Free Republic

While much of the world engages in hand-wringing, placard-waving, teeth-gnashing, and rocket-launching over Israel’s “disproportionate” response to Hamas attacks from Gaza, it’s worth looking at what the doctrines of “proportionality” actually say. Making the rounds is a two-year old quote from Lionel Beehner’s paper for the Council on Foreign Relations in which he summarizes the principle of proportionality as laid out by the 1907 Hague Conventions. “According to the doctrine, a state is legally allowed to unilaterally defend itself and right a wrong provided the response is proportional to the injury suffered. The response must also be immediate and necessary,...

For the first time since the start of Operation Cast Lead, IDF ground troops entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening, exchanging fire with Hamas gunmen. Dozens of Hamas fighters were killed by IDF infantrymen. The army issued no official statement confirming the report. Channel 2 reported that the Navy was imposing a blockade on the water near Gaza to prevent Hamas from receiving assistance through Gaza's coastline. The IDF said that a large amount of troops from the Armored Corps, Engineering Corps and Infantry Corps entered the territory with the purpose of destroying Hamas infrastructure and preventing rocket fire...

Brig. Gen. Sami Turjeman is commander of the 36th Division in the Golan Heights, and is one of the most outstanding officers of his rank in the Israel Defense Forces. He is expected to be promoted this year to the rank of major general. Turjeman was head of the operations division at the General Staff during the tempestuous years of 2006 and 2007 - when the IDF embarked simultaneously on operations in both Lebanon and in the Gaza Strip, in the wake of the abduction of Gilad Shalit, and then attacked the North Korean nuclear reactor in Syria. A few...

Here is a CNN video report on the news that Israeli troops have begun a major ground offensive into Gaza to root out Hamas Terrorists. . . . (See Video)

Open fields near the north Gazan town of Beit Hanoun were churned up by the impacts of 155 mm shells fired by M109 self-propelled howitzers. It raised expectations of an Israeli ground assault as artillery is often used to clear territory of booby traps and enemy combatants prior to a land invasion.(Snip) Some witnesses saw large numbers of Israeli Merkava main battle tanks moving toward the border and the Israeli government broadcast a warning to all Israeli civilians near the border to expect an intensification of rocket fire from Gaza. (Snip) Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting are likely...

For the first time since the start of Operation Cast Lead, IDF ground troops entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening, exchanging fire with Hamas gunmen.

20:26 Israel launches ground offensive in Gaza (Channel 2)

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli defense officials said Saturday that ground forces are crossing the Gaza border. Artillery units joined Israel's Gaza offensive for the first time Saturday, while warplanes and gunboats pounded more than 40 Hamas targets and a mosque where 10 people were killed.

Home Front Command reiterates that residents should immediately take cover if they hear the siren sound, or if they hear an explosion.

Air Force bombs more than 25 targets in Gaza Strip on Friday night. Palestinians say Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades commander Abu Zakaria al-Jamal died from wounds sustained in strike. Rocket lands in southern kibbutz on Saturday morning; no injuries reported, but building sustains damage. Another rocket hit open area near Sderot An Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip killed a senior commander of Hamas' armed wing, the Islamist group said Saturday. Hamas said Abu Zakaria al-Jamal died early on Saturday from wounds sustained in an Israel Air Force strike overnight. Two rockets were fired into Israel on Saturday morning....

The Israelis just struck back hard at Hamas in Gaza. In response, the United Nations, the European Union and the Arab world (at least publicly) expressed their anger at the killing of over 300 Palestinians, most of whom were terrorists and Hamas officials. For several prior weeks, Hamas terrorists had been daily launching rockets into Israeli towns that border Gaza. The recent volleys of missiles had insidiously become more frequent — up to 80 a day — and the payloads larger. Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists were reportedly supplying their own training and expertise. These terrorists point to the Lebanon war of...

AN Israeli air strike killed a senior commander of Hamas's armed wing this morning while the Islamist group's leader warned the Israeli army, currently massing on the border, would be defeated if it invaded Gaza. A week after Israel launched devastating air strikes against the Palestinian enclave with the declared aim of ending Hamas rocket attacks on its southern towns, an end to hostilities remains elusive despite international diplomatic efforts. The overnight air strike in Gaza killed Abu Zakaria al-Jamal, a senior leader of Hamas's armed wing, the Islamist group said. The Israeli army said only that it carried out...

Just for a lark, I decided to google “international condemnations of Hamas” this morning. You can guess what came up, right? Naturally, searching for condemnations of Hamas, one finds only international condemnations of Israel. An Australian report noted that the “British Foreign Secretary David Miliband is calling for an urgent ceasefire, while Russia’s Foreign Minister says he’s told his Israeli counterpart to urgently halt the military action.” The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, “strongly condemned Israel’s disproportionate use of force,” as did Brazil. Indonesia called on all countries to “sever all forms of diplomatic and business...

Israel was poised last night for a big ground offensive in the Gaza Strip after allowing hundreds of foreigners to leave the devastated territory. The Times understands that by this morning Israeli troops and tanks could be operating inside the area as part of large-scale operation to prevent Hamas from firing rockets into southern Israel. One of the main thrusts of the attack could be the so-called Philadelphi Road that runs along Gaza's border with Egypt, under which Hamas has smuggled arms, missiles and men through a network of tunnels. Israel controlled the border until its army withdrew from the...

Daily Summaries and Breaking News, includes Video

(IsraelNN.com) Rabbi Dr. Michael Ben-Ari, the Number Four man on the National Union's Knesset list, thinks the leaders of Israel should follow King David's advice from the Eighteenth Psalm regarding Gaza: "I will chase my enemies and catch up to them and I shall not return until I annihilate them." "This should be the slogan of every leader and IDF commander," he said. "The enemy must know that whoever raises his hand on Israel, we will teach him a lesson and annihilate him as well as all his helpers and supporters, and only thus will we take out their will...

191 updates and counting. Friday's events so far (1800 hours local time as this is written): Hamas continues to lob rockets and missiles; Israel targeting Hamas leadership homes; lots of op-eds supporting Israel; PA's Abbas trashing Hamas; and West Bank getting cranky but under control.

A thought experiment: Imagine that Hamas announces it will immediately cease and desist from firing missiles into Israel, that there will be no more such attacks in the future, and that it will release Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped two and a half years ago and held incommunicado ever since -- with not even the Red Cross allowed to see him. What would happen then? Moderate Israelis would pressure their government to make a reciprocal gesture: to stop the air attacks on Hamas' command and control centers, release Palestinian terrorists from Israeli jails and get serious peace talks underway....

"OPERATION CAST LEAD The IDF's Fight Against Terror in Gaza" # A blessed New Year to everyone here and abroad. Today's thread beginning January 1, 2009 (U.S.A. Time)

New Year's Day ... Hamas bombings continue. No word of ground invasion. Hamas "run like a cheap movie extra" strategy becoming clear.. Over 170 updates and counting.