Israel's `peace partners' repeatedly fired on Israeli towns and cities in the Negev over the weekend, striking Sderot, Shear Hanegev, Nir Am and Gavim. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah's Al Aksa Martyr's brigade have pledged `hundred of missiles and mortar shells a day' as part of a new offensive.
In conjunction with this, Hamas reportedly held a huge military exercise in Gaza’s Al Burej camp, with the emphasis on maximum Israeli troop casualties and abductions of hostages and utilizing tactics the Palestinians learned from their Iranian Republican Guard and Hezbollah trainers.
Last month, Egypt, who is supposed to be guarding the border according to the accords worked out between Condi Rice, Israel, Egypt and the Palestinians allowed 85 Hamas graduates of these courses to cross into Sinai and return to Hamas' ranks in Gaza.
Nor are the Egyptians carrying out their obligations when it comes to interdicting weapons smuggling. The IDF just discovered and blew up seven arms-smuggling tunnels running into southern Gaza from Sinai a few days ago.
The Israelis for their part are limiting themselves to pinpoint strikes and minor IDF incursions into Gaza, per Israeli PM Olmert's orders, an dthey're on a tight leash. The Olmert government is apparently going to hold off on anything major until after Condi Rice's Annapolis `Peace ' Conference - if it happens at all.
The conference itself is problematical at this point.
Abbas' chief negotiator, Arafat's old Himmler Ahmed Qureia is insisting that Israel accept the fait accompli of a deadline for a Palestinian state before the Palestinians attend the Annapolis shindig andany negotiations take place, and regardless of whether the Palestinians implement any past commitments or future commitments. And they want that state to consist of all of Gaza, Judea and Samria plus half of Jerusalem - and not one dunam less - while still retaining the right to flood what's left of Israel with thousands of genocidal `refugees'. That's the Saudi Peace Plan, and it's not subject to negotiations.
Since President Bush and US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley advised the Palestinians that no unfair deadlines of this sort would be imposed on Israel prior to negotiations, the Pals are livid and are threatening not to show up at all...along with the other Arab nations.
If the Palestinians don't get their way and still bother to show up at all, they are likely to arrive with an insultingly low ranking delegation with no power to agree to anything meaningful.
On the frontlines with Gaza itself, the IDF's Southern Command is said to be livid that the Israeli government continues to tie their hands while Hamas is building an army and importing heavy weapons.
They're right about that. The IDF ought to be liquidating Hamas' leadership and it's military infrastructure on a wholesale basis, instead of allowing the Palestinians to build up with impunity.
As always in the Middle East,this failure to forcefully respond to aggression only emboldens Hamas and their allies, and will only cost more lives later.
While the Olmert government continues to delay because of a farcical `peace' conference, Israelis in the southern part of the country are living under siege.
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