The democratically-elected government of the Palestinians fired 18 mortars and four kassam rockets at Israel today, in an attempt to prove that war means peace. That’s right, they’ve threatened that if Israel doesn’t make peace, Hamas will make war on them. (As opposed to making war on them whether or not Israel agrees to the truce, but that’s beside the point because the Arabs always live in extra-special Arab Bizarro World, where “truce” means “war” and “war” means “war.” And, in fact, breathing means war, living means war, looking sideways at a terrorist means war, well, you get the idea.)
Eighteen mortar shells were fired from Gaza toward the Nahal Oz area noon Tuesday, as the “Kitchen Cabinet” – consisting of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni – was expected to reach a decision on whether or not to launch a military operation against Palestinian terror groups in the coastal enclave.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the mortar fire, and shortly after the attacks Palestinian sources reported that three Hamas operatives were killed and a number of others were wounded in an Israel Air Force strike in the Gaza City neighborhood of Sajaiya.
[…] The mortars, which were fired in two separate salvos, landed in open areas near Nahal Oz, causing no injuries or damage.
Earlier Tuesday, at around 11:15 am, two Qassam rockets fired from the northern Strip landed in open areas in the Negev. Two more rockets fired toward the southern region at 7:30 am landed within Sdot Negev Regional Council limits and south of Ashkelon. No injuries or damage were reported in either attack.
In addition to the rocket fire, Tuesday morning saw four mortars land near the security fence separating Israel from Gaza.
So that makes 22 mortars and four kassams. And Israel’s cabinet is trying to decide whether or not to go into Gaza? I’m sorry, you call yourselves Israel’s leaders?
Just do it. Because Israel is losing its deterrence.
Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) all believe that the political state of mind in Israel will not allow such an operation to materialize.
“The letter relayed from Gilad Shalit put an end to any such notion,” a senior militant source told Ynet. “The Israelis have realized that any large operation would carry severe consequences, both because we have Shalit and because (IDF) training has proven that it would suffer a great deal of casualties in the first hours to any operation. All they (Israel) can do now is just keep threatening.”
The Israeli reports of an imminent attack, added the source, are meant to serve the Israeli public opinion and nothing more.
You can’t blame them. They have fired thousands of rockets into Israel with impunity over the past several years. The consequences are, to them, minimal.
The course of action the Palestinian groups believe Israel will take will be to resume the targeted assassinations of senior operatives: “It would provide the necessary blood sacrifice needed to quench the Israelis’ thirst, and would stop the IDF from getting caught in Gaza’s quicksand.”
It should be a two-pronged attack: The assassination of Hamas leadership, and the ground invasion that takes out the terrorist cells. But I don’t think they’re going to do it. Barak is pushing for a “medium” sized operation (whatever the hell that means). Olmert is going to hang onto power no matter what, even though 61% of Israelis think he should step down
.
It’s time for a new government, Israel. Word is Labor will join Likud in dissolving the Knesset next week. Here’s hoping.
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 06/10/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.