jailers would not let them seek safety.
- Hamas has been lashing out at the PA, Egypt and others
- Prior to this, polls did not have Hamas in high esteem, but neither was Abbas

I am not even considering venturing an opinion on this.

[bemildred]

134. Fatah cheers on IAF

Don’t expect them to proclaim it publicly, but still…

Jeffrey Goldberg writes:

It’s a strange world, but there you have it. I’ve been talking to friends of mine, former Palestinian Authority intelligence officials (ejected from power by the Hamas coup), and they tell me that not only are they rooting for the Israelis to decimate Hamas, but that Fatah has actually been assisting the Israelis with targeting information. One of my friends — if you want to know why they’re my friends, read this book — told me that one of his comrades was thrown off a high-rise building in Gaza City last year by Hamas, and so he sheds no tears for the Hamas dead. “Let the Israelis kill them,” he said. “They’ve brought only trouble for my people.”

And Yossi Klein Halevi writes at The New Republic:

About six months ago, during a meeting with a senior Palestinian official, I was stunned when he asked me matter of factly, “So when are you Israelis going to invade Gaza already?” “You mean you want us to?” I asked. “If you want a peace agreement,” he replied, “you will have no choice.”

http://www.hurryupharry.org/2008/12/30/fatah-cheers-on-iaf/

[ProgressiveMuslim]

167. Should be titled "Fatah TRAITORS cheer IAF."

This is the Dahlan gang.

The vast majority of Fatah party people are on the streets protesting. See those yellow flags in the protest pix? Those are Fatah people.

Did you see what the Angry Arab had to say about Goldberg's piece?

http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2008/12/jeffrey-goldberg.html

[bemildred]

168. LOL. That is so right on.

I always try to read his drivel in the Times here, and I never get past the second paragraph.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

169. This bloodbath is making crystal clear for the Palestinian population which leaders

care about the people, and which seek to preserve their seat at the faux negotiation table.

[bemildred]

135. Israel's Gaza Air Strikes Put Abbas In Dilemma

Few scenes better illustrate the dilemma facing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas than the sight of his West Bank security forces confronting Palestinians enraged by the bloodshed in Gaza.

Israel's air attacks on the poor coastal enclave, prompted, it says, by rocket fire by militants, have killed about 380 Palestinians and wounded 800.

---

A concerted Israeli campaign against Hamas may sound to some like an opportunity for Abbas, some of whose Fatah loyalists would like to see the Islamist group vanquished so they might regain positions of power there.

However, the Gaza carnage has been anything but favorable for Abbas. Unlike his Hamas rivals, he has the disadvantage of being caught between the competing demands of trying to keep peace with Israel while answering the growing anger and frustrations of his people.

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_212196416.shtml

[ProgressiveProfessor]

150. self delete

[bemildred]

173. Abbas: Negotiations cannot continue in their current form (Extra)

Ramallah - Condemning the Israeli offensive in Gaza as a 'heinous aggression' and a 'horrific crime,' Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that negotiations with Israel cannot continue in their current form.

He said in a pre-recorded televised speech marking the 44th anniversary for the founding of his Fatah movement, that 'even though we are convinced of the approach and goal (of negotiations) and our conviction and interest is not to go back, what is the benefit from continuing (the negotiations) in the form they have been conducted so far?'

Abbas said, 'We will not hesitate to suspend (the negotiations) if they become in conflict with our interest, impair our inalienable rights or became a cover for waging aggression.

'Our people will not be out of choices if this option is closed or if the aggression, settlement and expropriation of land continue, which would make this option useless and meaningless,' he said.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1451010.php/Abbas_Negotiations_cannot_continue_in_their_current_form__Extra__

[bemildred]

181. Hamas accuses senior Abbas 'spies' of colluding with Israel

Hamas has accused senior aides of the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, of spying for Israel, underscoring an intensification of Palestinian infighting even in the face of Israel's bombardments in the Gaza Strip.

The charges are part of a wider Hamas media campaign depicting Fatah leaders as colluding with the Israeli military onslaught that has taken the lives of 390 Palestinians in Gaza. This includes allegations that the former Fatah strongman in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, whose forces were defeated by Hamas in its June 2007 takeover of the Strip, met Israeli intelligence officials several weeks ago to discuss Israeli plans for a strike in Gaza. Mr Dahlan, according to an account on the Islamist movement's website, urged Israel to deal a "painful blow" to Hamas.

The charge of spying was made by a Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, also on the movement's website and in remarks broadcast on al-Jazeera, the satellite television station based in Qatar. They were angrily denied by Fatah leaders.

Mr Barhoum alleged that Fatah had formed a cell with the purpose of "contacting various Fatah followers in Gaza to collect information on secret Hamas locations and on the whereabouts of the leadership" that is hiding from the Israeli military. The cell was under the leadership of a senior Abbas adviser, Tayeb Abdul-Rahim, and information gathered would be passed on "through the channels of security co-operation with the enemy," Mr Barhoum added.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/hamas-accuses-senior-abbas-spies-of-colluding-with-israel-1220045.html

[ProgressiveProfessor]

189. This has been going on since before the air strikes

Hopefully it will end when the PA resumes control of Gaza

[bemildred]

190. Thanks for clearing that up. nt

[bemildred]

172. Realistic goals for Operation Cast Lead

Since Operation Cast Lead began, Israel has refrained from announcing far-reaching political goals. Uprooting Hamas rule from Gaza is beyond Israel's power; it cannot install a new government in Gaza. Even the powerful US is failing miserably at political engineering in Iraq and Afghanistan. Outsiders have little capacity to dramatically change realities in the Middle East. Change can come only from within.

With little chance for the emergence of a new Palestinian leadership able to grapple successfully with the challenges of modernity and state building, the Islamic forces within Palestinian society will continue to have the upper hand in the near future. The Islamists are the only group successful in providing a modicum of the services needed for society and this is the main source of their political power. Therefore, Hamas is here to stay and Israel cannot but feel sorry for the Palestinians doomed to ignorance, poverty and fanaticism - the inevitable result of Islamist rule.

While a Hamastan in Gaza is not the ideal neighbor for Israel, there are several advantages to continuous Hamas rule. First, the entrenchment of Hamas makes it crystal-clear who rejects peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel is largely off the hook. Second, the Hamas military coup of June 2007 dealt a death blow to the two-state paradigm that the world is still paying lip service, but is patently not working. A growing realization of the futility of this paradigm might allow the emergence of a more realistic approach to deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In light of the depressing reality among Israel's neighbors, and in particular the Palestinians, the strategy of the Jewish state should be modest. Israel should refrain from trying to influence the societies in its vicinity. Israel is located in a truly dangerous neighborhood and the bitter truth is that the country has little to gain from cultural and economic interactions with its neighbors. Therefore, what should be of concern to Jerusalem is the ability of the neighboring Arab states to inflict harm. Israel's diplomatic and military resources should be directed toward just that objective - minimizing the damage they are capable of inflicting against Israel. This is the only realistic goal for the IDF operation in Gaza.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230733118437&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[bemildred]

187. Labor, Barak enjoy popularity surge thanks to Gaza operation

The Labor Party has emerged the biggest political winner of the war against Hamas so far.

Labor and its head, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, have made significant gains, bringing the left-wing to a 60:60 draw against right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties.

Just a week ago, before the offensive, the Haaretz-Dialog public opinion poll gave the right bloc 65 MKs and the left 53 plus two for the Pensioners. While Likud actually gained support in the past week, it came at the expense of other right-wing parties. Labor, on the other hand, is mostly pulling votes away from parties such as the Pensioners, Meretz and the various environmentalist parties.

A decisive majority of respondents support continuing the army's air campaign against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip without endangering the lives of Israel Defense Forces soldiers in a ground offensive.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051641.html

[bemildred]

76. Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles Statement on Israeli Defensive Operation Against Hamas Gaza

Infrastructure

---

“Israel has no choice but to defend its citizens after years of relentless attacks from Gaza,” said John Fishel, president of The Jewish Federation. “Israel cannot continue to tolerate the danger to hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens living in cities and towns in Gaza rocket range. We pray that these hostilities will come to an end quickly.”

Since September 2005 when Israel voluntarily withdrew from Gaza, Gaza-based terrorists have launched more than 6,000 rockets and mortars into Israel, many supplied by Iran and Syria. After Hamas recently ended the cease fire brokered earlier this year by Egypt, the terrorist organization renewed its daily attacks on Israel, and has deliberately placed much of its terrorist infrastructure in civilian neighborhoods, which will result in greater loss of life as Israel seeks to dismantle the Hamas terror network.

Despite the ongoing rocket and missile attacks, on Friday, Dec. 26, Israel transferred more than 90 truckloads of vital goods to Gaza residents. This humanitarian aid includes food, medicines and medical equipment, tools and other essential humanitarian needs. This support by Israel has gone on throughout the six-month ceasefire.

