Previous editions of the round up can be found below:1* 2 *3* 3.5* 4* 4.5* 5* 5.5* 6*6.5 *7
The long awaited ground invasion of Gaza has begun. Now we hope and pray for a quick operation in which there are minimal casualties and a speedy resolution. Still we are realistic about war. There will be lives lost on both sides.
But we believe that sometimes wars are both just and necessary and this is one of those moments. The IDF site stated that the goal of the invasion is:
The objective of this stage of the operation is to destroy the terrorist infrastructure of the Hamas in the precise area of operation, while taking control of some of rocket launching area used by the Hamas in order to greatly reduce the quantity of rockets fired at Israel and Israeli civilians.One more comment. I make no bones about being Pro-Israel. I think that Israel like all countries should be criticized, but it must be balanced and fair. All too often that is missing and that is part of the reason some conversations immediately degenerate into mud slinging.
Also, I link to some news sources that I find questionable, but I like to try and see what people are saying on all sides. But I will not link to articles that are completely over the top, hate filled rants or screeds. So take it for what it is worth.
Now on to the news:
Here is a Vlog from Captain Benjamin Rutland:
CNN reports that ground troops have entered Gaza.
The New York Times asks Is the Real Target Hamas Rule?
Additional analysis from the Times can be found here.
Al-Jazeera provides an interview called Hamas in The Eyes of An Expert.
JPost wrote about more posturing by Hamas in 'Gaza will become graveyard for troops'
Rabbi Daniel Gordis has a column that discusses the role of Jews who do not live in Israel In Perspective: Does Uncle Leonard have a say?
In Slate Rosner writes Can Israel Win the Gaza War?
YNET reports Europe Backs IDF Invasion.
Times Online shared Gaza Missile Maze.
Commentary Magazine Three Goals of The Ground Operation.
Haaretz Israel launches a ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
And now from the blogosphere:
Jameel and Aussie Dave are still liveblogging the conflict.
The IDF blog contains some very interesting statistics. Here is a quick snapshot:
- Today, over 950,000 Israelis live within range of rocket and mortar attacks.
- There have been approximately 7,200 rockets (Grads, Qassams) and mortars launched at Israel since 2005.
- Between Israel’s evacuation of Gaza and the election of Hamas (Aug. 15, 2005 – Jan. 25, 2006), there was an average of over 15 rocket and mortar attacks a month.
- Between Hamas’ election and Hamas’ forceful takeover of the Strip (Jan. 25, 2006 – June 14, 2007), there was an average of over 102 attacks per month—an over 650% increase.
From Yourish we have Updating the Gaza war.
Don't forget to read Operation Cast Lead - Day 8 - Updates (UPDATE: Ground Operation Launched) and Confirmed: Hamas Wants To Use WMDs Against Israel, Trigger Full-Blown Regional War.
Harry's Place discusses the ground invasion.
Shiloh Musings shared Day 8 in Netivot and shared a post about what it is like to seek shelter in a sewer pipe.
My Shrapnel discusses her feeling in Gaza.
Treppenwitz blogged about a prayer for our soldiers.
Allahpundit Israel invades Gaza; Update: “A lengthy operation”
Muslim World Today discussed Israel's War on Terror.
If you haven't read any of the reports about the protests you might be surprised and or sickened by what you see/read.
From Atlas Shrugs POLLER IN PARIS: PRO-HAMAS RALLY, "DEATH TO THE JEWS"and MORE MUSLIM MADNESS: RAMPAGING, ATTACKING BUSINESSES, ASSAULTING JEWS IN UK
Gateway Pundit said Bloody Riots in London... Pro-Hamas Protesters Attack Police At Israeli Embassy.
From Something Something The Choice of Israel.
Roger Simon Israel Alone.
Stay tuned for additional updates to this post throughout the day.
22 comments:
You're amazing, Jack.
Jack..excellent work! Keep it up.
Stern gang..you are a putz and a troll..a shitty little one at that too.Here's to your hamasshole heros biting the big one, and in the new year that the irananimas in the Arabian gulf get wiped off the map of history.
SG,
I am going to leave your semi-coherent rambling so that people can see the character of posters like yourself. Ignorant, angry and misguided is a not a real happy way to go through life. Good luck to you.
