THE TRUE STORY OF: The Operation in Gaza - 27 Dec 2008 - 18 Jan 2009

The Operation in Gaza - Legal and Factual Aspects:

The definitive Israeli version
(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman)

On July 30, the Government of Israel released a detailed paper addressing a wide range of factual and international legal issues relating to the military operation undertaken by the Israel Defence Forces in Gaza in December 2008 - January 2009.

The Paper, 160 pages long, describes in detail the context of the Gaza Operation. It documents the Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians in the years prior to the Operation and the increasing range of Hamas rocket and mortar attacks, as well as Israel's efforts to prevent the attacks and avoid the conflict.

The Paper contains an extensive legal analysis of the legal principles and of State practice regarding the use of force and examines in detail the application of the principles of necessity, distinction and proportionality. In particular, with photographic and video evidence, it documents the tactics adopted by Hamas in launching attacks from within civilian populations and describes the IDF precautions and efforts to limit civilian harm in such situations.

The Paper also gives a detailed account of Israel's humanitarian efforts in the course of the operation, particularly in the face of Hamas attempts to launch attacks during humanitarian pauses to allow aid to reach civilians, hijack aid and assistance, and hide within and behind medical and international facilities.

The Paper also gives previously unpublished details of the multiple IDF investigations into allegations made by various groups of violations of the law. It reveals that IDF investigative teams are currently examining approximately 100 complaints, including 13 criminal investigations opened so far. The Paper describes the preliminary findings of some of the IDF field investigations, which can be released without comprising the integrity and independence of these investigations including some of the lessons learned. It notes that these investigations will be reviewed by the Military Advocate General and may be subject to further review by the Attorney General and the Supreme Court of Israel.

The

Paper, with a brief executive summary, has been posted on the web site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi Is Right

21 Shevat 5769

YNET: IDF Renounces General's Comments
Hanan Greenberg, 02.14.09, 20:20

Remarks made by Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi alluding to Turkish oppression of Kurds, Armenians were rejected by army in statement. The comments were in reaction to Ankara criticism of Israel's Gaza operation. (Read more...)

No, it wasn't very diplomatic. No, it wasn't his role to make such comments. And, yes, he may have hurt his career. But, he's right.

What happened to Jews going out of their way to defend the rights every people treated unfairly but themselves?

Oh, I guess that doesn't apply when upsets the diplomatic balance, when it upsets one of the few Muslim countries which tolerate us,...barely, and throws Europeans into a tizzy of cognitive dissonance.

Did Maj.-Gen. Avi Mizrahi think before he spoke? Was this an "Oops, I forgot there were journalists here" faux pas? Did he walk into a trap? Or was this a well-thought out publicity-grabber.

I'll go with Door #1 for now, but you never know.

Look up Gen. Mizrahi on Wikipedia, and you will find that his page is available in three different languages: Hebrew, English, and, of all things, Turkish.

I kid you not. A certain general is no longer flying under the radar.

Cross-posted on Esser Agaroth.

THE IDF "JEWISH SPIRIT" HAS RETURNED

Fighters' Jewish Spirit Returns
by IsraelNN Staff

An IDF rabbi shared this personal testimony...I had the privilege this week [the week before the ground offensive into Gaza - ed of accompanying the Golani Brigade's Regiment 12 soldiers.

I am the regiment’s rabbi, in reserves, and I was called up to serve just like the all the rest, to “aid Israel at its time of tribulation.”

As a long-time ba'al-teshuvah [returnee to observant Judais, a rabbi in a yeshiva who usually walks around wearing a jacket and hat, I now had a major change of atmosphere: my black “uniform” became one of dusty dark green, the hubbub of the Torah study hall was replaced by not-so-pleasing army slang, and my wife's delicious food was given up for the “delicacies” of the mess hall, most of which I don’t eat because of one stringency or another.

We spent most of the week in wet tents, with the terrible cold preventing me from sleeping at night. (I apparently wasn’t working as hard as the other soldiers, because they fell asleep the second they hit the pillow.)

My work, as an official of the Army Rabbinate, was to give encouragement and strength to the soldiers, give out Books of Psalms [Tehilli and distribute special prayers for those who go out to battle.