In the last year, the Federation has brought numerous delegations of Los Angeles community leaders to Israel to develop a greater understanding of the complex challenges facing Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. The delegations have witnessed first-hand the damage done to citizens of Israel by years of living with the constant threat of attacks from Gaza. The Federation, in partnership with Israelis living in Los Angeles, has provided financial support for the schools in Sderot, many of which have now received bomb-resistant roofs and hi-tech educational equipment to allow students to study remotely when schools are closed because of the danger of attack. The Federation also provided funding for secure glass and other safety features for kindergarten classrooms in Ashkelon. Both Sderot and Ashkelon are frequent targets of Hamas missiles fired from Gaza.

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20081229005444&newsLang=en

[bemildred]

78. PLO and Fatah Officials: Hamas is Responsible for the Deaths of Its People

Abu Mazen: We Told - "Don't End the Tahdiah"

In his visit to Egypt, PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) placed the responsibility for the Israeli attack on Hamas, saying, "We called the leaders of Hamas, and told them both directly and directly, through Arab parties and non-Arab parties. We talked with them on the phone. We told them, 'Please, do not end the tahdiah.'"(1)

Nimr Hammad, an advisor to Mahmoud Abbas, said: "The one responsible for the massacres is Hamas, and not the Zionist entity, which in its own view reacted to the firing of Palestinian missiles. Hamas needs to stop treating the blood of Palestinians lightly. They should not give the Israelis a pretext." He called upon the leaders of Hamas to stop carrying out "operations which reflect recklessness, such as the firing of missiles."(2)


Director of the Palestinian TV & Radio Authority: Hamas is In the Grips of Megalomania

Bassem Abu-Sumayyah, director of the Palestinian TV & Radio Authority and columnist for the PLO daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, reiterated the accusation that "Hamas blocked its ears… They should have had even a little bit of political and security sense, and not left the people wandering, and losing their way, getting killed and injured. It is clear that Hamas was struck by megalomania since they took over Gaza, which blinded them so they would not listen to any advice. Hamas behaved like a superpower, as if they have weapons and means like Hizbullah in Lebanon, and as if they can conduct a war like the July war . Hamas's people thought they have a number of missiles that can enable them to prevail in a war of such size."(3)

http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD216408

[bemildred]

79. World Jewish Congress Outraged by False Statement by UN General Assembly President

NEW YORK, Dec. 29, /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, expressed outrage over the statement made be United Nations General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann falsely accusing Israel of "collective punishment," "targeting civilians," and "disproportionate military response."

"These accusations are patently false and constitute an unprecedented demonstration of deep bias against Israel in a statement from a president of the United Nations General Assembly," said Lauder. "As Hamas, the Iran-backed terrorist organization that is running Gaza, has placed its rocket launchers and munitions amongst the crowded civilian population and hides among those very citizens while it wages missile warfare on innocent Israeli citizens, it alone bears the blame for the civilian casualties. Israel has specifically targeted Hamas installations of terror and used pinpoint strikes in order to do its utmost to avoid hitting civilians."

"The international community for far too long has ignored the thousands of rockets and Qassam missiles rained down on Israeli towns from Gaza, even during a 'lull', continued Lauder. "A first and final responsibility of a state is to protect its citizens. Not only has Israel showed remarkable restraint and care to avoid citizen casualties, truckloads bearing massive amounts of aid are being sent to Gaza from Israel in a generous humanitarian gesture. It is finally time for the international community to recognize that Israel has the right and obligation to defend her citizens from unrelenting attack, as has every other member state in the United Nations. We hope that the United Nations will finally see the light and stand up for Israel's right to defend itself against a terrorist organization bent on undermining any remote chance for peace."

The World Jewish Congress is the international organization representing Jewish communities in over 80 countries around the world. The WJC serves as the diplomatic arm of the Jewish people to governments and international organizations.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20081229/pl_usnw/world_jewish_congress_outraged_by_false_statement_by_un_general_assembly_president

[bemildred]

80. That's enough pointless outrage about Gaza

---

This is the great lacuna in our conversation about Gaza and Palestine. We simply have no idea what the arguments inside Hamas are, and how they are affected by Israeli actions. It is as possible to believe that the bombing of Gaza will strengthen hardliners as it is that they will be sufficiently weakened to allow a ceasefire. We just don't know.

What we shouldn't do is fall into the easy analytical trap of designating Hamas as an al-Qaeda equivalent, however much its anti-Jewish propaganda and dedication to martyrdom disgusts us. In any long-term solution a large section of Hamas's current support, and a not insignificant part of its membership, would have to be won over to the side of peace.

The historian Tom Segev, writing in the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, yesterday reminded readers that “all of Israel's wars have been based on yet another assumption that has been with us from the start: that we are only defending ourselves”, but that “no military operation has ever advanced dialogue with the Palestinians”. He wasn't saying that Israel hadn't the right to stop the rockets from being fired from Gaza, but that it would get the larger process precisely nowhere.

Adamant though I am about the need to combat Islamist violence, it is hard not to see Western and Israeli policy towards Gaza since Israel's unilateral withdrawal in 2005 as one huge strategic error. There was the refusal to deal with the Hamas Government elected in January 2006, the siding with Fatah in the subsequent internal dispute, the imposition of an effective blockade on Gaza that amounted to collective punishment. The capacity of Hamas to govern, or fail to govern, in the eyes of the Palestinians was thus never tested.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/david_aaronovitch/article5415342.ece

[bemildred]

81. Israel's Gaza War: The Economic Fallout

---

Eyes on the Deficit

The shutdown of plants near Gaza is a relatively minor part of the broader impact on the Israeli economy of renewed warfare. Israel's Manufacturers Assn. pegs the current loss of production at $1 million a day. And though it's still too early to assess the final cost of the military operation, unofficial estimates have put the price tag at $25 million to $50 million a day. "The cost will run up sharply if reserves are called up for a ground operation and if the conflict goes on for more than a few weeks," predicts Leo Leiderman, chief economist at Israel's Bank Hapoalim (POLI.TA).

Jittery traders worried about geopolitics drove the price of oil up by as much as 12% on Dec. 29, to $42.20 per barrel before it settled back below $39. But the reaction of Israel's financial markets has so far been fairly muted. The shekel has barely budged against the U.S. dollar in recent days (though it has weakened vs. the euro), even despite a 75-basis-point interest rate cut, to 1.75%, by the central Bank of Israel late on Dec. 29 that's intended to spur the economy.

Stocks, too, aren't faring badly. After initially dropping on Sunday in response to the Israeli air strikes on Gaza, the Tel Aviv stock market recovered part of its lost ground on Dec. 29. Analysts say the real test for local financial markets will be the impact of the military operation on the budget deficit.

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/dec2008/gb20081229_737108.htm?chan=globalbiz_europe+index+page_top+stories

[bemildred]

84. EU to press Israel on ceasing Gaza operation

---

According to the information Jerusalem has, the British and the French seem interested in Egypt or the Arab League leading talks with Hamas. The British and French foreign ministers also brought up the matter on Monday with United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who reportedly expressed her support.

The British-French initiative apparently consists of a number of clauses, starting with a humanitarian cease-fire of 48 hours Later, attempts will be made to restart the cease-fire on a long-term basis. The agreement also includes sending immediate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and a review of the possibility of reopening the Rafah crossing by means of updating the 2005 agreement, once again under EU supervision.

---

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry Director General Aaron Abramovich held a series of meetings on Monday to assess how much longer the Israel Defense Forces could operate in Gaza before heavy international pressure began. The Foreign Ministry believes that Israel has until January 5, which marks the end of the holiday vacation in Europe and the United States.

---

"Everything is going exactly according to plan," sources in Olmert's bureau said, adding that they knew it would not be a quick and easy operation. "For now, we have the understanding of the international community."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051013.html

[bemildred]

85. Oz and Yehoshua speak out in Italian papers

---

Oz told Corriere della Sera that "Hamas is responsible" for the outbreak of violence, but "the time has come to seek a cease-fire." He called for a "complete cease-fire, in which they don't fire at us, in exchange for us easing the blockade of the Gaza Strip."

Yehoshua, who wrote in La Stampa, said he first related that even before the fighting began, he had published an appeal to Gaza residents urging them to end the violence.

Next he explained, "why the Israeli operation was necessary, but also how quickly it needs to end."

Precisely because the Gazans are our neighbors, he said, "we need to be proportionate in this operation. We need to try to reach a cease-fire as quickly as possible."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051017.html

[bemildred]

86. War games predict look of Gaza ground operation

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi believes that any occupation of Gaza by the army must end as soon as possible, according to an officer who participated in discussions and war games related to such an operation. At the same time, however, Ashkenazi fears that if the operation ends too quickly, the IDF will only have to go back into the Gaza Strip later.