TD,
Thanks.
Cliff,
Thanks to you too. Come by again.
Jack, thanks. I'm sure these updates aren't easy. Like a short hh every day.
I am a student who really doesnt get to watch alot of news so i will only ask a question. Why is it that when hamas launches rockets into another country (which seems to have a lower populated area where the rockets were fired but still not the point. and i base this only on the fact that 4 jews have been killed from what i read that is.) does everyone especially the arab countries blame the jews and call for an cease fire? why not say hey hamas stop picking a fight with the big boys? can anyone answer that? this is a recurring affair is it not? where hamas attacks the jews jews get mad pound hamas kill everyone the world gets mad. why not world say hamas play nice or we will put your tiny little space in the middle of the sea for a time out until you can grow up and play nice. Im a recent convert to islam by the way. want to put my comments into perspective.
What baffles me is that people seem quick to denounce Israel as the bad guy in this conflict. Israel is a sovereign nation that has a right to self-defense when it comes to attacks such as the ones that Hamas has been making. In fact, Israel has a duty to protect it citizens from harm to the best of it's ability. IMHO, Israel has shown a fair amount of patience while trying to make steps toward the creation of a Palestinian nation. Another thing that baffles me is that not only are the Palestinians not showing much cooperation, they have begun to fight amongst themselves. Israel has offered them a land of their own, but they still fight. Have they become so lost in hate that they have forgotten how to live in peace?
Why does Iran get off scot-free in all this mess? I guess I am a hateful Texan, but for every Iranian rocket that landed in my territory, a shiny (precisely aimed)Israeli rocket would land in Iran... If only I was in charge. How does Iran justify selling/donating rockets to Hamas when Hamas doesn't seem to have enough food and medicine to take care of it's own women and children? Why are they clogging the "milk" tunnels with rockets and mortars when humanitarian supplies are needed?
Why are the Iranians such cowards that they pay the dirty palestinians to do their fighting for them? When I hate someone, I go punch them in the face myself, I don't get my retarded nephew to do it for me while hiding in my home! Grow some cajones Iran... you sorry pussies!
Been listening to the comments made by leaders around the world. Is their any pressure on Hamas to simply stop the rockets or at least go after those who launch them? Almost every leader acts as if Israel should stop the offensive when as has been said by a number of Israels leaders, We are here to stop it because you won't. Why is not at least some point made that Hamas could stop the offensive almost immediately simply by doing the right thing? No need to fight, no need for top Hamas leaders to continue to die! Israel has shown tremendous restraint in light of Hamas' using the cease-fire earlier to bring in weapons, then as soon as it expired, increasing the attacks on Israel. Where are the demands by fellow Arabs, and even other world nations for Hamas to take action to control the criminal element within its ranks?
Stern Gang, I do not understand your post. History records that Israel has survived Arab attacks and as a result won territory.
If the Palestinians in Gaza really wanted to give Israel a black eye, then they should work to bring about law, order, and prosperity within Gaza. Any Israeli blockade would then look ridiculous, but when every thing is used to create more violence, more attacks on Israel, how can you blame Israel for wishing that Hamas could just be made to disappear? I am sure mistakes are made on both sides, but should we not press for Hamas to also take action in accordance with the same international laws that we press upon Israel? Targeting civilians? The rockets seem to be doing just that. The list could go on. I just ask some honest input on WHY the double standard.
Go Israel! Anyone who opposes this act of aggression is ignorant. Anyone who was being attacked in the exact same way would be condeming the terrorists and begging for an offensive. I am happy the USA is backing Israel even when noone else is.
for a history lesson on the israel-"palestinian" conflict check out this webpage www.masada2000.org/historical.html for those who won't here is a small exert.
"notice the TOTAL area of Israel and Jordan. This was referred to as "Palestine" and mandated under British administration following World War I. How convenient that today's Arab propagandists forget that land east of the Jordan River was also part of "Palestine" and is, in fact, the Arab-Palestinian State!"
"From 1517-1917 Turkey's Ottoman Empire controlled a vast Arab empire, a portion of which is today Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine. During World War I (1914-1918), Turkey supported Germany. When Germany was defeated, so were the Turks. In 1916 control of the southern portion of their Ottoman Empire was "mandated" to France and Britain under the Sykes-Picot Agreement, which divided the Arab region into zones of influence. Lebanon and Syria were assigned (mandated) to France... and "Palestine" (today's Jordan, Israel and "West Bank") was mandated to Great Britain.