Psalms for All

And what did I discover down there in southern Israel? My brothers! The Golanchiks (Golani Brigade soldiers), about to go out to war, want to hold on to the Rock of Israel! There wasn’t a soldier there who didn’t equip himself with a Tehillim in his pocket or combat vest - but the big surprise we had was when we gave out tzitzit [four-cornered shirt with the required ritual fringes attac. Usually only the yeshiva guys take them, but this time, every soldier there seemed to want one!

“Rabbi, bring me some tzitzit, my whole tent wants.” “Hey, achi [my brothe, take one of these, it’s better than the ceramic vest!” These were the types of calls we kept hearing over and over. Every package of tzizit that we opened was snatched up within seconds.

There was one young fighter who came to the synagogue whose face fell when he heard that there were no tzitzit left. He was totally bereft, until one of the officers who wasn’t going out to battle took off his own tzitzit and gave it to him, saying, “Take it, achi (in the Golani you can’t say something without achi), you need it now more than I do.”

Email readers: Click here to watch video on tzitzit distribution in the IDF organized by Kulanuachim


The Ma'ariv evening prayer of Friday night, Parashat Vayigash, was simply unbelievable. The Rabbinate realized that the synagogue was too small to fit all the hundreds of soldiers, and so it turned the soccer field into an impromptu synagogue, with prayerbooks, Holy Ark, and everything else.

Whoever did not take part in that Kabbalat Shabbat [Sabbath Welcomin service, is like one who never took part in a Kabbalat Shabbat service in his life! Almost the entire Golani Brigade, officers and soldiers, yelling out the Kaddish and Tehillim prayers. If it wasn’t for the uniform I was wearing, I could have almost thought that I was at a Yom Kippur service in one of the large yeshivot!

No Questions Asked

Our loving Father, too, was there, enjoying every minute of His sons gathering around Him. Our Father doesn’t ask, “Where have you been until now? Why do you remember Me just when you go out to war?” He welcomes all His children and embraces them with love.

After the Sabbath meal, held in an atmosphere of a great “high,” we were privileged to be able to hold an Oneg Shabbat for the soldiers. Chief IDF Rabbi Avi Ronsky was with us the whole Sabbath, and he warmed our hearts with stories of the Nation of Israel, on compassion, on brotherly love, and more. We sat outside with cake and sunflower seeds in the cold, but inside our hearts it was warm.

During the Sabbath, we had to travel to the places from where the soldiers would leave for Gaza. We arrived and the soldiers were imbued with combat spirit, getting ready, trying to get in a last cigarette. Many soldiers tried very hard not to smoke that Sabbath, after I explained to them the importance of observing the Sabbath. They would come up to me every five minutes and ask if the Sabbath had ended yet.

We prayed Ma'ariv there, recited Havdalah [the Sabbath-ending blessin over grape juice, a lighter [instead of a cand and an orange [in place of spice. And then it was time to go in. The Regiment Commander gathered everyone for last-minute words of strength, and explained to them about the “corrective experience” we were about to impart to the enemy.

When he finished, the Deputy Commander read aloud the prayer before going out to battle. “Repeat after me,” he ordered, and a whole regiment of hundreds of soldiers yelled out, “Ana Hashem hoshia na! Ana Hashem hatzlicha na! [O G-d, save us! O G-d, grant us success” After the prayer, the Deputy Commander asked me to blow the Shofar, just as thousands of years ago when we conquered the Holy Land.

Perfect Coordination

Though I’ve blown the Shofar in public before, this particular time was something that will remain with me my whole life. And then, as if I and the Israel Air Force were in perfect coordination, the very second that I finished blowing the Shofar, our planes bombed the enemy area, as if it were a signal to begin the ground offensive.

The soldiers lined up in two columns, and as I parted from them with handshakes, I thought to myself, “What a special nation we have! This is how a Jewish army looks as it goes out to war – not with boastful ‘We will win’ stickers, but rather ‘We will win with G-d’s help.’”

No Dispute

I will just end by saying that where I live in Modi'in Illit, we have a clever interpretation of the verse ‘G-d’s voice is powerful’ – the word for power is spelled with the letters kaf and chet, which we say are the initials of kova and chalifa [hat and sui, our usual garb. But as of this week, we now know that they are also the initials of the kumta chuma [brown bere worn by the Golani soldiers. There, too, the voice of G-d is heard – and “lo pligi” (there is no argument between the two, both are right).

translated by Hillel Fendel

INNOCENT CIVILIANS...I DON'T THINK SO!