The officer added that Ashkenazi seeks to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians, but recognizes that this cannot be prevented completely. One possibility examined during the war games was that international aid organizations might stop supplying Palestinian civilians' basic needs in areas where the IDF is operating. This would require Israel to do so in their stead. In that case, Israel might reestablish a scaled-down version of the Civil Administration that governed Gaza in the pre-Oslo era.

According to people who participated in the war games, the IDF charted several different scenarios, from a brief incursion followed by immediate withdrawal to a full-scale reoccupation of Gaza. The latter plan, however, would be implemented only if the government decided to try to fundamentally change the regional balance of power via military force - a decision that, as far as is known, has not yet been made.

The games also assumed that Hamas would try to force a rapid withdrawal via painful attacks on IDF forces. These would include roadside bombs, suicide bombings, sniper fire and assaults involving sophisticated weaponry. Hamas would also try to ensure that the fighting took place as much as possible in crowded urban areas. Any ground operation is liable to entail many casualties among Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians, as well as damage to Gaza's infrastructure.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051025.html

[bemildred]

87. Hamas hoping for a ground operation

Three days into Operation Cast Lead, Israel is proposing a diplomatic exit. A ground operation likely looms in an effort to increase the pressure on Hamas. At the same time, however, others argue that the air force is close to exhausting its target bank, so if Hamas can be brought to accept a cease-fire on terms convenient to Israel in the near future it would be better to do so.

Hamas intensified its rocket and mortar fire at Israel yesterday. It is starting to recover from the initial shock of the assault, and the bad weather is helping to protect its launching crews from Israeli aircraft. By 8 P.M., Hamas had fired more than 80 rockets and mortars at Israel, including a Grad Katyusha strike on Ashkelon that killed an Israeli construction worker and wounded 10 others. At 9:30 P.M., a Katyusha hit Ashdod, seriously wounding another two civilians . The Home Front Command says some of the civilian casualties of the last few days could have been prevented had people obeyed its orders and entered shelters when they heard the warning sirens.

Israel has thus far refused to officially discuss a cease-fire, but in practice it is conducting an indirect and hesitant dialogue with Hamas. As of yet, however, there is no official mediator.

Khaled Meshal, the Damascus-based head of Hamas' political bureau, has been calling for a cease-fire for two days now. However, communications with the organization's leadership in Gaza are hampered because all its leaders have gone underground for fear of Israeli assassination attempts, while Israel's air strikes have disrupted the Strip's communications networks. Paradoxically, the same measures that have hampered Hamas' military response are also impeding efforts to end the fighting.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051024.html

[bemildred]

88. Israel's onslaught on Gaza is a crime that cannot succeed

The US-backed attempt to bring Hamas to heel by overwhelming force is in fact more likely to boost the movement's appeal

Israel's decision to launch its devastating attack on Gaza on a Saturday was a "stroke of brilliance", the country's biggest selling paper Yediot Aharonot crowed: "the element of surprise increased the number of people who were killed". The daily Ma'ariv agreed: "We left them in shock and awe".

Of the ferocity of the assault on one of the most overcrowded and destitute corners of the earth, there is at least no question. In the bloodiest onslaught on blockaded Gaza since it was captured and occupied by Israel 41 years ago, at least 310 people were killed and more than a thousand reported injured in the first 48 hours alone.

As well as scores of ordinary police officers incinerated in a passing-out parade, at least 56 civilians were said by the UN to have died as Israel used American-supplied F-16s and Apache helicopters to attack a string of civilian targets it linked to Hamas, including a mosque, private homes and the Islamic university. Hamas military and political facilities were mostly deserted, while police stations in residential areas were teeming as they were pulverised.

As Israeli journalist Amos Harel wrote in Ha'aretz at the weekend, "little or no weight was apparently devoted to the question of harming innocent civilians", as in US operations in Iraq. Among those killed in the first wave of strikes were eight teenage students waiting for a bus and four girls from the same family in Jabaliya, aged one to 12 years old.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/30/israel-and-the-palestinians-middle-east

[bemildred]

89. Bombardment of Gaza – last resort for Israel, or a crime against humanity?

Gordon Brown has brought shame on this country with his feeble response to the bombardment of the Gaza Strip (your report, 29 December).

By blaming Hamas for the massacre of around 300 Palestinians – the majority of whom were innocent women and children – the Prime Minister has declared our support for the actions of the Israeli government.

Well, Mr Brown, most people in this country cannot and will not support such a callous bombardment of defenceless civilians.

It has been months since Israel imposed a blockade of Gaza, resulting in no food, no clean water, no electricity, no fuel and no medical supplies. Suffice to say you wouldn't treat dogs as inhumanely as Israel has been treating the people of Gaza.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/opinion/Bombardment-of-Gaza--last.4829404.jp

[bemildred]

90. Robert Fisk: Why bombing Ashkelon is the most tragic irony

How easy it is to snap off the history of the Palestinians, to delete the narrative of their tragedy, to avoid a grotesque irony about Gaza which – in any other conflict – journalists would be writing about in their first reports: that the original, legal owners of the Israeli land on which Hamas rockets are detonating live in Gaza.

That is why Gaza exists: because the Palestinians who lived in Ashkelon and the fields around it – Askalaan in Arabic – were dispossessed from their lands in 1948 when Israel was created and ended up on the beaches of Gaza. They – or their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren – are among the one and a half million Palestinian refugees crammed into the cesspool of Gaza, 80 per cent of whose families once lived in what is now Israel. This, historically, is the real story: most of the people of Gaza don't come from Gaza.

But watching the news shows, you'd think that history began yesterday, that a bunch of bearded anti-Semitic Islamist lunatics suddenly popped up in the slums of Gaza – a rubbish dump of destitute people of no origin – and began firing missiles into peace-loving, democratic Israel, only to meet with the righteous vengeance of the Israeli air force. The fact that the five sisters killed in Jabalya camp had grandparents who came from the very land whose more recent owners have now bombed them to death simply does not appear in the story.

Both Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres said back in the 1990s that they wished Gaza would just go away, drop into the sea, and you can see why. The existence of Gaza is a permanent reminder of those hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who lost their homes to Israel, who fled or were driven out through fear or Israeli ethnic cleansing 60 years ago, when tidal waves of refugees had washed over Europe in the aftermath of the Second World War and when a bunch of Arabs kicked out of their property didn't worry the world.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-why-bombing-ashkelon-is-the-most-tragic-irony-1216228.html

[ProgressiveProfessor]

91. Fisk fails to understand the significance of the attacks on Ashkelon and Ashdod

and it has nothing to do with apocryphal history from 6o years ago.

[bemildred]

102. Well, I can infer your point.

But I would suggest that he differs as to how significant public support in Israel is. At least I would doubt that he would not understand that the rockets will stiffen the attitudes of the Israeli public.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

105. Let me try and explain it so it makes sense to Americans.

Israel is a very diverse country and some of the different groups look at each other with skepticism and at time mild derision.Those in the city look askance at the kibbutzim, the religious at the secular etc. Its subtle and hard to describe unless you have been there.

Its applicable here since everyone knows that if you live in Sederot, you are going to get shelled. Its a choice you make when you chose to live next door to Gaza. Those who do it are often hardcore. In the eyes of most Israelis, they knew the score when they moved there. Sabras are nothing if not practical and ideologues of all stripes don't get a lot of respect or support.

However Ashdod and Ashkelon are not adjacent to Gaza, have never been seriously attached or threatened and are part of "core" Israel in the minds of many Israelis. Attacks upon them will not been seen as ones on Sederot. Most Israelis will deplore any attack from Gaza, but damage to cites like Ashdod is a major step up and will not be tolerated as hits to Sederot would be.

One could argue from a terrorist perspective that means its an even better target to attack. But that would be short sighted, since it would bring the kind of reaction we are seeing now. If the Grad rockets had never shown up, I doubt we would have seen the air strikes etc we have now. IMO Hamas miscalculated in many many ways and the civilians of Gaza are paying the price for it.

[bemildred]

106. I don't think that the support of the Israeli public for their government in war is in question.

At least in the initial phases, so I don't think that harder gritting of their teeth because Ashdod was hit means much. Hamas threatened to hit Ashdod, and they were able to do it. If they can keep doing it, I expect they will. Their main error, if it is true, was in assuming that the IDF would honor the "lull", thus allowing an element of surprise in the early going. Israel apparently got a similar jump on things in 2006, so it was extra dumb if it was not intentional. There is no reason to expect Hamas' military wing or the other splinter groups to care more about civilians than the IDF does. Everybody is cannon fodder. It's shitty, but it's not different, as you pointed out WRT Hezbollah in 2006, and I mentioned WRT Iraq, or Afghanistan. And who can forget Vietnam or WWII?

