Why Israel is playing hardball with Hamas
Those of you who haven't voted in the last 24 hours, please go vote for my blog as the Best Midsize blog in the 2008 Weblog Awards. Voting ends at 10:00 PM GMT Tuesday night (Midnight Israel time, 5:00 PM EST, 2:00 PM PST). Thanks.Some of you may be wondering why Israel has been so stubborn about stopping the shooting in Gaza. After all, the media tells you, these are 'primitive missiles' that don't do a lot of harm. Here's a Fox News report with Reena Ninan (one of my favorite reporters) that shows what one of those 'harmless' missiles does. The owners of this apartment were fortunate that no one was home when this rocket hit, so there were no bodily injuries. But would you want to live in constant fear of this happening to your home? For seven years?
Let's go to the videotape.
The IDF started sending reserve troops into Gaza last night, which means that Phase 3 has probably started. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh made a broadcast address to his 'people' last night from his underground hideaway in which he said that Hamas would 'deal positively with any cease fire initiative.' Haniyeh is looking to save his 'honor' (if he has any left).
But even Haniyeh is unwilling to stop the shooting for any real period of time. And his masters in Iran and Syria don't want to stop it all. And so, the fight continues.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:03 AM
3 Comments:
Opinion piece of interest:
Gaza's True 'Disproportion'.
From Spain. And in Newsweek. Who could have imagined.
Carl - Haniyeh does want to live. But Meshaal in the safety of Damascus and Hamas' Iranian sponsors have other ideas. I think he knows the longer he holds out, the worse it gets for Hamas. Israel learned a lesson from Lebanon and is determined not to allow Hamas to claim a victory. Incidentally, the Egyptians have sent a message that if they won't take a ceasefire on Israel's terms, they're on their own. Heh.
Phase III will be hard, dirty and furious. Hamas thinks hiding in the bunkers and tunnels of Gaza City and Khan Yunis will give it an advantage over the infidel Jews. They may be engaging in an illusion that could turn out to be quite deadly - for them!
Yep. It looks like Israel is intent on finding all of the rockets and all of the tunnels and everyone hiding in bunkers. If they are planning a short stay, then they know where everything is.
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