Dimona nuke plant in range?
On Thursday, I noted that Israel Radio now reports that Hamas has rockets that can reach sixty kilometers from Gaza, putting Tel Aviv in range. There's a more strategic location that's within 60 kilometers of Gaza: Dimona, home of Israel's purported nuclear power plant (Hat Tip: Gateway Pundit and Memeorandum). Israeli officials say that Hamas has also acquired dozens of Iranian-made Fajr-3 missiles with an even longer range. Many fear that as the group acquires ever more sophisticated weaponry it is only a matter of time before the nuclear installation at Dimona, 20 miles east of Beersheba, falls within its sights. Dimona houses Israel’s only nuclear reactor and is believed to be where nuclear warheads are stored.Obviously, the Gaza situation is something that Israel should have dealt with long ago before these types of missiles were ever imported into the Strip. Israel's political 'leaders' have placed us in a worse position through their inability to take decisive action.
Israel’s worst nightmare is that soon all its cities will be within range either of the Hezbollah Katyushas arrayed on the Lebanese border to the north or the increasingly sophisticated missiles stockpiled by Hamas to the south. Both groups have links to Israel’s archenemy Iran.
But what does this mean for the future? It means that Israel should undertake the ground operation in Gaza as soon as possible. At this point, why are they waiting?
In an interview in Friday's JPost, former director of IDF planning and operations Giora Eiland asks the same question. Eiland, who was critical of the lack of planning in connection with the expulsion of Jews from Gaza, says that the problem is that the government cannot make up its mind.
"If the idea is to deter attacks, then you don't need a ground operation," said Eiland. "If, however, you want to destroy Hamas's ability to fire rockets, then you need to invade Gaza," he said. "The problem here is that the political establishment has not decided which course it wants to follow."I disagree with Eiland on how long a truce will hold, and that is far more important than whether we are giving legitimacy to Hamas by entering into another truce with them.
"You can reach a situation where Hamas is sufficiently deterred. Or you can invade Gaza, with greater risks and casualties. But there's really nothing in between. And it's hard for the political echelon to accept that."
Eiland said an agreement that binds Hamas "could be reached tomorrow" and would hold for months, and probably much longer, since the Arab states and Turkey would be pressing Hamas to honor it. But Prime Minister Ehud Olmert "doesn't want this, because it would legitimize Hamas," said Eiland.
Eiland added that far too much attention had been paid by the political leadership to the "relatively straightforward" military aspect of the operation, and far too little to the diplomatic side.
"The military aspect is much easier - it involves us and them, that's all, and the IDF can take care of that. The diplomatic field is far more complex, with all kinds of players - Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, the UN, the US, Turkey, the EU and others - all with something to say.
"The political echelon needed to decide on Saturday afternoon what [arrangement] it wanted [at the end of this operation] and how to get it. Who to initiate it? Not us, obviously. Whether to involve the UN Security Council, and so on.
"That was the task of the prime minister, the foreign minister, the defense minister. But they only started on Tuesday. That was long overdue."
The impression being created, Eiland said, is of uncertainty. "If you want Hamas incapable of firing, then why are you waiting for the ground operation? If you want a deal, then why the delay? There's a sense of treading water."
If they are not postponed, this country is 39 days from elections. The people want Hamas routed decisively. (Of course, many of them might prefer to rout Hamas without a ground operation, but it's doubtful that can be done, even if we flattened the entire Strip - there is too much weaponry and too many terrorists hiding underground). Israelis don't want an Islamic caliphate sitting on our southern border. Olmert, Barak and Livni all know this. But they're afraid to let the IDF deliver that decisive blow because if - God forbid - the IDF cannot score a decisive victory, it will hurt them in the elections, and because if the IDF defeats Hamas, Olmert, Livni and Barak have no plan for what happens the morning after. Olmert, Barak and Livni will not accept the notion that the only way for there to be quiet in Gaza is for the IDF to remain in Gaza - and not to turn Gaza over to Abu Bluff. That's why they're dilly-dallying.