Because no other peoples had ever established a national homeland in "Palestine" since the Jews had done it 2,000 years before, the British "looked favorably" upon the creation of a Jewish National Homeland throughout ALL of Palestine. The Jews had already begun mass immigration into Palestine in the 1880's in an effort to rid the land of swamps and malaria and prepare for the rebirth of Israel. This Jewish effort to revitalize the land attracted an equally large immigration of Arabs from neighboring areas who were drawn by employment opportunities and healthier living conditions. There was never any attempt to "rid" the area of what few Arabs there or those Arab masses that immigrated into this area along with the Jews!"
" In 1923, the British divided the "Palestine" portion of the Ottoman Empire into two administrative districts. Jews would be permitted only west of the Jordan river. In effect, the British had "chopped off" 75% of the originally proposed Jewish Palestinian homeland to form an Arab Palestinian nation called Trans-Jordan (meaning "across the Jordan River"). This territory east of the Jordan River was given to Emir Abdullah (from Hejaz, now Saudi Arabia) who was not even an Arab-"Palestinian!" This portion of Palestine was renamed Trans-Jordan. Trans-Jordan and would again be renamed "Jordan" in 1946. In other words, the eastern 3/4 of Palestine would be renamed TWICE, in effect, erasing all connection to the name "Palestine!" However, the bottom line is that the Palestinian Arabs had THEIR "Arab Palestinian" homeland. The remaining 25% of Palestine (now WEST of the Jordan River) was to be the Jewish Palestinian homeland. However, sharing was not part of the Arab psychological makeup then nor now.
Encouraged and incited by growing Arab nationalism throughout the Middle East, the Arabs of that small remaining Palestinian territory west of the Jordan River launched never-ending murderous attacks upon the Jewish Palestinians in an effort to drive them out. Most terrifying were the Hebron massacres of 1929 and later during the 1936-39 "Arab Revolt." The British at first tried to maintain order but soon (due to the large oil deposits being discovered throughout the Arab Middle East) turned a blind eye. It became painfully clear to the Palestinian Jews that they must fight the Arabs AND drive out the British."
for more check out the website.
hamas did not renew ceasefire aggreement thinking they have enought rockets (supplied by iran) to back their hatred for israel. they believe their iranian and syrian patrons that the u.s. is in recession and in political transition and could not influence politically any trouble hamas may initiate. iran and syria hoped israel would be terrorized and weakened into submission. hamas are islamist, therefore a bunch of idiots, obeyed their sponsors and showered israel with rockets. israel asked egypt for help to please tell hamas to stop. but hamas ignored egypt because this terrorist enjoy blasting israeli cities. israel retaliated to defend itself and killed scores of terrorist at first blow. hamas ran pell mell and shamelessly hid behind civilians--- the reason plenty of civilian casualties. here, you can see the character, moral values and the kind of animals the leadership of hamas are made of. they don't care for their people who suffer the brunt of the war they started as long as they are safe in hiding. contrast this with the jews. to avoid harming civilians, the israelis took pains to phone residents around valid targets to vacate before firing their missiles from their aircraft. but i heard hamas stopped the residents, begging the civilians to "martyr" themeselves, something this terrorist won't do themeselves because they they are a bunch of cowards. now they could not be seen, firing missiles at israel from the backyards of unsuspecting gaza residents. this is how immature and irresponsible hamas are. they are islamists therefore muslims. is this how muslims fight in the service of their god---in shameful and cowardly manner? iran and syria who duped hamas to fight this proxy war, is outraged because they don't like what they are seeing---the opposite of what they hoped for. they are now complaining, protesting, and helplessly spewing empty threats. shameless muslims!
