Posted on 03/22/2011 10:12:05 PM PDT by Nachum
What began as a local escalation is steadily transforming into a broader conflict that the sides will apparently have difficulty stopping.
While the headlines are focusing on the Katsav trial, the protests in Syria and the implications of the earthquake in Japan, a small war has been going on for a week now along the Gaza border.
Israeli communities near the border are receiving a daily dose of mortars and rockets, and the Israel Air Force has been attacking Gaza. What began as a local escalation is steadily transforming into a broader conflict that the sides will apparently have difficulty stopping, though it's doubtful either side has an interest in reaching that point.
While the headlines are focusing on the Katsav trial, the protests in Syria and the implications of the earthquake in Japan, a small war has been going on for a week now along the Gaza border.
Israeli communities near the border are receiving a daily dose of mortars and rockets, and the Israel Air Force has been attacking Gaza. What began as a local escalation is steadily transforming into a broader conflict that the sides will apparently have difficulty stopping, though it's doubtful either side has an interest in reaching that point. Gaza Qassam
Qassam rocket fired by Hamas militants. Photo by: Getty Images
The current tensions began exactly a week ago when Israel launched an air attack on a Hamas base in the ruins of the settlement of Netzarim, killing two Hamas men. That attack came in response to a Qassam fired from Gaza that landed in an open area. Hamas then responded with a barrage of 50 mortars on communities south of the Gaza Strip. Israel delayed its response so as not to disrupt the Purim festivities in the Sderot area.
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
Did the Mayans explain how the world would end in 2012 ?
We’re living in the proverbial interesting times. Economic desperation is making everyone jumpy.
Israel should use the cover of the war/non-war in Libya to unleash a serious can whoop-ass.
Western libs (including the Israeli variety) maintained that all Israel had to do to pacify the Arabs in Gaza was to completely vacate the area. As usual, they were proven wrong a million times over — Gaza has been used as a rocket-launching pad ever since (with a few breaks in the action here and there). Now those same libs want Israel to vacate in total from the W. Bank and East Jerusalem. ...and the fools expect different results.
Frankly, the only thing that’ll pacify the Arabs is the neutron bomb.
My son is headed for Be’er Sheva on Friday for his civilian contractor job, he will be there for awhile. His employer said Be’er Sheva is beyond range of any Gaza attacks. It looks pretty close on a map.
Haaretz is so far left that it makes the Israeli Communists look like Democrats.
The Palestinians fire at Israel but the response air-strike against the terrorists is blamed for starting a new war.
Drinking too much Sabbath wine, eh, Harel?
Right on schedule. The Palis didn’t decide to do this on their own, they’ve been directed to step things up and provoke Israel into launching a military response. Look at the weapons seizure by Turkey, obviously part of a resupply run to Hezbollah in anticipation for the coming conflict.
With Obama on record now saying that he will intervene to prevent humanitarian crises, the groundwork is all laid out for the international call to be raised for intervention in Israel if a new conflict erupts there, especially if Paliwood gins up some of their trademark fake atrocities.
As a side note, if you look at where troops were stationed under Dubya, I don’t think it’s coincidental that we had Iran nearly surrounded on all sides. Compare that to who we have surrounded under Obama: troops in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Libya, Southern Europe, with ships in the Mediterranean.
What country might we be geopolitically preparing against with that configuration? I wonder....
Israel needs to get a lot more merciless.
It's obvious zero has no idea how to play Global Chess. He's backed into a corner where he either has to commit or lose face.
I, too, saw the map with us on all sides of Iran and thought "good move, W!". All Iran did then was make noise talking (pretty much), but now, with a zero in the WH, Iran feels they don't have much to fear and are pushing these little "wars" everywhere to hide their true target: Israel. I'm sure zero has someone in his admin that is telling him this, but it's obvious zero isn't listening or doesn't get it.
That is exactly what HAMAS wants - to divert world attention away from the “Libyan Freedom Fighters” to the “Palestinian Victims” of any Israeli assault.
A Grad missile fell there today...
.....wars and rumors of wars..............BTTT
I sure do.
CC
Israeli citizens must remember that it is not necessarily the U.S. that is a friend, it’s only conservatives in the U.S. that are true friends that will back them, since we have this weird belief that everyone has a right to exist. Those in the middle are iffy. Those on the left, like muslims, are raging anti-Semites.
Israel should be building the most powerful military they possibly can.
Israeli citizens should be doing all they can to help the U.S. conservative cause.
Other random thoughts...
The whole game in world politics still seems to come down to communism versus personal freedom / the west. muslims are, i think, being used; the communist nations of the world could muster far more force than the muslim nations, which are basically insane asylums with oil wells. And when one obtains communist citizenship, one must trade in ones religious membership, as communists are very intolorant of any group. So if the western nations were reduced to second-class humility and china becomes the pre-eminent world superpower, they will become a much more demanding oil customer; they see a cup of rice a day as generous for their own citizens.
Shia muslim religious leadership in it’s iran hq has evidently tied up with communism as the west has sanctioned iran and sunni/saudi arabia sells oil to the west.
The key thing to remember that has changed in the last decade is that nowadays - China stands as a potential buyer for ALL the world’s oil. If Libya and other nations that sell to the west, after the revolutions, nationalize (the Libyan revolutionaries have already announced they have set up an oil company) and start selling mostly to China, we’ll know a) the iranian - communist cabal is behind the rolling revolutions and b) nobama and the communist leadership in the U.S. is supporting the cabal. Hopefully Europe has done their homework and can continue to buy Libyan oil after the revolution. They say they will be able to.
So Israel needn’t worry that it is the ultimate target, but they are a target nonetheless, like every other western nation. The are mostly being used to whip up mideast nations into a frenzy so they will fight to do the dirty work of toppling all western-friendly governments in the mideast. Israel, of course, has to survive the next two years and hope that conservatives win Presidency and Congress in 2012.
“The current tensions began exactly a week ago when Israel launched an air attack on a Hamas base in the ruins of the settlement of Netzarim, killing two Hamas men. That attack came in response to a Qassam fired from Gaza that landed in an open area. Hamas then responded with a barrage of 50 mortars on communities south of the Gaza Strip.” Huh? Began when Israel responded to rocket attacks?
Yes, as a matter of fact. An apt description.
Yes, I forgot, Palestinian Arab “diversions” do include decapitating infants, sorry got to remember that they have this bloodlust thing...
You always have to look at the timing of each of these events. They would have you believe that they are random acts of violence. They are not. It is true that they are animals, with no regard for innocent life. But having been involved in Israel for 30 years, you can definitely connect the dots on their targets, and the timing of such. There was another bus blown up in Jerusalem today, which is very odd since that hasn’t happened in several years. Therefore, there is an underlying plan that is starting to develop.
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