And as long as they continue to delay, it's less likely that there will actually be an election on February 10. That works for their benefit. They remain in power.
On the other hand, a poll out this morning shows Likud and Labor gaining in the Knesset race at Kadima's expense. In other words, Barak and Netanyahu are gaining at Livni's expense.
The survey found that the Likud had risen from 27 seats to 29, Labor had gone up from 14 to 15, and Kadima had fallen from 27 to 23 since the previous Post poll was published on October 31. Likud and Kadima, which were tied then, are now six seats apart, and the Right bloc's advantage over the Left remains a hefty eight mandates, 64 to 56.And Barak is winning in other ways too.
While the survey's 500 respondents were undoubtedly influenced by the Gaza fighting that raged as the poll was conducted on Monday and Tuesday, many other events, including the drafting of the parties' Knesset lists, have occurred over the past two months to influence voter opinion.
A consensus of other polls taken more regularly has found that Likud's and Kadima's support has remained steady since the air offensive began on Saturday, while Labor has gained substantially due to the battle led by its chairman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak. In other polls, Labor fell from 15 to as few as eight seats and has since gone back up.
Other polls published this week found that 81% of Israelis supported the war in Gaza, but only 63% believed it would succeed in stopping rocket fire on the South. The surveys were divided on whether there should be a ground offensive in the Strip or whether Israel should seek a cease-fire.So from Barak's perspective, the best thing to do is continue to pound Gaza from the air and hope that Hamas isn't able to get those Fajr-3's working. And Olmert and Livni don't mind that strategy because it means they don't have to make a decision.
A Ma'agar Mohot poll broadcast Wednesday night on Channel 2 found that Barak's rating as defense minister had skyrocketed since the war began, from 23% to 60%.
But it's a risky strategy as the report about Dimona indicates. Once again, our indecisive leaders may force us to pay a price. A horrible price.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:28 AM
4 Comments:
You read Manny?
At me
Israel lacks leaders with iron teeth. Ben Gurion, Begin and Sharon for all their faults, took decisions and saw that they were carried out. They were not always right and they made mistakes but Israelis knew where they stood. Today, no one in Israel knows where its present leaders stand. They probably don't want to offend any one but that's a poor way to run a state and a terrible way to wage a war.
The WHY? of Terrorism in Islam…
I am an American living in Asia. I am not Moslem, but I am a writer and historian. I would like to share some information with you: information concerning Moslem violence and terrorism, and why the United States and its military allies must continue to be vigilant, and when appropriate, respond to individual acts of violent Islamic terrorism with relentless, overwhelming, and deadly force.
This information may help you understand what is going on not only in Israel and the entire Middle East as well as India, Pakistan, and China, along with other parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, and (soon) even the United States. In the not too distant future, Moslem extremists hope to involve you and your loved ones, as well as a vast number of other innocent victims in a man-made catastrophe: an organized and violent calamity of biblical proportions that is based on teachings that were deliberately added to the Koran, decades after the faith was founded.
Disregarding the social, economic, and political factors that serve as underpinnings for Islamic terrorism, I will address the more fundamental issue: the religious teachings that sanction violence against non-Moslems and AGAINST ALL WOMEN. Here are seven verses from the Koran. These scriptures have been translated into modern English.
…murder, crucify, or cut off the hands and feet of non-Moslems…Chapter 5 Verse 33 - The Koran
…create terror in the hearts of non-Moslems …cut off their heads…Chapter 8 Verse 12 - The Koran
…and fight non-Moslems until Allah’s religion is the only one…Chapter 8 Verse 39 - The Koran
…of all the loot you plunder from non-Moslems, 20% belongs to Allah and to Mohammed. Chapter 8 Verse 41- The Koran (Author’s note: Loot included kidnapped female sex-slaves.)
