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He said that it must be clear to all Israelis in general, and to residents of the south in particular, that the Government will do its utmost in both the civil and military spheres, and that there will be no restrictions on action against terrorist elements and those responsible for terrorism.

I call BS. Olmert has no credibility whatsoever, and it is clear that he's only doing this as a way of postponing the inevitable - his being forced from office. Maybe he thinks that if Israel is engaged in a conflict in Gaza, no one will pay attention to his corruption scandals (like getting a house in Jerusalem for a great bargain from a big developer...coincidentally when he was in a position to help the developer immensely). He'll be looking for a way to disengage ASAP from Gaza, and the missiles will soon rain down on Sderot and other towns and cities far more often than before this farce.

Foreign Minister Livni noted that the international community is monitoring the escalation in the Gaza Strip with increasing concern.

Ah, yes, Livni has already found Olmert's excuse. It'll just be a few days before this faint-hearted series of strikes stops.

What SHOULD Israel do? At the very least, it should mercilessly pound Hamas leadership and command and control sites, as well as every known arms depot - SIMULTANEOUSLY. Israel has a large air force, and against zero opposition can do this, and especially in conjunction with artillery strikes. Don't give Hamas a chance to breathe - hit hard, mercilessly and until the bastards cry for peace.

Alternatively, Israel should retake the Gaza strip, or at least the areas from which Olmert & company forcibly removed residents 2 years ago. Admit the mistake, take back the land and resettle the surrendered areas. Oh, and level every Hamas leadership and command and control site, as well as every known arms depot, while recapturing territory. Then hold a press conference and tell the world that Israel gave the Paleoswinians a chance, they blew it, and Israel won't ever make that mistake again or give back one square inch of land.

If Olmert had any balls, if he had the least bit of patriotism and feeling for his fellow Jews and Israelis, he'd at least cripple Hamas, damn world opinion or the civilian casualties. But of course, Olmert has none of these, so this is probably an empty hope.