[bemildred]

96. 'Coordination is putting Israel ahead in the media war'

---

Reporting on the conflict is a crucial arena of the battle itself, say analysts. The success or failure of the media effort can affect the window of opportunity which the IDF has to fulfill its operational objectives: weakening Hamas and imposing a calm that could not be reached through negotiations.

"I don't know how long it will last, but at this moment Israel has no small measure of understanding and support, and even approval, from many countries," says former UN ambassador Dan Gillerman, who was brought into the media effort by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni shortly before the aerial attack against Hamas began on Saturday.

"We haven't seen dramatic condemnations , only the expected and generic calls for calm and cease-fire," said Gillerman.

"Even in the UN I didn't see anyone happy to condemn us," he added. "Unless something very dramatic happens, such as a blundered hit that kills large numbers of civilians, then we will have enough time to do what we need to do."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230456523464&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[bemildred]

98. Infantry Among Infants

HAIFA, Israel -- Imagine your next door neighbor pulling out a gun and shooting at your front porch--from his own living room, which is packed full of women and children. In fact, he's holding his daughter on his lap as he empties round after round into your windows, trying to target your own kids. Police are unavailable. What should you do?

Attempt, perhaps, a surgical strike: pick up your own gun and aim at the shooter's head, trying to spare the innocents. In an abstract sense, this is what Israel is doing.

---

So much for conventional war, for the sand-table battlefield. No military strategist in history envisaged this monstrous, deliberate mingling of fighters and civilians, this novel doctrine that pitches infantry among infants and babies as barricades. Of course, civilians had always been in the line of fire and conquest, from Troy to Berlin. But no one ever used them so deliberately as playing cards in the game of world opinion, as hostages to modern sensitivities.

No philosopher in the canon of Western political thought can offer Israel's government and army a normative model for this state of affairs. Theories of just war tell us not to hurt non-combatants. But Hamas and its military arm have made a conscious decision, banking on the new global humanitarian concerns, to make sure that Israel hits as many civilians as possible. So even if Israel's war against Gaza--after eight years of rocket shooting, a unilateral Israeli retreat from every inch of Gaza, a forced evacuation of thousands of Jewish settlers, and attempts at limited and "measured" retaliation--is a just war, it is a very dirty one too.

http://www.forbes.com/home_europe/2008/12/29/israel-gaza-hamas-oped-cx_fo_1229ozsalzberger.html

[bemildred]

100. Israel postures to reshape truce

---

So far, the offensive has created havoc in the crowded enclave of 1.5 million Palestinians without ending the rocket attacks on Israeli towns that provoked the offensive on Saturday. Hamas upped the ante on Monday, sending dozens of rockets into Israel and killing three Israelis - the highest one-day toll from Gaza missiles.

The carnage remained disproportionate, however.

Four Israelis have died since the offensive began, while the Palestinian death toll exceeds 360, said Palestinian medical officials quoted by the Associated Press. The United Nations said at least 62 civilians have died, and Palestinian medics said the dead included eight children. More than 1,400 people have been wounded.

The reaction of top U.S. leaders Monday did not change: near-unanimous support for the Jewish state and blame for Hamas for the fighting.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/30/israel-postures-to-reshape-truce/

[bemildred]

114. Tens of Thousands Displaced as Humanitarian Crisis Worsens

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has continued its fierce bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Aircrafts continued to target civilian objects including schools, houses, CBO offices and worship places. Thousands of homes have been destroyed or damaged. The number of casualties has continued to rise, especially among civilians, while the international community's failure to uphold international law continues.

According to the monitoring of Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, the IOF has killed 22 Palestinians, including 7 children, since yesterday noon. Another 145 people, including 22 children and 21 women, have been injured during the same period. IOF attacks destroyed 57 houses beyond repair and over 1,000 others were damaged. Moreover, these attacks destroyed one mosque, 4 workshops and commercial stores, 4 security installations, 13 government buildings, 7 CBO offices, 2 private vehicles and caused damage to three schools. IOF's aerial attacks continue to occur around the clock.

This brings the number of casualties to 306 (39 children) and the injured to 901 (82) children since the start of Operation Cast Lead at approximately 11:30am on 27 December 2008.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/EDIS-7MTLB9?OpenDocument

[oberliner]

115. What is the IOF?

Did the IDF change their name?

[bemildred]

116. Come come, you must have seen that before. nt

[oberliner]

118. I have indeed

It usually indicates something other than an unbiased source of information.

[bemildred]

119. No, it's definitely not an unbiased source.

But then there are no unbiased sources. I was mainly interested in the casualty figures. I had some hesitation about posting it otherwise, but I figure we are all supposed to be grownups here and able to deal with controversy.

[oberliner]

Fair enough

I do think they some sources are a little less biased than others.

If we are grownup enough to deal with controversy then we can be grownup enough to look at sources carefully before accepting the veracity of their claims.

[bemildred]

122. I would agree that some are more blantant than others.

But candor requires me to admit that that too is somewhat a matter of opinion. I consider that it is useful and necessary to consider all views, even those one finds distasteful or wrong-headed.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

123. "Israeli Occupation Force" creates unacceptable bias?

[bemildred]

125. It doesn't bother me at all.

There is a great deal of arguing about nomenclature, "framing the debate". I find it just muddies the water, but it's not up to me. Perhaps that is the intent sometimes. So mostly I ignore it. However the forum rules require some judgement because of their concern to exclude bigotry. I do not always agree with the rules, or how they are applied, but I don't run the site and my judgement is only my judgement. I think "IOF" is a perfectly good propaganda term, and an effective one, like say "terrorist" or "militant" or "islamofascist".

[ProgressiveProfessor]

130. It certainly indicates a bias and agenda

Nothing wrong with OpEd and blogs, they just should not be presented like news.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

136. Interesting POV, since that the army does.

I don't even think Pelsar, who is an occassional member of the IOF, would take issue.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

137. One of the hardest things to do is to sort facts from hyperbole when it comes to just about anything

about the middle east. If an article leads with terms like IOF, its a good indicator that the fact ratio is going to be weaker than other sources. Same with ones that talk about Israeli liberating Gaza. It would be funny (like the one on rats in Jerusalem) if it wasn't for the amount of bloodshed

[Violet_Crumble]

138. The term IOF isn't hyperbole...

It's commonly used by more than a few NGO's when it comes to talking about the Israeli military in the Occupied Territories. I doubt you'd try to argue that calling Palestinian territory occupied territory is using hyperbole, would you? After all, it's a fact that it is under a military occupation....

What I find just a bit amusing is that Oberliner objects to the term IOF being used, yet when it suits him posts OPs from one of the NGO's that do use that term....

[oberliner]

146. There is no Israeli organization called the IOF

It does not exist. It's a name made up by people who don't want to call the IDF the IDF.

It indicates that the source in question has a particular point of view or bias.

The only organization I think I've posted articles from which use the term "IOF" is the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza when they have made note of Palestinian human rights violations.

They have the particular point of view/bias in question that leads them to use the term "IOF" in lieu of "IDF" but are still willing and able to condemn Palestinian human rights abuses when they occur.

[bemildred]

117. Hamas-led gov''t seeks dispensing duties normally despite Gaza turmoil

government in Gaza said Tuesday that it will continue to carry out its responsibilities and provide services to citizens despite what it called the heinous Israeli war against Gazans. The secretary-general of the Council of Ministers in the government Muhammad Awadh, in a statement released here, said that the government headed by Ismail Haniyya of Hamas "will not abandon its people regardless of the challenges and the Israeli crimes." Awadh added that the "Israeli crimes will not intimidate us nor lead us away from our people but will make us more committed to our legitimate rights.

" He said the government would stand by the families of the dead and wounded and those affected and afflicted by the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed 363 people so far and injured hundreds. He stressed that the government and with it all the Palestinian people will undermine the objectives of the Israeli military campaign and will remain steadfast and proud in the face of Israeli terrorism. Awadh described what happened and is happening in the Gaza Strip as a "war of genocide against the Palestinian people," noting that "Israeli terrorism aims to destroy everything in the Gaza Strip and to force the population to submit to the dictates of occupation." He called on Arabs and Muslims to "act immediately" and take to the streets in angry demonstrations and marches in solidarity with the Gaza Strip and to help in providing food and medical aid to trapped residents of Gaza. "(end) zt.ajs KUNA 301840 Dec 08NNNN

http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1964032&Language=en

[ProgressiveProfessor]

129. Nice pronouncement, but from what is coming out that is about all they can do.

[bemildred]

131. Well, they had to say it. But this shows somebody knew they had to say it.

I expect that their ability to carry it out is somewhat impaired for the moment.

[bemildred]

120. Hamas Fantasy Rules

Warning, right wing source.

Israel has been extremely dilatory in responding to the aggression of Hamas, but nobody doubted that the day of reckoning would come. Hamas is never going to change its belief that it has a God-given mission to destroy Israel and the capacity to do so.