…Take as many as four wives from the women you are sexually attracted to … Chapter 4 Verse 3 - The Koran
…God has made men superior to women… Virtuous women are obedient. If a woman becomes disobedient, beat her. Chapter 4 Verse 34 - The Koran
…When it comes to marriage, Allah makes it legal for you to take as wives, women whom your right hand possesses. Chapter 33 Verse 50 - The Koran (Author’s note: This verse talks about the “loot” non-Moslems call… kidnapped female sex-slaves.)
Most people in the western world have never heard of these astonishing scriptures, but they are in the Koran … along with a relatively short list of others, just like them. This is important because not all Moslems are the same; there are two very different types. Militant Moslems view these verses as commandments from their god – a primitive desert god, from an ancient land of heat, sand and scorpions. Militant Moslems think these teachings apply to life in the Twenty-first Century and they try to use them, regardless of the suffering and mayhem they create, whereas moderate Moslems ignore such verses because they were uttered a long time ago, when the Arabian peninsula, from whence Islam came, was a wild and savage place.
Historians tell us these terrorist teachings are part of a cluster of ferocious beliefs that were deliberately added to one specific part of the formerly peaceful and tolerant Koran. These startling changes were made, decades after Islam was first founded in the Arabian city of Mecca. By the time of these changes the original (and real) prophet of Islam was dead. Thereafter the religious headquarters was uprooted and moved to the city of Medina. In its new environment, with new leadership at the helm, Islam mutated; it turned cruel and predatory.
In fact, historians also tell us Islam didn’t simply fall from the sky as a full-blown religion, but rather evolved from a persecuted sect of Jewish-Christians. The first Moslems in the city of Mecca were actually part of a larger group of Jesus’ followers called the Ebionites.
Ebionites were peace-loving disciples of Christ, who shared their wealth with fellow believers, and taught that a man should marry only one wife.
In fact, women were much more independent in the Ebionite Jewish-Christian days of Islam. They were more influential too. I say this because my research has determined that the first prophet of Islam may have been someone other than Mohammed: I believe the first prophet was a very special Arabian princess named Khadija the Pure. Khadija was Mohammed’s first and only wife for twenty-four years. Khadija was fifteen years older than Mohammed. She was considered to be fabulously wealthy, and she was Mohammed’s employer, before she became his wife.
Mohammed on the other hand, before he became Khadija’s employee, was an impoverished youth who had been raised as an orphan. Ultimately Mohammed worked his way up to a position as Khadija’s business manager. With time, Khadija grew fond of Mohammed. She even married him. However, Khadija was a liberated woman. In fact, Khadija was the one who initiated the marriage proposal to Mohammed! And after their wedding, she never allowed Mohammed to take other wives, or have other women into her house.
Throughout her lifetime, even though Khadija had already converted to Christianity, Mohammed’s first and only wife for twenty-four years remained an important Arabian princess in the ruling family that controlled worship in the Kabba Temple, with it’s pantheon of more than three hundred pagan gods and goddesses. Clearly, in the early days of Islam, Khadija was a person of great influence in Arabian society: and clearly Mohammed, her husband… was not. www.TheMoslemInstitute.com
After Khadija’s untimely death from a terrible illness, Islam was hijacked by a cartel of corrupt men, headed by Mohammed himself. The faith was abruptly relocated to the city of Medina and new beliefs were added to the Koran; at the same time, old beliefs were deleted or relegated to unimportance, and the religion was changed beyond recognition. In the end, Islam abandoned many of its Ebionite Jewish-Christian teachings. Women suffered the most: they became the focus of repression, scorn, and violence.
Today, although moderate Moslems are loath to admit these ideas, and many of them are terrified to voice criticism of their militant Islamic brothers, because of fear that violence will come to them and their families, the fact remains that these added teachings are not the original beliefs of Islam; they are amendments: They are the terrorist teachings of Islam.
