The IDF appears to have begun to renew its assault and started re-taking former Israeli areas in Gaza.
At least 16 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed on today as Israeli troops began nibbling at the more densely populated areas of northern Gaza after taking over a swathe of land on which three Jewish communities once stood. Israel abandoned these communities less than ten months ago `for peace'. The Israeli soldier killed was Staff Sgt. Yehuda Bassel, 21, from Moshav Yinon, of the elite Golani Brigade who fell victim to a Palestinian sniper on the outskirts of Beit Hanoun. (And for those Israelis reading this, his family has already been notified..otherwise I wouldn't mention his name.)
There were reports of firefights all last night and today between Palestinians and the IDF on the outskirts of the Palestinian towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, where many of the rocket attacks have originated out of.
Israel appears to be creating a security buffer zone..and, in a revealing statement, now claims that the Gaza incursion will end `when the rocket attacks stop' rather than merely with the freeing of Israeli hostage Gilad Shalit.
Eight qassam missiles hit Sderot from Gaza today, two of which exploded in the town center.
To make it official, Palestinian Interior Minister Said Siam ordered Palestinian security forces Thursday evening to 'prepare to repel the Israeli attack'. This is the first time that official Palestinian orders have been given to Palestinian security forces to open fire at IDF forces operating in Gaza...and it would not have happened, by the way, unless Abbas signed off on it.
In other news, the IDF caught up with somebody they've been after for a very long time...Jenin chief of al Aqsa Brigades, Zacariah Zubeidi, who was killed last night by the Israeli undercover Duvdevan unit together with his deputy.
The two jihadis were apparently in an Islamic mourners’ tent for the would-be homicide bomber Fadi Kandil, whom the Shin Bet intercepted- and terminated- on his way to blow up the Barkan industrial zone yesterday.
Zubeidi was also the brains behind the two foiled car bomb attacks which IDF forces discovered and defused in Jenin this week, averting a large-scale massacre plotted for an Israeli town.
Behatzlachah, Chavarim!
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To add to the Alice-in Wonderland flavor, the UN Human Rights Commission passed a resolution demanding a halt to Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The resolution, brought by Islamic states, expressed "grave concern at the violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people caused by the Israeli occupation, including the current extensive Israeli military operations". It called "Israel, the occupying power, to immediately release the arrested Palestinian ministers... and all other arrested Palestinian civilians".
Nothing, of course about ending the rocket attacks on Israel or releasing Corporal Shalit.
Naturally.
Twenty-nine of the council's 47 member states backed the resolution, 11 voted against, five abstained and two members were absent. EU member states on the council, including Britain, France and Germany, abstained.
Israel has no seat on the Council, but its ambassador, Itzhak Levenon said: "We find ourselves in an absurd situation in which the Human Right Council convened into urgent session ignores the rights of one side and holds a special meeting to defend the rights of the other side".
Absurd is too kind a word for it.
My late father was an active Irgun member in the period leading up to the 48 war.
ReplyDeleteHe had a ring which I proudly still wear today - made of gold with the map of Israel and an arm holding a rifle super-imposed over the map and the letters in Hebrew "ruk chazuk" engraved.
The letters mean "only strength" and I think this simple ring perfectly sums up the entire conlict in perpetuity. The only thing that all enemies of Zion (Islamic & non-Islamic) understand & respect is power and strength.
We must continue to smash & crush them until they have no more will to resist - only then will they accept that Israel is here to stay.
Interesting coincidence...my father of blessed memory also trained with the Irgun, in Brooklyn, New York. He and others were caught trying to cross the border into Canada in 1948 to help defend Israel, their passports were taken away and they were threatened with jail time if they tried it again by the `neutral' US government.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the notion of peace through strength, both for Israel and for the US...although the present Israeli government is still learning that lesson. There is no other way for free men to co-exist with tyranny..or jihad.
Jabotinsky was right. Welcome to Joshua's Army, Farrel.