Since 2001, something on the order of 4,000 missiles and the same number of mortar shells have been fired from Gaza at civilian targets miles into Israel. Since taking power in Gaza, Hamas has split the Palestinians into two irreconcilable camps, with themselves as Islamists and Fatah under Mahmoud Abbas as putative nationalists (albeit with their own jihadist elements). Where the latter have been negotiating for a peace settlement, Hamas has been preparing openly for the final war its leaders envision, asserting at every opportunity that it will never under any circumstances settle for the two-state solution that most of the world hopes for. The truce Hamas offered was an opportunity to stockpile weapons and undergo training. Hamas interpreted Israeli restraint as evidence that Israel was unable to defend its sovereignty and that it therefore was actually on the path to defeat and national dissolution.

For Hamas, the decision to resume hostilities carries no political risk. At best, they will kill some Israelis, boast of their heroic stature, and crow that Fatah can no longer claim to represent Palestinians. At worst, they will suffer a mass of casualties and make propaganda out of that, as though they themselves were not responsible for these horrors. Hamas is already cashing in on opportunistic pronouncements by the likes of President Sarkozy of France that the Israeli measures are “disproportionate,” or the ineffable United Nations secretary general’s burbling that “violence” is “unacceptable” — as though Israel and Hamas were moral equivalents.

An essential factor in this tragic situation is the readiness of Arabs and Muslims everywhere to take the Hamas fantasy for reality. In Cairo, Damascus, or Tehran, many evidently think it right and proper and normal for Hamas to be keeping up a barrage of missiles and rockets while Israelis are supposed to accept the punishment, while measures of self-defense on the part of Israel are to be considered criminal. The 2006 spell of fighting between Israel and Lebanon ended without a sufficiently clear-cut resolution, and this has led to the widespread delusion in the Arab and Muslim world that the destruction of Israel is indeed a real prospect.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MWI1MGU5MTZhNGUwMzUxYzYzMTZmNDIxMzgwMzNmMGY=

[bemildred]

121. Israel, Hamas, and moral idiocy

Mr Dershowitz weighs in.

Cambridge, Mass. - Israel's decision to take military action against Hamas rocket attacks targeting its civilian population has been long in coming. I vividly recall a visit my wife and I took to the Israeli city of Sderot on March 20 of this year. Over the past four years, Palestinian terrorists – in particular, Hamas and Islamic Jihad – have fired more than 2,000 rockets at this civilian area, which is home to mostly poor and working-class people.

The rockets are designed exclusively to maximize civilian deaths, and some have barely missed schoolyards, kindergartens, hospitals, and school buses. But others hit their targets, killing more than a dozen civilians since 2001, including in February 2008 a father of four who had been studying at the local university. These anticivilian rockets have also injured and traumatized countless children.

The residents of Sderot were demanding that their nation take action to protect them. But Israel's postoccupation military options were limited, since Hamas deliberately fires its deadly rockets from densely populated urban areas, and the Israeli army has a strict policy of trying to avoid civilian casualties.

The firing of rockets at civilians from densely populated civilian areas is the newest tactic in the war between terrorists who love death and democracies that love life. The terrorists have learned how to exploit the morality of democracies against those who do not want to kill civilians, even enemy civilians.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1231/p09s02-coop.html

[bemildred]

124. Gaza: The real terrorists

Mainly for the excerpt. This source is from Jordan.

---

According to the US’s own definition of terrorism Israel is squarely in the frame. Under Section 3 of Executive Order 13224 “Blocking Property and prohibiting Transactions with Persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support Terrorism”, the term “terrorism” means an activity that:

(i) involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life, property, or infrastructure; and

(ii) appears to be intended • to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; • to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or • to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, kidnapping, or hostage-taking.

The order and its definition of terrorism, signed 23 September 2001 by George W Bush, is used to outlaw and crush any organization, individual or country the US doesn’t like. The Israeli regime’s “amoral thugs”, as a British MP branded them, have plainly been terrorizing the Palestinians for the last 60 years.

The long drawn-out siege and blockade of Gaza, and the numerous military assaults on its people and their legitimate government, are only the latest crimes in a catalogue of torment and terror. They are clearly attempts to “intimidate and coerce”, while the mass destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, the withholding of humanitarian aid, the assassinations, the abductions, the bulldozing of Palestinian homes, and the many violent and dangerous acts including indiscriminate bombing and shelling (and the use of cluster bombs in Lebanon), ensure Israel’s ugly head is a perfect fit for America’s terrorist hat.

http://star.com.jo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14134&Itemid=57

[bemildred]

126. Barak reprimands Majadle for boycotting cabinet meeting

Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday reprimanded Science, Culture and Sports Minister Ghaleb Majadle of his Labor party for boycotting the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday in protest over Israel's operation in the Gaza Strip.

In a letter to Majadle, Barak said he sees the decision "with much severity" and "believes that this conduct does not correspond with your responsibilities as a minister in Israel's government."

"As a minister representing the Labor party it is expected of you to behave in an official and level-headed manner, and that you fulfill your due role as a member of the government of Israel," added Barak.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230456534624&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[Violet_Crumble]

139. Hey, bemildred! Thanks for posting all these articles!

This has got to be the most useful thread in the forum right now. It's got a minimum of noise, and lots of articles for me to read. I'm bookmarking this one and getting stuck into reading the articles now...

[bemildred]

140. It just sort of happened, I wanted to keep track of things.

With a bit of perseverance we could have another "Why the left was wrong".
:hi:

[Alamuti Lotus]

149. well, doing a fine job -- appreciated!

checked the archive -- 463 posts over 3 years!

[bemildred]

152. We had fun with that. nt

[delad]

153. good job, keep it up n/t

[bemildred]

142. Hamas's capacities 'exaggerated' by Israel to justify its military actions

---

A source in Gaza said the record shows that Palestinian rocketry is in its infancy and exposes the weaknesses of armed groups now being targeted by Israel's massive offensive: "Homemade Hamas rockets cannot win the war."

The source, who observed at close quarters a recent Israeli army incursion into Gaza, said, "This was a practice raid, to test Hamas . . . Hamas does not have a proper army.

"Its lightly-armed fighters cannot defend Gaza from Israeli planes, troops and tanks. Hamas's men will stand under fire and shoot at the Israelis, who will hit homes, mosques, and hospitals. will be unable to do anything. Hamas's capacities and weaponry have been exaggerated by Israel to justify its action."

Hamas's military wing and other armed factions are not under a single command as were the fighters led by the Hizbullah movement during Israel's 2006 war on Lebanon.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1231/1230581503976.html

[bemildred]

143. Al-Jazeera coverage shows graphic detail of Israeli attacks

MILLIONS OF Arabs across the Middle East and North Africa are watching often shocking coverage of the Israeli military onslaught on Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Arabic satellite TV channels, with al-Jazeera again leading the field.

Al-Jazeera, based in Qatar, has four correspondents in Gaza and its bulletins are broadcasting graphic images that would never be seen on western TV screens. “It’s very dangerous inside Gaza for our people, but they are trying to focus on humanitarian issues,” said Ahmad Jaballah, the channel’s deputy editor.

On Saturday, the first day of Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, it broadcast live from Gaza City’s Shifa hospital as the victims of the first bombing raids were being treated. Yesterday, much of the footage was of funerals.

Precise audience figures are hard to come by, but al-Jazeera claims a regular audience of 50 million, rising during a crisis. Anecdotal evidence suggests it is easily beating its nearest satellite rivals, Saudi-owned al-Arabiya and BBC Arabic TV, launched this year.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1231/1230581503982.html

[bemildred]

145. Pressure grows on Israel for ceasefire

Europe and US unite to offer hope in Gaza as Israel hints at 48-hour truce with Hamas

Diplomatic pressure on Israel to end its relentless military assault on Gaza gathered pace last night as its key ally Washington joined European Union foreign ministers in calling for an immediate ceasefire.

The diplomatic push for at least a temporary truce gained momentum amid an international outcry over the mounting deaths of Palestinian civilians from a four-day Israeli blitz that followed the collapse of a truce with the militant Hamas leadership in Gaza.

EU foreign ministers issued a statement choreographing a halt to the bloodiest fighting in Gaza in living memory and a return to peace negotiations as the international diplomatic machine strained to open a window of hope for the 1.5 million residents trapped inside the battered territory.

The EU initiative, decided at an emergency meeting in Paris, was bolstered by the Bush administration starting to apply pressure behind the scenes. The meeting coincided with an indication that the Israeli government may be open to a 48-hour suspension of the military operation that, by last night, had killed more than 360 Palestinians, including at least 62 civilians.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/pressure-grows-on-israel-for-ceasefire-1218217.html

[bemildred]

148. Israeli efforts to erase history of occupation are doomed

A MASSACRE is under way. According to reports from UN agencies and local hospitals, nearly 310 Palestinians were killed over the weekend and nearly 600 injured in a series of assaults by the Israeli military against the Gaza strip. To put these figures in perspective, the Bali bombing, so virulently condemned across the globe - and rightfully so - resulted in roughly 200 deaths and an equal number of injuries.

