It appears my little birdie was correct and as I predicted,the IDF chose last night as the time to bring on their ground game.
The Tzahal came in at the north end of the strip and reported killing at least 30 Hamas fighters in entrenchments north of the border. Ironically,the fighting is occurring in the same Jewish communities 'evacuated' during the disengagement - which should prove once and for all what a huge mistake it was.
The IDF -and of course, defense minister Barak - appear a tad confused on their war aims however. They're apparently claiming that their goal is to prevent the launching of rockets into Israel,but they're only talking about taking the northern Gaza Strip and claim they're not going to enter Gaza City or the refugee camps.
The problem is that a lot of rockets are being fired from these areas, especially the Iran supplied Grads. And by leaving Hamas intact and in charge, they're laying Israel open to attacks not only from Gaza but from Hamas operatives in Judea and Samaria ( AKA the West Bank).
And the Israeli-supplied electricity that enables the rocket strikes and allows Hamas' army to hide in their underground tunnels is still on.
They are trying to do the impossible...fight a kinder, gentler war with one eye on world opinion and leaving their enemy damaged but undefeated.
And yes, Hamas is still firing rockets. At least 40 Kassam and Katyusha rockets pounded the South, scoring direct hits on homes in Netivot and Ashdod, and smashing into Ashkelon, Yavne and Sderot.
Hamas also found the time to kill and maim a bunch of Fatah 'collaborators', killing 36 outright and 'kneecapping another 75...that we know about. The charming practice of shooting someone in both knees to cripple him is something the Palestinians may have learned from the genteel terrorists in the IRA,with whom they had a great deal of contact.
For their part, the Israelis have intensified the air war.The IAF bombed dozens of targets throughout Gaza and hit various Hamas targets as well as bridges and roads connecting northern and southern Gaza.
The hits included Hamas's central intelligence headquarters in Sha'ati, weapons storage facilities, training centers and leaders' homes.
The Israelis took out yet another mosque in Beit Lahiya that was being used to store weapons and rocket launchers, as well as the compound of Hamas commander Abu Zacharia al-Jamal,who Hamas announced had been killed.
Another target was the American International School in Beit Lahiya. The school school has not connection to the US,but was originally established with American tax dollars. It was being used as a rocket launching center and munitions storage are as well.
All well and good,but the main war aim had better be to destroy Hamas utterly..unless Israel wants another situation like the UN put together in Lebanon.
Speaking of the UN, Secretary General Ban K. Moon was quick to appease the anti-Israel bloc:
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on Israel to end its military operation in Gaza immediately.
In a phone conversation with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Saturday evening, Ban conveyed his "extreme concern and disappointment" over the launching of the IDF's ground incursion and said he was "convinced and alarmed that this escalation will inevitably increase the already heavy suffering of the affected civilian populations."
According to Ban's spokesman, the UN chief "reiterated his call for an immediate cessation of all violence, and urged regional and international partners to exert all possible influence to bring about an immediate end to the bloodshed and suffering."
The UN Security Council scheduled emergency consultations Saturday night to address the escalation of violence in Gaza. The decision to hold consultations came after Israeli tanks and infantry rolled into Gaza in a ground offensive in a widening war against Hamas.
The US State Department and Condi Rice have refrained from any out right criticism of Israel defending itself,but the stench of an imposed ceasefire along the lines of the farcical Resolution 1701 in Lebanon is in the wind.
If that occurs and it leaves Hamas intact, it will be a victory for Hamas not matter how many of the Green Hats Israel kills off.
I'll ask the indulgence of the members of Joshua's Army to repeat myself - the best chance of actually convincing the Palestinians to make real compromises for peace and eliminating the threat to Israel's civilians permanently is for the IDF to defeat Hamas utterly, conquer Gaza. transfer most of the population to the Palestinian occupied areas in Judea and Samaria and annex Gaza to Israel permanently.
The UN, the EU and the Arab world will of course denounce this 'theft of Arab land' but considering how effective the UN generally is and considering that's how a lot of them feel about all of Israel anyway, the Israelis actually have little to lose.
The reason the war against Israel's civilians continues is because the Palestinians have yet to experience any major consequences by waging it,and the world mostly continues to enable their murderous behavior. Losing Gaza will send a message to the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria that peace with Israel might prevent the same thing from happening to them. Having something to lose is a powerful incentive, an dthe Arabs will understand that on a tribal level...which is how they see this war anyway.
Granted, the present Israeli government is unlikely to do this. But they should. It's the only way to avoid having to deal with the same problem again in a few years.
"They are trying to do the impossible...fight a kinder, gentler war with one eye on world opinion and leaving their enemy damaged but undefeated."
ReplyDeleteWhen did the rules of "war" change so that it became "kinder and gentler," and with timetables and withdrawals? Which "rule" is it that says you give the "other side" a copy of your playbook?!?