Israel v Iran in Gaza — Bumped
I will keep this at the top since I think Israel v Iran is about to start the next round.
References on Gaza and the Western Negev:
• IDF -- this Israel Defense Forces site includes updates
• CIA
News outlets providing coverage:
• The Jerusalem Post
• Haaretz
• Ynet News
Previous comments follow. . . .
Hamas is simply the evil proxy.
As the situation in the western Negev escalates - Kassams weigh five times what they did when the first ones fell seven years ago, Grads hit northern Ashkelon and Palestinian targeting is improving monthly - the residents feel abandoned. Some 20% of the town's population, mostly those who could afford it, have left. Many of those who remain do so because they have no choice. The value of their homes has plunged during seven years of permanent assault, leaving them unable to move even to nearby Negev towns like Netivot. They are trapped on Israel's front lines. Shreiber is part of a not-insignificant group of Sderot residents who remain despite having the wherewithal to leave. "I am here fighting for my home," he says. Shreiber's house, which is relatively new, has a fortified room. The entire family has slept together in that single room, in a bunk bed and mattresses on the floor, for the past four years. "The statistics work in your favor," Shreiber explains grimly. In seven years there have "only" been six rocket falls within 50 meters of his home, the latest coming two weeks ago when a Kassam punched a hole in his neighbor's wall.I cannot begin to understand why we are not fully supporting Israel to clean out this nest of Iranian-supported vipers. I know I fully support Israel. This is part of the larger war against Islamic Fascism. We pretend it does not exist, and that Iraq was some Eden before George W Bush came along, etc., etc., etc. Only those ignorant of history would fall for this nonsense from Abbas:
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas labeled Israel's actions to counter the constant firing of rockets into the Gaza Strip "worse than the Holocaust."Really? The very definition of shameless. But, then again, there are many ignorant folks -- testaments to American public education. UPDATE: More idiocy from Saudi Arabia:
"Saudi Arabia, which condemns the Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people and the threats of Israeli officials to transform Gaza into an inferno, sees that Israel is simulating through these actions the Nazi war crimes," the Saudi official news agency SPA reported.Nazi war crimes? Please. Do right thinking people really believe that Israel is purposefully killing women and children, or do they know that Hamas is yet again putting civilians in harms way to get exactly the press they are getting? UPDATE II: William Katz:
There's just not enough attention being paid to the increasing combat between Israel and Hamas. This could explode into major military action any day. The UN is showing some small interest. The European Union, of course, is condemning Israel for "disproportionate" use of force. Tell me, when has a nation restricted itself to "proportionate" use of force? I thought the idea of warfare was to win. Maybe I was misinformed. But, when we were defeating the Germans and the Japanese, did we suddenly announce, "We must stop using so many planes and building so many ships. It's so...so disproportionate. What will the neighbors say?" Yeah, right. But maybe we should consult with Field Marshal Obama.UPDATE III: Sorry, but why is everyone in a tizzy only after Israel responds? Where have all these caring people been over the past years while rockets have rained on Sderot? Must just be coincidence. . . .