Interestingly, officials from London to Washington have called on both sides to exercise restraint. Restraint is, of course, a relative concept. Israel can claim, as it does, that it has shown restraint in its handling of the mortar and rocket attacks against Sderot (rockets, the Guardian reports, that have killed 18 people over eight years).

Palestinians, conversely, argue that they have shown restraint towards the assassinations Israel has carried out against elected leaders. They also assert that they have shown restraint with regards to the three-year blockade Israel has imposed on Gaza.

In the latter instance, Palestinians appear to be on firm ground. Richard Falk, the UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur on the occupied territories, recently published a report on the coffin-like conditions of life in Gaza. Electricity, water, pharmaceuticals and other basic essentials are constantly in scarce supply.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2008/1231/1230581505083.html

[bemildred]

155. Analysis: A head-spinning time-out?

Operation Cast Lead, launched with the defined goal of restoring security to the Kassam-battered south of Israel, was code-named for the Haim Nahman Bialik poem about a Hanukka spinning top cast from solid lead.

If the code name was relevant on Saturday for the Hanukka timing, it gained new resonance on Tuesday night because of the spinning reference. The notion that Israel was leaning toward suspending the operation for 48 hours, and indefinitely if Hamas ceases its rocket fire, seemed head-spinning, indeed.

It plainly dizzied the Chief of General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. As soon as reports broke that Defense Minister Ehud Barak was considering accepting a proposal to this end from French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, and would take it to his colleagues Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Tuesday night for a decision, Ashkenazi approved the release of a statement dissociating the IDF from any role in hatching or advancing the idea.

Earlier Tuesday, Ashkenazi had made a brief public appearance, praising his forces for their roles thus far, noting that difficult challenges lay ahead, and stressing that "the job is not yet done."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230456537090&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[bemildred]

159. Behind closed doors, U.S. seeks Israel exit strategy

{i]Edit: I just have to take notice or the
Reporting from Washington -- While publicly declaring strong support for Israel, the Bush administration is increasingly nervous about the 4-day-old campaign in the Gaza Strip and is urging its ally to settle on a timetable and exit strategy, say foreign diplomats and Middle East experts close to the discussions.

U.S. officials are concerned that the campaign could drag on without destroying Hamas, and might even bolster support for the militant group -- just as the 2006 Israeli campaign in Lebanon strengthened Hezbollah, they say.

"You're not hearing that same confidence you did in 2006 that the Israeli military can impose a new strategic reality and should go full force," said one Arab diplomat in Washington. "There's a real contrast between their words then and now."

U.S. officials were talking intensively Tuesday to Arab and European powers about the possibility of a two- or three-day cease-fire, diplomats said. U.S. diplomacy is complicated by differences between the White House and the State Department, these sources said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-us-gaza31-2008dec31,0,6921608.story?track=rss

[bemildred]

161. Gaza raids boost Hamas

Hamas's star is rising among Palestinians as each new Israeli bomb falls on Gaza, while Western-backed president Mahmud Abbas is becoming increasingly isolated, analysts say.

The moderate Abbas, who lost control of Gaza when the Islamists seized it last year from forces loyal to him, has even been accused by Hamas and others of seeking to retake power in the enclave with Israeli complicity.

Abbas has repeatedly called for an immediate halt to the Israeli offensive in Gaza, but his pleas have been eclipsed by the gory images of casualties and of protests across the Arab world broadcast on Arab television, particularly Al-Jazeera.

At the same time, Hamas is using its own Al-Aqsa television and Internet site to mount a propaganda campaign against Abbas, regularly showing footage of him with Israeli leaders.

http://news.iafrica.com/specialreport/middleeast/1415020.htm

[bemildred]

162. More than 700,000 Israelis now in range of Hamas missiles

By hitting Beersheba which is 25 miles from the perimeter fence of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian militants sent a signal that in spite of the efforts of the Israeli armed forces they can now reach further with their rockets than ever before.

It means that around one in ten of Israel's 7,300,000 population now lives under the threat of rocket attack from Gaza, a clear and present danger made all the more apparent on Monday when three Israelis were killed, all in separate explosions.

For Israel this is a significantly worse strategic picture than a week ago before it launched Operation Cast Lead to try to deal once and for all with the rocket menace from Gaza.

Back then about 130,000 Israelis were known to live within range of the rockets which had hit targets no further than Ashkelon, about eight miles out of Gaza. With the strike on Beersheba the number of Israelis now in rocket range mushrooms to about 700,000.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/4045162/More-than-700000-Israelis-now-in-range-of-Hamas-missiles.html

[bemildred]

163. US calls the shots UN soft on Israel’s Gaza attacks

---

With the Security Council deadlocked, Bennis said the General Assembly, the most representative and most democratic organ of the United Nations, must now take the lead in responding to the latest crisis in Gaza. She said the Assembly should meet in emergency session — and should remain in session until a clear plan is devised and approved — to determine how to implement the UN’s responsibility to protect occupied peoples facing military aggression and to hold the Occupying Power — Israel — accountable for its violations of international law.”There are no vetoes in the General Assembly; US diplomats maintain the power of economic, political and diplomatic threats and bribes, but they have no legal way to stop a determined majority from acting.” She also said that important UN officials — including d’Escoto Brockmann and the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Territories Prof. Richard Falk — have issued statements making clear both Israel’s violations and United Nation obligations to respond and to hold Israel accountable. With the Security Council paralysed by United States’ veto threats and other Council members’ fear of the United States, the General Assembly must assert its pre-eminence in the UN system, relying if necessary on the “Uniting for Peace” precedent, to take real responsibility as required by the UN Charter, to stop the Israeli assault and protect the Palestinian people, Bennis added.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, trying to be even-handed in his statement, “condemned” the rocket attacks by the militant Palestinian group Hamas, which prompted the Israeli military onslaught, and called on both Israel and Hamas to “halt their acts of violence.” “A cease-fire must be declared immediately. They must also curb their inflammatory rhetoric,” Ban told reporters Monday. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay not only condemned the rocket attacks by Hamas but also criticised “Israel’s disproportionate use of force.”Asked if the secretary-general should have made a stronger statement, Ambassador Riyad Mansour of the Palestine Observer Mission told reporters Monday: “We are satisfied with some of the language he used — specifically when he referred to Israel complying with its obligations under international humanitarian law.”

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=aEUata0seqzpla6Pa7a8a.axamal&folder=aEUaiFaoaraiaaal&Name=Editorial&sImageFileName=&dtSiteDate=20081231

[bemildred]

166. Ehud Barak, San Diego, and Sde Shalom

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has made it fashionable to filter the current situation in the Gaza Strip through a hypothetical scenario in which the city of San Diego, California, is struck daily by rockets from Tijuana, Mexico. America, he told CNN, would not long tolerate such a state of affairs.

My own initial reaction was to dismiss the analogy as backward, to reason that a more accurate one would inquire as to how residents of Tijuana might behave if they had been occupied for decades by a foreign power which had then spent the past few years restricting their children's access to food and medicine.

The truth is more complicated than either narrative suggests, of course, but it is fortunate that Barak chose San Diego to sell his argument to an American audience. The same city figures in a fictional conversation that takes place in "Inside, Outside," the 1985 Herman Wouk (best known for "Winds of War") novel whose jacket describes it as a "stunning exploration of the American Jewish experience." As the book makes clear, the state of Israel and one's attitude toward it have played central roles in that experience - even if Americans as a whole have remained blissfully unaware of just how conflicted their Jewish compatriots, and even some Israelis, have been about the entire Zionist project and its implications.

The debate in question, set just weeks before the 1973 war, takes place at Sde Shalom (Fields of Peace), a kibbutz founded by left-wing Israelis near both Gaza and Egypt. The primary participants are Mark (Moyshe) Herz, a heavily secularized American Jew; his estranged son Abe, who has made Aliya and is now a reservist in the Israeli military when not protecting Israeli companies from their government's unfathomable tax laws; Moyshe Lev, a retired Israeli general-cum-devoted-peacenik; and Nahum Landau, a hawkish scientist rumored to have developed Israel's first nuclear weapon. The narrator is David Goodkind, a practicing American Jew and a long-time servant of the Zionist cause.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=98794

[bemildred]

170. Analysis: The weather favors Hamas

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The air campaign in Gaza has all but run its course, and now is the time to switch focus - either to a ground operation or a cease-fire. The hesitation we are seeing, choosing neither option, is reminiscent of the indecision displayed during the Second Lebanon War.

The IDF has not followed up on its initial operation with any comparable, meaningful strike on Hamas. Air force jets are striking buildings they have already hit, for example Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's office, a sign that the IAF is running out of "high-quality" targets and going after whatever it can. Once in a while it hits a valuable target, like a mosque doubling as a rocket silo.

