No more rockets in Israel, for now: And Tony Badran says Hamas was the ultimate loser. You should read that one. Tony is the one who has always told it straight on Lebanon while the idiots were buying the Hezbollah PR version of events. I know a lot of people think Israel should have sent in ground troops and taken out the terrorists. I have a question for those of you who want that: How would you have sent in the IDF against Hamas headquarters beneath Shifa hospital? What would your battle plan for that be? Just bomb the whole hospital? Send troops into the hospital in force? Drop leaflets asking them to move the civilians or cause their deaths? Have you, perhaps, forgotten how Hamas organized hundreds of human shields around buildings that Israel targeted? It’s easy to say “They should have gone in and taken them all out.” It’s difficult to figure out how to do it, especially when none of us is an IDF battle planner. And also when you throw in the world indignation that rises up every time Israel causes a Palestinian to stub his toe. Israel can’t battle Hamas and the entire world at the same time.
Yeah, right: Fareed Zakaria says Israel dominates the Middle East. He doesn’t seem to be counting world approbation of Israeli self-defense, which takes a huge amount of energy out of any serious defense of the Jewish state. Look at the just-finished Gaza action as an example of how Israel is handicapped. And also: Um, Israel doesn’t want to fight any more wars. No sane nation does. It’s the Jihadis of the world that want perpetual war, until they win everything they think is theirs. The old adage is still true: If the Arabs laid down their weapons, there would be no more war. If Israel laid down its weapons, there would be no more Israel.
Oh, look, now we can report Arab-on-Arab deaths again: Now that Israel is somewhat out of the news (don’t worry, the AP has plenty of anti-Israel articles to send to the world), suddenly, the Syrian battles and death tolls are being prominently featured again. Oh, and also, the fact that Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood president–the one that the Obama administration and its media flacks kept telling us was a moderate–has just grabbed dictatorial powers for himself. And is gassing protesters in Tahrir Square.
Food for thought: Was the Obama administration’s silence on Morsi’s power grab part of the peace deal with Israel? Let’s see if Obama comes out against this move.
“Israel can’t battle Hamas and the entire world at the same time.”
Israel will have to. Ain breara; there is no alternative. The outside world will always take the side of the genocidal enemies of Israel and the Jews, with rare exceptions. That must be accepted as the present reality. If Israel allows herself to be deterred from necessary actions for her own security by the kvetching of the Jewhaters, Israel’s security will be eroded to the point of indefensibillity. That is exactly what Hamas and the other enemies are counting on.
As for that hospital, actual international law, the Fourth Geneva conventions, say that the responsibility for any deaths there from Israel millitary action trying to destroy a Hamas military site in the building lies with Hamas. If the loudmouths and bien pensants who shriek their hatred of Jews defending themselves actually paid attention to the international law they blather about so much, they would admit Israel was in the right under that law.
Israel needs to respond to any slanders about her actions being illegal by citing the international laws of armed conflict. Israel should also point out that Hamas, and others, are at war with Israel. That being the case, Israel is eligible to take warlike measures to fight them. Of course, everybody denouncing Israel knows all that perfectly well, but the case needs to be made, quite bluntly, to educate the people who know little about the realities of the conflict but are swept into emotional denuciations by Judenhass propaganda. Hamas violates international law and Israel is blamed. If no explanations can make it through the thick skulls of the bien pensant rubes swallowing Hamas’ (and others’) lies, Israel will just have to defend herself and take the abuse, as she has for lo these many years. Israel, more than any other state, needs to follow Machiavelli’s dictum that it is better to be feared than loved.
It’s up to Zahal tacticians to figure out how to take out particular targets. One way would be to cordon off the place and starve them out. I do not second-guess tactical methods, however, since I do not have detailed knowledge of the capabilities of Zahal soldiers on the ground.
What I believe that I do have is an understanding of strategy based on years of studying military history. Israel’s central position is only useful if Israel uses it to defeat her enemies piecemiel, otherwise it is a trap for the forces surrounded by enemies. Hamas is at war with Israel and dedicated to genocide. It does not at present have the capabiities or the trained personnel to carry out its aims, but is working to rectify that lack.
I have noted that kicking the can down the road in order to avoid an unpleasant but necessary action to destroy enemies who need destroying is unwise. For example, in 1951 the US and UN decided they were not going to fight their way to the Yalu and overthrow the North Korean government that had started the Korean War and reunify the peninsula under the Republic of Korea. It would have been costly, but could have been done. If it had been done, we would not now be looking at the hysterical lunatics in Pyongyang getting their hands on nuclear weapons and threatening to start a nuclear war. Of course, political leaders at the time could not have foreseen that the NorKs would get nukes, but they could have foreseen that, left intact, NorK would be a pain in the rear end for the foreseeable future, and might start another war anytime.
In another case, if we had ovrthrown Saddam in 1991 and midwifed some better government there afterwards (at the time a less bloody-handed dictator might have sufficed) the Second Gulf War would have been unnecessary and our troops would not have been in Saudi for years (possibly short-circuiting bin Landen’s hissy fit that led to al-Qaeda, but I think he’d have found some other excuse).
Hamas won by not being defeated. It’s lost missiles will be made up by Iranian shipments, probably of better ones. By next year the threat of rocket fire on Israel will be back, and more of Israel will be targetable from Gaza than before the latest operation. When Hamas’ masters give the word, both Hamas and Hezbollah will bombard Israel with missiles in numbers that are likely to saturate her defenses. After Cast Lead Hamas just rearmed and eventually started shooting again. Now Bibi and his colleagues are repeating the mistake.
As for that hospital, actual international law, the Fourth Geneva conventions, say that the responsibility for any deaths there from Israel millitary action trying to destroy a Hamas military site in the building lies with Hamas.
This is all very well if the “game” was played according to the rules but just like Obama going to war against Ghadaffi without Congressional approval so the UN and ilk ignore, when it suits their purpose, international law. Just as they’ve ignored International agreements after the 1st WW in Israel’s favour.
Please don’t forget those other “international agreements” midwifed by Condoleeza Rice regarding the Phildelphia corridor and the Lebanese UNIFIL one of 2006, which have been honoured in the breach, that Israel was not permitted to hold the Lebanese to account nor the UNIFIL troops to uphold their duty.
So today we have the conniving figure of Clinton adding to Israel’s woes by making Morsi untouchable as he aids Hamas and the other thugs in Sinai.