stern gang. What would you have isreal do? Allow the terrorist regime Hamas to drop bombs on their whole country? destroy Jerusulum? I suppose they should allow what the so called "religion of peace" do what they did to the Zoroastrians or to the Armenians? that's right some of us actually know of the horrors that your religion has done in the past, and fully intends to do in the future. Right now Isreal is the last constantinopel between radical islam and america, how long before the terrorist islamists turn Isreal into Istambul. "Believers, retaliation is decreed for you in bloodshed..." -al Quran 2:178 "we will put terror in the hearts of the unbelievers." al Quran 3:150 "Believers take neither the Jews or the Christians for your friends." "profit, make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and deal sternly with them." al Quran pg. 399. Some religion of peace, huh? or there is this one regarding women "Men have authority over women because god made the one superior to the other. Good women are obedient." al Quran 4:34. Of course if women don't like that "As for those that fear disobedience, admonish them, forsake them in beds apart and BEAT THEM." Of course not to be out done by his holy bible the president of Iran says "Are they human beings?... The zionists are a group of blood-thirsty savages putting all other criminals to shame." August 2, 2006, "Isreal must be wiped off the map..."October 26, 2006, "By gods will, we will witness the destruction of this regime in the near future." It is truely sad to me to hear from muslims that the jews are stealing their land, as it is well known that Jews settled in the land now known as palistine long before the profit Muhammad was even a twinkle in his daddy's eye and that muslims stole palistine from the Jews through bloodshed. The hypocracy of islam is astounding, where were the protesters when palistine was hurling firecrackers(as Stern gang likes to call the MISSILES the palistinians are launching into Isreal)where were the protesters when alledgely peaceful muslims were slaughtering Armanians? You will never see a Muslim protest the wrongs of his own religion because the Quran tells him that there is nothing wrong with lieing to or harming harming a non-muslim. But the true hypocracy of Islam can be shown in one quote from the Quran: "Do not devide your religion into sects each exalting it's own doctrine" -al Qur'an (The Greeks):32. well, it was almost immediatly after Muhammeds death that the religion of Islam devided into sects (Sunni and Shia). Then you see the Quran say things like"Jews have broken their covenent with god and Christians have forgetten theirs..." -al Qur'an 5:12 and I see the hypocracy of a religion who broke into sects defying their god while ripping the Christians and Jews for doing the same thing. There will never be peace with Islam until the moderate Muslim's speak out about the wrongs of the radicals in their own religion, speak out about their leaders like Sheikh Wajdi Hamzeh al-Ghazawi making a speach less len a month after 9/11 saying "Jihad(holy war) is the peak of Islam. Jihad, whether speaking about a definsive jihad for muslim lands and Islam like in Chechnya, the Phillippines and Afghanistan, or whether speaking about jihad whose purpose is the spread of Islam, is the pinnicle of terror as far as the enemies of al-Lah are concerned." These derogatory statements will only lead to a true Holy War one that Islam is not yet capable of winning. For those of you who truely believe Islam is a religion of peace read the book "Bleeding for Allah, why Islam will conquer the free world. What americans need to know." by Markus Aurelius, it is a very convincing counterpoint to the misguided liberal belief that Islam is peace.
ifastudent,
I'll grant you that the whole Israel-Palestine issue is not without a fair amount of controversy. Who truly has a better claim to the land? The Jewish people have lived there for a long time before Christianity and Islam came to hold it as holy. How many wars have been fought over that piece of land?
As far as the Israeli terrorism,(I'm not sure exactly what you are referring to.) they have had to fight just to exist nearly their entire history. From my perspective they've been doing what they need to do to survive. Fighting fire with fire, if you would. That said both sides have alot of blood on their hands.
But Israel is still the sovereign nation with a right to protect itself and a duty to protect it's citizens. If there were a group of people doing to your country what Hamas is doing to Israel would you not expect your government to do something about it? From my perspective much of what Israel has done to 'suppress' the Palestinians has been in response to terrorist attacks.
From what I've seen and read, Israel seems willing to allow the Palestinians their own homeland, but they are concerned for their own security. Rightfully so, IMHO. They turned Gaza over to the Palestinians and it's turned into a base of operations by one of it's mortal enemies. That said, I don't think that the Israelis are being that fair with the insistence of retaining the large number of settlements they've created in what should be Palestinian land. Even so, I think that the Palestinians are demonstrating that they won't be able to peaceably coexist with Israel. If that is so why should they create an enemy nation?