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UAV's and pilots can't fly under the clouds because they'll get shot down, and they can't fly above them because they can't see through them. And as it is winter, daylight hours are at a premium - providing Hamas rocket crews with even more cover. Clouds and darkness suit Hamas; sunshine, clear skies and dry ground suit the IDF.

Sending ground forces into Gaza under the current weather conditions is not ideal. The heavy tanks and troop carriers will find it hard to maneuver in mud, and make slow moving targets for small, nimble Hamas anti-tank crews on off-road motorbikes, as they did for Hizbullah in the Second Lebanon War.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230733117987&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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174. ANALYSIS / Hamas racks up its first diplomatic victory in Gaza campaign

President Hosni Mubarak could not keep silent any longer about the attack on Egypt in the press. His decision to explicitly state Egypt's position that the West Bank and Gaza are part of the same country, and that the Rafah crossing will open only under the conditions of the 2005 agreement (to which Egypt is not a signatory), is part of the public diplomacy Mubarak has been dragged into against his will.

Mubarak would have preferred for Hamas to appeal to him directly for a cease-fire, which Egypt would negotiate with Israel. But Hamas, like Hezbollah, chose a different and probably more effective path.

Hamas, by enlisting public opinion through the Arab media, holding street demonstrations and creating public pressure, may very well achieve a cease-fire without being forced to ask for it. Hamas has experience in winning public support, as it learned last January when it broke through the border fence with Egypt. Egypt was forced to give in to public pressure and let the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians cross the border and buy goods on the Egyptian side.

The knowledge that Arab public opinion, as opposed to the Arab regimes that speak with several different voices, may influence policy is new.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051356.html

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178. The illusion of victory -- Daniel Barenboim

I have just three wishes for the coming year. The first is for the Israeli government to realise once and for all that the Middle East conflict cannot be solved by military means. The second is for Hamas to realise that its interests are not served by violence, and Israel is here to stay. And the third is for the world to acknowledge that this conflict is unlike any other in history. It is uniquely intricate and sensitive - a conflict between two peoples who are both deeply convinced of their right to live on the same very small piece of land. This is why neither diplomacy nor military action can resolve this conflict.

The developments of the last few days are extremely worrisome to me for reasons of humane and political natures. While it is self-evident that Israel has the right to defend itself, that it cannot and should not tolerate missile attacks on its citizens, its army's relentless and brutal bombardment of Gaza has raised a few important questions in my mind.

The first question is if Israel's government has the right to make all Palestinians culpable for the actions of Hamas. Is the entire population of Gaza to be held responsible for the sins of a terrorist organisation? We, the Jewish people, should know and feel even more acutely than other populations that the murder of innocent civilians is inhumane and unacceptable. The Israeli military has very weakly argued that the Gaza Strip is so overpopulated it is impossible to avoid civilian deaths during operations.

The feebleness of this argument leads to my next questions: if civilian deaths are unavoidable, what is the purpose of the bombardment? What, if any, is the logic behind the violence, and what does Israel hope to achieve through it? If the aim is to destroy Hamas then the most important question to ask is whether this is attainable. If not, then the whole attack is not only cruel, barbaric and reprehensible, it is senseless.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/01/israel-gaza-bombings-hamas

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182. Israel defies peacemakers and prepares for invasion

Israel has defied a formidable international consensus in favour of a ceasefire in Gaza by opting to continue its unprecedentedly fierce air attacks on Hamas targets and stepping up preparations for a possible ground offensive.

As the security cabinet rejected an EU-backed French proposal for a 48-hour humanitarian halt to the bombing, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said: "We did not begin the Gaza operation in order to finish it with rocket fire continuing like it did before. Israel has restrained for years and given plenty of chances for a calm."

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Yuval Diskin, the chief of Israel's domestic intelligence agency and reportedly a strong opponent of the ceasefire idea, was quoted as telling cabinet ministers that Hamas's "ability to rule" had already been badly impaired by the continuous wave of aerial attacks. A participant in yesterday's meeting said Mr Diskin had told it that that weapons-development facilities had been "completely wiped out" and that the network of smuggling tunnels under Gaza's border with Egypt – which Israel again bombed yesterday – had been badly damaged.

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The package contains similar elements to those spelled out on Tuesday by EU ministers and the Middle East Quartet. The proposals call for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, with international monitors guaranteeing the truce and the reopening of border crossings into Gaza. European governments hope that, if the Arab states agree a united position, it would increase the pressure on Hamas to compromise.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-defies-peacemakers-and-prepares-for-invasion-1220046.html

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185. Syria, Turkey warn against "dangerous repercussions" of Israeli aggression on Gaza

DAMASCUS, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Syria and Turkey warned on Wednesday against the "dangerous repercussions" of the continued Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip to the security and stability in the region, the official SANA news agency reported.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the warning during a meeting here in Damascus, in which they discussed "the massacre" perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza and means to stop the Palestinian bloodshed, lift the siege and open crossing points.

Assad and Erdogan considered that "the Israeli aggression on Gaza has blown up all efforts exerted to realize peace in the region," adding that "it's impossible to talk about any peace in light of the Israeli stubbornness."

They urged the Arab countries to assume their responsibilities in a way that guarantees the deliver of all life and medical needs to the people in Gaza, particularly the victims of the Israeli crimes.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/01/content_10587504.htm

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188. Has Israel learned its lesson?

Another "Grit your teeth and kill for peace" desk warrior.

ISRAEL'S 2006 war against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist army based in Lebanon, was a disaster - an ill-planned operation that did more damage to Israel's military reputation than to Hezbollah's resolve and influence. Now, as it fights Hamas in Gaza, Israel seems determined not to repeat the mistakes of two years ago.

This time, Israeli prewar preparations were much more meticulous. Months were devoted to gathering detailed information on scores of Hamas targets, including training camps and offices, rocket launchers, underground bunkers, weapons-making sites, tunnels from Egypt, and the homes of terrorist commanders. Israel's military and political operations appear better coordinated than in 2006, and Israeli diplomats are making use of online weapons - a dedicated YouTube channel, for example - to get its message out.

But it remains an open question whether Israel's leaders have learned the most critical lesson of all: that genocidal jihadists and other mortal foes cannot be wheedled, negotiated, bribed, or ignored into quietude. In a war with enemies like Hezbollah and Hamas and the PLO - enemies explicitly committed to Israel's destruction - goodwill gestures beget no goodwill, and peace processes do not lead to peace.

The proximate cause of the fighting in Gaza was the sharp increase in rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli civilians after Hamas refused to extend its tenuous cease-fire with Israel past Dec. 19. But the deeper cause was the transformation of Gaza into an Iranian proxy and terrorist hub following Israel's reckless "disengagement" in 2005. Israelis convinced themselves that ethnically cleansing Gaza of its Jews and handing over the territory to the Palestinians would reduce violence and make Israel safer. It did just the opposite.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/01/01/has_israel_learned_its_lesson/

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191. Hit them where it hurts

Yipes, really needs a sarcasm smiley.

Before I start writing, let me inform you up front that I love you dearly. I would like to warmly embrace the inhabitants of the south - Arabs not included - and dedicate this festive column to them. The spectacular demonstrations in Gaza have only contributed to our feelings of a shared fate, Arabs living in the Land of Israel and the Jewish people. Let those among my Arab brethren who want to demonstrate, demonstrate, and those who want to wax bellicose, wax bellicose, but reality is stronger than words, and the fact is that terrorists do not distinguish between Arab blood and Jewish blood, as is attested by the Arab victims felled by missiles fired with the aim of striking at innocent people.

Moreover, allow me to commiserate with the bereaved families and to declare from this platform that in addition to the two families from Sderot whom we are hosting in our home now, members of my family and I are ready to host two more families from the area under bombardment. We can be contacted through the newspaper's editorial offices.

On this rare occasion, I want to strengthen the hand of our leaders, policymakers and commanders. You earned this war honestly. It is the duty of a normal country like Israel to defend its residents in the face of a prolonged threat that is embittering the lives of more than half a million residents. I apologize to my Arab readers who do not share my attitude, but at this time it behooves a courageous figure from our nation to step forward and speak the truth without hesitation, knowing that the vast albeit silent majority of the Arabs in Israel believe in the recesses of their heart that justice rests with me. During my long years as a journalist, I was compelled to live in an Arab community, and I always had the painful feeling that I could not be sincere in my declarations, either oral or written. A feeling of distress gnawed at me, knowing as I did that I was violating the rules of morality and estranging myself from the foundations of intellectual integrity. But now, at long last, a golden opportunity has arisen: Israel has opened fire in the south and I, happily, am now ensconced in a protected Jewish neighborhood, infinitely joyful, because at least I can write without fear about what has lain for long years on my heart. At the end of the day, Israel is better, in my eyes, than every neighboring Arab state, if only because of the freedom of the press and the freedom of expression it preserves so rigorously.

