Israel Matzav

'Surprising Diplomatic Breakthrough,' 'Next Stages,' Escape and Targets

Defense Minister Comrade Peretz says there may be a 'surprising diplomatic breakthrough' regarding kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Personally, the only breakthrough I want to hear is that the boy has been released alive and well. And that we didn't give them any terrorists in return.

Masked Palestinian gunmen blew a 4-meter wide hole in the border wall between the Gaza Strip and Egypt today while Israel approved the next stages of its military campaign in Gaza. While the media will tell you that the next stages are designed to free Gilad Shalit, they have nothing to do with him. They're designed to free the people of Sderot from the raining down of Kassams (yes, there were more today). Comrade Peretz admitted today that is a second aim of the current action. But Israel being Israel, we aren't going to make Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun look like Dresden in 1945 (which is what we ought to do): IAF planes dropped thousands of flyers over Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanun Wednesday night, warning residents that they would be endangering their lives if they remained in their homes.

'Palestinian security sources' reported that the men who detonated the explosives were Hamas operatives who succeeded in crossing the border into Sinai.

Two Palestinian security personnel were wounded in the border explosion, and security forces were ordered to the area to prevent people from going through the hole. Can't let the 'Palestinian refugees hostages' escape into an Arab country now, can we?

The IDF also targeted a car in Gaza City that was carrying an Islamic Jihad terrorist. He survived the missile - I've seen reports claiming he was lightly wounded and reports that he walked away.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:06 PM