In the near future, militant Moslems hope to unleash a Jihad: a Moslem holy war upon the non-Moslem world; not only upon Israel, the United States and Western Europe, but also throughout parts of Asia, including India and maybe even China, and Japan. Because the terrorist teachings of Islam sanction treaty breaking, deception, and war, as well as looting, murder, kidnapping, terrorism, and human slavery (including sexual slavery), so long as these crimes are directed against non-Moslems, there is no limit to the things these fanatics can do. But the scariest part: Militant Moslems will do everything… in the name of their primitive desert god.
Once victory is attained in this violent holy war, these fanatics believe Allah will bless them with harems of kidnapped sex slaves taken from destroyed cities and nations, as well as enormous fortunes of loot plundered from the non-Moslem world. They believe this because of the terrorist teachings that were added to the Koran. These terrorist teachings even say ransoms paid to Moslem terrorists, to redeem stolen property (like hijacked oil tankers and cargo ships) as well as kidnapped men, women, and children, are part of the Islamic loot these vicious criminals are entitled to receive.
These same terrorist teachings even allow Moslem men to force their kidnapped female sex slaves to marry them in Moslem wedding ceremonies, and bear children for them: whether the women want to or not. Terrorist Moslem teachings mandate only two requirements: The women must come from Christian or Jewish backgrounds, and secondly, if the unfortunate women resist, these same terrorist teachings say the Moslem husbands must beat them, and imprison them in their own homes.
If the Moslem fanatics die while committing these crimes against humanity, as an eternal reward for their cruel deeds Islamic extremists believe their fierce desert god will admit them to paradise and bless them with luxurious palaces filled with riches and populated by seventy-two virgin brides, who are exquisitely beautiful, yet modest enough to struggle to control their unbridled lust to have sexual intercourse with a dead Moslem terrorist.
With these stinging indictments against terrorist Islamic doctrines entered into the record, it is important to remember that the majority of Moslems are moderate, decent people who love God and practice acts of charity and kindness to their neighbors, both Moslem and non-Moslem. Such moderate Moslems recognize these violent teachings as obsolete and out of place in the Twenty-first Century. In the author’s opinion, in spite of enormous cultural and ideological differences that exist between the non-Moslem world and the followers of Islam, it is with this moderate Moslem majority that any long-term resolution to the Islamic terrorism issue will ultimately be negotiated.
However, given the massive population increases taking place in the Moslem world, at a time when poverty, chaos, criminality, and religious fanaticism are burgeoning, the numbers of Moslems worldwide who declare themselves militant is increasing; the influence their growing networks of terror cells exert on Islamic governments throughout the world has reached crisis levels. Because of the terrorist teachings of Islam, modern civilization faces a nightmarish future; the attacks on Mumbai, India, the World Trade Center in New York, and the subway bombings in Spain and London are simply previews of things to come. In this ferocious Jihad, nuclear and biological weapons are almost certain to come into play.
To paraphrase Winston Churchill: The road before us will be long and dangerous and terrifying; the United States and Europe and Asia must be resolute… and take courage. We must work together to neutralize militant Islamic movements… and if necessary… wage war against the governments that sustain them. At the same time, the non-Moslem world must also nurture moderate Islamic states and establish strong alliances with them. The very survival of our civilization depends on it.
Are you are interested in learning more about an array of Islamic topics including:
1. Who are The Seventy-two Virgins of Islam and how did they become part of militant Moslem dogma?
2. What role did the Ebionites and Khadija the Pure play, in founding the original (peaceful) religion of Islam?
3. What role does militant Islam play in modern human slavery?
Visit The Moslem Institute website: www.TheMoslemInstitute.com
Regards,
Dane Dahl
Author and Historian
NormanF,
I would not include Sharon with Begin and Ben Gurion. Certainly not during his final years as Prime Minister.
The Gaza expulsion was designed to keep Sharon out of jail. And for no other reason.
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