I think the end result is that the Palestinian people are the losers here. But I don't place the blame for that on the Israelis. I place it on the radicals that are allegedly serving the Palestinian people by fanning the flames of war when they should be leading the movement to turn swords into plowshares. Only in peace will they be given what they want, a homeland of their own. You and I know that they will never realize their objective of destroying Israel. Israel will never just roll over and say "Ok, you can have it." The Palestinians can fight the endless war and live in poverty, or they can put down the guns and seek economic prosperity in peace.
It is my profound and sincere hope that the Israeli state will fail in its efforts to eradicate its opponets in Gaza.It is my prayer that this latest genocidal offensive will represent a culmination and a summative revelation to the world of the unbaring of the bloodthirsty hands of Israeli politicians and their US allies.
The continued failure of Obama to make a strong statement against this slaughther,in my view, means that he could enter office with bloodstained hands.He was able to make strong comments on US domestic issues but remains silent in the face of a massacre the grounds of which has been fueled by the policies of his country.
The hubristic force represented by Israeli occupational agression,far worse than anything that emerged under apartheid,in fact something operating on a different scale entirely, could
once again attack and destroy one enemy only to find a more deadly one emerging from the rubble.It contributed to defanging Arafat's PLO,even after it had renounced terrorism,a weapon the agents of the future Israeli state itself had used before gaining UN legitimacy for the state,only to have the PLO replaced by the more radical Hamas.
Israel claims that it is carrying out this slaughter,in which more than 200 have died,many civilians,in the crowded,impoverishe d Gaza strip,beceause the Hamas government in Gaza has been firing rockets into Israel.Rockets fired from a territory occupied and held siege by Israel with the complicity of the US.Rockets which would certainly have caused distress but which so far,have killed one Israeli.Poor quality rockets from an ill equipped enemy.
As the Pope has stated,the world should help Israel and the Palestinians move beyond this dead end road of confrontation. But does the so called world want to help them?Do the hard liners who rule Israel,who are constantly recycled in Israeli politics,want a movement beyond the ability of power to dictate the terms?A significant number of these politicians
are veterans of Israeli-Arab wars, and are imbued with the logic of power that drives the Israeli state,like Benjamin Netanhayu who is vying to return to power and the current Defence minister Ehud Barak who is central to the current carnage.
The US and perhaps some Arab countries,including Egypt, might not want the conflict to end in terms of the current power structure in Palestine.These countries might fear the kind of Islam Hamas represents,which, wonders! ,has gained democratic acceptance in Palestine.Where again shall we find democratic goverments in that region or in the Arab world?Not in Saudi Arabai ,not in Egypt.The blend of combative Islam and democracy that Hamas represents is a powerful draught indeed,which the US, too, certainly fears.If your ideological opponet,the only one standing after the demise of old style hard core communism,is able to integrate into his system one of your own most cherished values,the democratic culture,the other being free market capitalism,then it becomes clear that you are not all you claim to be.That you do not enjoy the ideological or moral uniqueness you have always claimed for your own system.
Israel is steeping itself further in what, in my view is one of the greatest blunders committed by the right wing vanguard of the Jewish people since World War 2.They are resolutely giving weapons to people who are silently as well as openly reiterating an old accussation against Jews:the notion of Jews as constituting a racial and cultural enaclave who undermine from within the polity to which they belong.
The sucess of Israel and the Jewish right wing globally has become so marked, that,to a sigficant degree,in both the US and England, at least,Jews have become a people
to be feared.The reach of the the Israeli lobby in the US,both in goverment and the broader struggle for ideas,including claims about influence in university faculty appointments, has become part of the lexicon of thought.
I told a friend of mine in London about a public criticism I made of the culture of the Jewish right wing and its alliance with Western powers,and this Nigerian friend responded as if I had commited a dangerous blunder in speaking publicly about a taboo subject,one that could put me in trouble with the ever alert Jewish right wing.He even seemed to regard my frendship as a liabilitysince I could attract dangerous interest from powerful people.He
was even alarmed that I aired my views in the presence of a European student who happened to be listening to and particpated in our discussion,identify ing with my perspectives. Who knows,thatstudent could be a Jew, he said.This is only one example.But in a continent where questioning of the official perspectives on the Jewish Holocaust,
if this questioning can be constituted as Holocaust Denial,has been made into a secular blasphemy,which, even in cultures supposedly dedicated to free speech,which allow any kind of abuse to be directed against Islam,this particular freedom of speech excercised in relation to the Jewish Holocaust attracts a prison sentence,then I expect that such fears will not be too few in Europe or even in the US.
