Gaza Underground, the threat Israel chose to ignore [Israel and Hamas]

The Times of Israel ^ | Friday, July 25, 2014 | Avi Issacharoff

[Star Traveler]

Hamas’s attack tunnels are now recognized as a major danger, but Israel would have to reconquer Gaza to make sure they aren’t rebuilt, and that would cause untenable losses.

The tunnels inside Gaza and under the Israeli border are not a secret project Hamas ran under the noses of Israel and the Palestinian public. Every child in Gaza, like every junior officer in IDF Military Intelligence, knew that, beneath Gaza City and beyond, a network of tunnels was being dug over the past five years, with an investment of millions of dollars. In other words, Gaza Underground

Yet the Israeli public was still surprised by the scope of the tunnels when the danger became clear in the past week or two. The Israeli press had reported on the phenomenon, but it appears that Israel’s political leadership — and, to some extent, its security leadership — had preferred to play down the threat. Today, on Day 18 of Operation Protective Edge, the public recognizes the strategic danger.

Hamas’s strategic underground industry didn’t bloom overnight. In order to build 40 “attack tunnels” snaking out from Gaza and under the border (and the number could be slightly higher), Hamas needed significant help, from a large organization or state entity. And not just monetary help, but also professional guidance. Hamas could have used experts from the tunnels dug at Rafah under the Gaza-Egypt border, but those were simpler, and did not demand any extraordinary investment or effort.

[Star Traveler]

You’re getting your facts mixed up ... LOL ...

Obama supported the Muslim Brotherhood in Egyot, but not Hamas in Gaza. And subsequently the Muslim Brotherhood has been “tossed out” of Egypt (as much as they can) and their leaders arrested. And the Muslim Brotherhood President of Egypt was deposed and replaced by a military man from Egypt’s military (who is President now) ... and Obama opposed that.

Hamas in Gaza did back the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, which is why Egypt right now is coming down hard on Hamas. But Obama never backed or funded Hamas in Gaza. He did back the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

In addition to the above ... the money you’re referring to is for humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, which the Israeli Ambassador to the UN said just a couple of days ago ... that Israel has no fight against the people who live in Gaza, but only Hamas.

The USA doesn’t give money or arms to Hamas, but the USA does give humanitarian aid to the People there in Gaza through agencies, such as UNRWA who administers the programs.

And Israel, who controls the good that go into Gaza (they have a blockade around Gaza) does let the goods that the USA sends in through UNRWA go through their checkpoints, as Israel has no problem with that.

What Israel doesn’t let go through their checkpoints or past their blockade are arms and war material going to Hamas.

I hope that clears it up for you now ... :-) ...

[Vendome]

Hamas’s attack tunnels are now recognized as a major danger, but Israel would have to reconquer Gaza to make sure they aren’t rebuilt, and that would cause untenable losses. 

“Yeah, like national suicide is the acceptable option

[Star Traveler]

Actually, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working on a long-term solution, that he mentioned in the last few days. He’s calling for the disarmament of Gaza and asking the world community for help in doing this (and enforcing it long-term). Right after that, and only a couple of days ago, the EU Ministers voted to disarm Gaza.

This are just the beginning steps, so you’re not going to see anything immediate, and Israel does have its short-term goals for Hamas, right now.

The ultimate solution that Israel sees, however, according to Prime Minister Netanyahu is the disarmament of Gaza. No Second Amendment there ... :-) ...

[Piranha]

US law forbids the aid to Hamas that the US has been funneling into Gaza. Obama doesn’t care about the law.

ObM has strong-armed Israel into allowing hundreds of millions of tons of concrete into Gaza from Israel’s own Nesher Industries.

It is no accident that the tunnel enterprize really took off 5 years ago, when the US gave Hamas $900 million.

[Diogenesis]

How the U.S. Aids Hamas Through the Palestinian Authority

Obama Approves Direct Funding For Hamas

US sends $50M to Gaza

Kerry, Obama, and the WEF’s $4 Billion Bailout Plan for PLO/Hamas

VERY IMPORTANT.. Obama’s Brother Funds Hamas (Proof Below)

Hamas 'happy' with Obama's $900 million pledge [2009 Flashback: Never Forget!!]

U.S. Selling $11B in Weaponry to Gulf State That Supports Hamas, Syrian Jihadists

Why would Hamas negotiate with John Kerry after getting $47 million from him?

Ninth Lesson From the Gaza War: Hamas Will Use Humanitarian Aid for Evil

Will Obama Snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Victory Over Hamas?

Obama to the rescue – of Hamas

The Southern Poverty Law Center Stands Up for Hamas

State Dept: U.S. Supports Palestinian Unity Government (Hamas)

Report: US Holding Backroom Talks with Hamas ‘For Months’

U.S. held secret meeting with Hamas, Terrorist regime still won't recognize Israel's right to exist

Former FBI Agent Says Leading Muslim Group a ‘Hamas Front’ (CAIR)

Pictured: Obama’s half-brother wearing Hamas scarf that boasts ‘Jerusalem is ours—WE ARE COMING’

Obama’s Brother Joins Hamas, Wears Scarf Saying ‘Jerusalem Is Ours; We Are Coming’

Barack Obama’s Brother Malik Joins Hamas Terrorist Group

Obama appoints Hamas supporter who called Israelis Nazis to commission on religious freedom

CIA finds 1 in 5 flagged job applicants hail from Hamas, Hezbollah, al Qaeda

Al-Qaeda, Hamas operatives applied for CIA jobs, say new Snowden files

Obama Officials Met with Hamas, Discussed Removing it from Terror List

Summer Camp: Hamas Teaches Children to Kill and Kidnap Israelis

U.S. Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas Support Leader Chosen By Syrian Opposition

[Piranha]

Nice collection. I will post it every time. I see Star Traveler lie that the US is not funding Hamas.