That ends the clarification part. And now, with your permission, I will move to somewhat more operational language, in accordance with the winds that have been blowing for the past few days. What I am actually saying here is: Hit the bastards where it hurts. And you know what - anyone who comes to us with complaints is an idiot who doesn't know what he's talking about. And most worthless of all are the locals who have already started to make noises here and there and ask, "What is the goal of the operation?" in a whimpering voice that makes me sick. Here's the enlightened leftist sitting on the balcony of his home, puffing on a Marlboro Lite and wondering with his pompous pals, "What are the aims?"

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051949.html

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192. Germany asks Israel to consider Arab proposals (Roundup)

Berlin - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier appealed on Thursday to Israel to respond 'constructively' to Arab League efforts for a halt in the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

He telephoned Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to voice 'his great concern about the continuation of the fighting,' his office said in Berlin.

He told her the fighting endangered progress to date in the Middle East peace process and undermined the stance of those Arabs who were willing to engage with Israel.

But he also said the pre-condition for a truce had to be the cessation of missile attacks against Israel by the radical Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1451119.php/Germany_asks_Israel_to_consider_Arab_proposals__Roundup__

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193. Gwynne Dyer: No winners in endless struggle for the promised land

Yosef Sheinin, the chief rabbi of Ashdod, was understandably distraught at the funeral of Irit Shetreet, one of four Israelis to be killed by Palestinian rockets since Israel launched its bombing campaign against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Sunday.

However, he was wrong to say that her death was "the latest manifestation of 3000 years of anti-Jewish hatred". The hatred is real, but its sources are a good deal closer both in time and in space.

Western media coverage of current affairs rarely goes into the origins of those affairs: even what happened last year or 10 years ago is treated as ancient history. So the fury and despair of the million and a half residents of the Gaza Strip can easily seem incomprehensible - the "bottomless hatred of wild beasts," as Sheinin put it.

Why do these Palestinians fire murderous rockets at innocent civilians in Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod, even Beersheva?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10550225

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194. Israel demands monitors as part of a Gaza truce

A possibly significant change in rhetoric.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (Map, News) - Israel demanded international monitors as a key term of any truce with Gaza militants, as its warplanes bombed the parliament building in Gaza City Thursday and its ships attacked coastline positions of the territory's Islamic Hamas rulers.

An international agreement to set up such a force would give Israel a way to end its devastating, six-day offensive against Hamas, even as thousands of Israeli ground troops massed along the border in anticipation of a possible land invasion. So far, the campaign to crush rocket fire on southern Israel has been conducted largely from the air, and a poll on Thursday showed most Israelis aren't eager to see a ground push.

Military spokeswoman Maj. Avital Leibovich said preparations for a ground operation were complete.

"The infantry, the artillery and other forces are ready. They're around the Gaza Strip, waiting for any calls to go inside," Leibovich said.

http://www.examiner.com/a-1771658~Israel_demands_monitors_as_part_of_a_Gaza_truce.html?cid=temp-popular

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195. Israeli PM says not interested in extending Gaza offensive

Another possibly significant change in rhetoric. Or not.

JERUSALEM, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday that his country has no interest in extending the ongoing offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

"We have no interest in waging a prolonged war... We also are not eager to wage a war on a wide front," local daily Ha'aretz quoted him as saying during a tour to the rocket-battered southern city of Beersheba.

As the so-called Operation Cast Lead entered its sixth day and the death toll in the Palestinian enclave reportedly exceeded 400,the premier said that Israel does not mean to harm Gaza civilians but to strike Hamas with "an iron fist," and that he was hopeful that the goals of the operation would be attained quickly.

On Wednesday, Israel rejected a French proposal for a 48-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, and Olmert insisted that Israel would not cease the offensive until its goals are realized, saying that "we did not go into the Gaza operation only to end it while rocket fire continues."

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/01/content_10589515.htm

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197. Hamas accepts EU truce offer with conditions: spokesman

GAZA CITY - The Palestinian Hamas movement said on Thursday it was accepting "under conditions" an EU proposal for a ceasefire with Israel around Gaza.

"Hamas accepts this initiative on the condition that the aggression stops, that the blockade is lifted, that all the border crossings are opened and that it gets international guarantees that the occupier will not restart its terrorist war," spokesman Fawzi Barhum said in a statement.

"A ceasefire deal must be part of a global agreement including a ceasefire, the lifting of the blockade and the reopening of all the border crossings," he said.

The Rafah border terminal between Egypt and Gaza -- the enclave's sole crossing that bypasses Israel -- should no longer function under a restrictive 2005 agreement, he said.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2009/January/middleeast_January38.xml§ion=middleeast&col=

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202. Top Hamas Official Denies Accepting EU Truce Proposal

GAZA CITY, Gaza (AFP)--A top Hamas official on Thursday denied saying the group had conditionally accepted a European Union truce proposal for Gaza violence, saying a bogus statement had been published on the main Hamas website.

Earlier, the website published a statement by Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum saying that the Islamists were accepting the EU truce proposal under certain conditions.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20090101/ACQDJON200901011117DOWJONESDJONLINE000350.htm

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198. Israeli foreign minister Livni meets Sarkozy over Gaza conflict

Paris - French President Nicolas Sarkozy received Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Thursday for urgent talks on trying to end the latest Gaza Strip crisis. The talks were already overshadowed by an Israeli rejection of a call by the European Union for a 48-hour truce in the hostilities.

Sarkozy is to travel to the Mideast region starting next Monday to continue his mediation efforts, with visits to Cairo, Ramallah and Jerusalem, Elysee Palace said.

The French president had already been scheduled to visit French forces in southern Lebanon, and now is to expand the itinerary to try to help mediate in the Gaza crisis, officials noted.

Besides Sarkozy, a top-ranking EU delegation led by chief diplomat Javier Solana is expected to travel to the region.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/248565,israeli-foreign-minister-livni-meets-sarkozy-over-gaza-conflict.html

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199. Livni: No legitimacy for Hamas in truce talks

Truce talks?

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met with her French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, in Paris. Kouchner condemned the rocket fire towards Israel and said that according to his country, Hamas is a terror organization.

Livni told Kouchner that Israel aspires to peace, like the rest of the international community, but that Hamas should not receive legitimacy in any talks over a ceasefire agreement. (Roni Sofer)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3648952,00.html

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200. Livni to Kouchner: There's no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip

At a meeting in Paris, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told her French counterpart Barnard Kouchner on Thursday that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israel Radio reported.

Kouchner condemned the Palestinians for firing rockets at Israel and said that the French truce initiative comes in light of the difficult humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

Livni noted that Israel was providing 70% of the electricity used in Gaza and had allowed 300 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter the Strip.

Livni was scheduled to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozi later on Thursday evening.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230733135971&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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203. Israeli FM: Israel Working Toward Peace Treaty

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Israel is working toward a peace treaty while it is attacking targets of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

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Meanwhile, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said the European Union must take the initiative to seek a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, noting the United States cannot be counted on at this time. He made his remarks as the Czech Republic took over the EU's rotating presidency today.

Mr. Topolanek said he is organizing a diplomatic mission to the Middle East that will look for a solution to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The Czech news agency said the mission will include EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, the bloc's external relations commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and the foreign ministers from the Czech Republic, France and Sweden.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-01-01-voa25.cfm?rss=war%20and%20conflict

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204. Report: Hundreds of Gazans fearful of incursion evacuating homes

Palestinian sources in Gaza reported that the residents of Al-Nada neighborhood near the Erez crossing have begun to evacuate their homes out of fear that Israel would embark on a more extensive operation in the Strip.

The sources reported similar occurrences in nearly all areas near the border with Israel. (Ali Waked)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3649002,00.html

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205. Deconstructing diplomacy

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All the same, concern is growing – not least in Rice's state department and among president-elect Barack Obama's advisers – that Israel's aims are too ambitious and that the White House's laissez-faire attitude is storing up trouble.

These worries include the possibility that, as in Lebanon, Israel will fail to secure a clear-cut victory; that it may escalate militarily, particularly on the ground, while lacking a clear timetable or exit strategy; that the number of civilian casualties and the accompanying humanitarian crisis will soon become insupportable; and that, in the bigger picture, the fighting is actually boosting Hamas and the rejectionist cause of its regional allies, Iran and Syria.

For these reasons the US is now beginning to explore, directly and indirectly, the terms of a ceasefire deal in parallel with European and Turkish mediators.

Any deal may, for example, include an international monitoring force to oversee implementation, as requested by both sides. If Rice understands the current causes of Palestinian ire at all, she will also press Israel to end the economic blockade of Gaza. Until that happens, Hamas vows the kassams and katyushas will not stop.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/01/israelandthepalestinians-foreignpolicy