There is a spectrum of opinion among Jews and Israelis about the strategies of Israel and of methods of advancing Jewish interests.Some of those perspectives are critical,some strongly and actively so,of the excesses of the radical elements.Its true,however, that these radical elements in the Jewish race are jeopardising the global goodwill of the entire race.
ifastudent said.."Jewish radicals have a long history of being terrorists,"
I reply..what is with you libs? So you equate a murderous movement of islamic thugs with all Jews..way to go.When was the last time you saw a Jew blow himself up in a crowded bus? And then you you bring up the bible while ignoring the racist koran entirely while also omitting that Judaism has reformed itself whilst islam is still in the stone age.
You are misguided soul.
ifastudent said, "Its true,however, that these radical elements in the Jewish race are jeopardising the global goodwill of the entire race."
In my opinion the same thing could be said of Muslims. Radicals and fanatics can be found in nearly every part of the world.
I did not read the entire article posted by ifastudent, I only really had time to skim parts of it. I agree with most of what I did read. In a previous post I did say that I did not agree with everything Israel has done in the past. I think that there are things that Israel should do to remain fair but they seem to insist on doing things their way. My main point in this has been to support their right to defend themselves from aggression from an insurgent force.
Ifastudent seems to strike me as emotionally invested in this issue, which is not a bad thing, but it does make it difficult, at best, to remain objective. I think that is part of the problem when it comes to the Palestinian/Israeli issue. Both sides are so emotionally invested, they can't understand the other side's position, which is really the other side of the same coin. Muslim kills Jew. Jew kills Muslim in retaliation. Muslim kills Jew in retaliation. Lather, rinse, repeat. You get a never ending cycle of violence. Peace will only come when someone takes a moment to step back and look toward the future instead of the past. Then again, to forgive seems to be more of a Christian concept.
thanks for your comments,jeff.
The rest of you try to read the news and make careful judgments.
In response to Stern Gang and Jeff,who gave the only civilized and informed responses,I note that Stern Gang is significantly informed and grasps the Zionist oppressive culture
Been meaning to respond. Your comment is no smarter than anyone else. All I hear is you applauding a position that you agree with. No real analysis. You're welcome to do that, but it doesn't lend much.
What I am reading in this comment is agreement with the Pals narrative and support of terrorism.
And if you want to get into the history we can do that. We can talk about so called terrorist groups. We can even play a little game about who is worse.
Frankly the thought bores me. Neither side is without blame here.
Why does Iran get off scot-free in all this mess? I guess I am a hateful Texan, but for every Iranian rocket that landed in my territory, a shiny (precisely aimed)Israeli rocket would land in Iran...
They shouldn't. Iran should be held accountable but doing so would quickly escalate things.
DF,
There have been some efforts to hold Hamas feet to the fire, but not enough.
Its true,however, that these radical elements in the Jewish race are jeopardising the global goodwill of the entire race.
BTW, comments like that entitle you to a free ass kicking. Don't come into my home and post 3000 words of garbage. I nuked your manifesto. It is one thing to cut and paste a segment, quite another to steal their material and drop it on my blog.
You can come here and question. You can disagree and say that I am wrong, whatever.
But you cannot come into my home and make a comment about jeopardizing global good will. Especially when the British are responsible for much of the existing chaos in the ME and around the world.
Jewish race, Muslim race ... how stupid are you, people? Judaism and Islam are religions. You could be any race and be a Jew or a Muslim.
more war crimes by israel - i cant believe us British were stupid enough to give them Palenstine, and a nuclear bomb. Wecome to world war 3 or as the zionists would call it - end game. I wonder if they know that most ppl in the UK would fight AGAINST them, on behalf of those they mistreat.
i cant believe us British were stupid enough to give them Palenstine, and a nuclear bomb.
Don't forget to mention that you also gave them Frankenstine, or really as it should be spelled Frankenstein. ;)
BTW, how do you think that the British got all that land. The empire was made on the backs of war crimes.
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