As we know, it is a violation of US law for the government to fund entities with which Hamas is affiliated, so the $900 million given to them in 2009 and the $47 million committed this week by John Kerry are but two examples of Obama’s flagrant violation of US law to fund the Hamas terror organization.

In addition, as we have seen since Obama told the investment banking community, “I am the only thing standing between you and the pitchforks,” he tends to direct others to do his bidding when he doesn’t want to be seem doing it himself. To that end he has used the IRS to destroy conservative groups and the FAA to pressure Israel, to name two examples.

When he pressured Israel to allow 900 million (or whatever the correct number is) tons of cement into Gaza to be used by Hamas to bud the timnels that Israel is obliterating so assiduously, he was using this strategy to give himself plausible deniability.

Once Israel occupies the Gaza Strip and wipes out Hamas’s military capability, the political entity will collapse as well.

On the down side, Obama and his minions around the world will push for Israel to re-embrace the two-state solution with an intensity not seem for years. On the up side, now that Israel has seen what happens when it abandons control of a territory, as it did with Gaza, and how vulnerable it is to isolation, as the FAA’s political banning of US airlines from landkng at Ben-Gurion Airport demonstrated, the. Israelis are more likely to take advantage of the US’a weakened state and tell Obama (politely and in a politically astute manner) to stuff it.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

[Piranha]

I am on my phone and unable to post the following as a new thread. I think it is critically important in explaining why Israel has to keep fighting, and what damage would be caused by a cease fire now: http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2014/07/hamas-new-year-surprise-and-john-kerrys.html?m=1

[Star Traveler]

I can see you still confuse both humanitarian aid or aid to the Palestinian Authority, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lobbied and urged Congress to continue supporting (because Israel doesn’t want it’s soldiers administering the PA territories).

And I see you’re also confusing the “unity pact” which is nothing but a “paper document” for foreign consumption ... with Hamas ... when it is the Palestinian Authority” and Abbas who are fully in control of Judea and Samaria.

The problem you have is that you can’t see the details and distinguish what is going on. And you confuse criminals and criminal actions of terrorists with support that the USA is giving to Palestinians, versus the terror groups.

You ignore that Prime Minister Netanyahu has no problem with humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians and he also wants support for the Palestinian Authority to continue so Israel won’t have to administer the territories.

What neither the USA or Israel wants is any money or arms to the terrorist organization and neither one of them is doing that.

[Diogenesis]

We can see you are untruthful, and undeterred by facts
such as the copious threads listed above.

.

[Star Traveler]

You’re talking about humanitarian aid, which Israel fully allows and let’s through their checkpoints ... where they screen stuff to make sure no arms and military parts gets through to Hamas. An agency, such as UNRWA, administers humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. Israel doesn’t have the least problem with humanitarian aid, as the Israeli Ambassador at the UN, said in the UN Human Rights Council that Israel is not against the Palestinians in Gaza, bit against Hamas. He said that JUST NOW, in the middle if all that fighting ... a couple of days ago!

[Star Traveler]

Well, I can’t help it if you can’t distinguish between what Israel itself allows for humanitarian aid, versus sending arms and money to Hamas, which neither the USA or Israel does or allows ... LOL ...

[Piranha]

Yes he is. He is a leftist troll spamming Free Republic with his lies.

[Vendome]

Yeah, I sure hope so.

Frickin roaches.

They need to pour kerosene down those tunnels and smoke a big fat cigar while they torch the holes.

[Star Traveler]

As I said, if it’s LEFTIST (as you put it) ... to support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israel and keep it safe and secure as the “homeland for the Jews” amd support the current policies of the government of Israel, with Netanyahu as leader, along with supporting the IDF in its own stated goals — then we should all be LEFTIST like that ... LOL ...

You’re the one who said it was LEFTIST to do that, since I’ve been supporting Prime Mimister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, the IDF and the policies that they’ve all stated! ... :-) ...

[BeauBo]

From the outside looking in, I think that you guys are really natural allies on opposing Hamas (and the Islamist terrorist agenda generally), but that you disagree over the motivation of Obama and the US Government.

I would urge you share info, and try to persuade gradually, rather than quickly get frustrated and write other people off as “liars” or leftists. It is a big leap for the unsuspecting to believe that the President of the USA is working at cross-purposes to what they expect.

The relations between Obama and the Muslim Brotherhood (which Hamas declares itself to be part of in its charter) are long and deep, and they explain elements of Obamas foreign policy that otherwise seem strange. The picture that Diogenesis posted of Obama’s half brother Malik (who works for the Islamist government of Sudan), with his arm around Hamas leaders and wearing a scarf that declares “Palestine: from the river to the sea” says a lot.

I have followed Star Travelers posts, and they strike me as posting everything available to closely monitor the situation, from a Pro-Israel position. To convince him (or any fair minded person, not yet aware of it) of covert motivations on Obama’s part, will require a gradual back and forth to make the case and overcome objections and questions. Please be patient and respectful.

I was so opposed to Obama’s re-election, that I went to work for Romney, and was called a liar by some folks on Free Republic. I was not lying (I was mistaken on one point), but that accusation by folks that I turned to as allies really hurt. Please be understanding and kind among our team.