INNOCENT GAZA CIVILIANS

by Steven Plaut

Innocent Gaza civilians, huh? A three hour ceasefire so that"innocent Gazan civilians" can go shopping today?

Are Gaza civilians really innocent? Let us bear in mind that the years of rocket savagery by the Hamas were a direct result of the vast majority of the residents of the Gaza Strip voting for the Hamas in the elections,such as they were, that were held there.

The vast majority of Gazans brought the Hamas into power with their votes. Those same people, and they are the vast majority, are not innocent. Those who did NOT vote for the Hamas voted for other terrorist groups, like the various wings of the Fat'h. Basically no one in Gaza voted against terrorism.

Democracy is not just majority vote decision making but it is also holding that same majority accountable for how it votes and for the consequences of their votes. People who vote for terrorism are legitimate targets for Israeli arms and bombs. And since virtually all Gazans voted for terrorism, at least those above voting age did, let's stop all the silly talk about them being "innocent civilian bystanders."

That is not a call to bomb civilians. It IS a call to ignore the fact that civilians might get hurt in Gaza when Israel bombs armed terrorists.

German and Japanese civilians got hurt when the Allies bombed Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan. Gazan civilians are no more innocent than were those German and Japanese civilians.

People who do not like it when Gazan civilians get hurt should not support Palestinian terrorism and savagery and aggression.

Israel's official policy should be: Hide a Hamas terrorist in your building and die.

Israeli Election Ploy

11 Tevet 5769

By now, most in Israel have caught on to the election ploy that is the current Israeli Defense Forces' [IDF] action in Azza. Necessary and proper as this action is, there is no doubt that it is taking place now, and not three months ago, nor three years ago, due to our proximity to the Israeli national elections to be held on 16 Shevat/February 10.

Fortunately, some Jews in the U. S., like Debbie Schlussel, are also on the ball, and can see through the veil of this war.

I was in Tel Aviv yesterday, and the Kadima and Labor posters were up in force, starting sparsely on the border of the Greater Tel Aviv area (Petah Tiqwah), then all over the place once withing Tel Aviv and suburbs, save for the religious, and mostly Haredi city of B'nei Braq whose votes will undoubtedly go to Shas and United Torah Judaism [UTJ], with some going to the Nationl Union and Likud.

Everywhere there was a Tzippi Livni (Kadima) billboard, an Ehud Baraq (Labor) one was right next to it,...almost as if they were running mates.

In many ways, the Israeli news media has been portraying Foreign Minister Livni as the defacto prime minister,...with very little mention of standing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. And, now all of a sudden it is politically-correct to root for the IDF against the Arabs. That is because it is Kadima and Labor doing the attacking,...and trying to win an election.

Needless to say there are no such posters, let alone billboards in the Shomron (Samaria), almost all of which would be on the chopping blocks if a Kadima/Labor/Mere"tz goverment had anything to say about it. Even Kadima MK Otniel Schneller knows better than to expect any votes to come from his town in the Binyamin Area, Ma'aleh Mikhmas.

There may be some Kadima/Labor efforts in Yehudah (Judea), where two large chunks are said to be included within final status borders in any agreement between Israel and the Arabs. After all, 12% of the City of Efrat voted for Labor, back in 1999.

According to the latest polls, Binyamin Netanyahu (Kadima) could still create a right of center/right wing coalition government of 61, probably too weak for his taste. He may join with Kadima in a unity government. Some time ago, Likud candidate Dan Meridor was talking of trying to convince Netanyahu to make the bold move of giving up the Golan Heights. Many want to know why Meridor is on the Likud list at all. No doubt it is to get his supporters' votes.

It seems that Meridor has been silenced,...at least for the time being. Talk of giving up the Golan will lose votes for the Likud to other farther right-wing parties, threatening the Likud's expected plurality.

Projected seats for Labor have jumped from 8 to 15. Kadima and Likud are still neck and neck. The ploy seems to be working.

I am not optimistic.

Cross-posted on Esser Agaroth.

Rocket Range Increases

11 Tevet 5769

Well, now that Yavne and Eshkol have been hit, rockets from the south of Israel continue to inch closer to Ben-Gurion International Airport and to Tel-Aviv.

The map below shows the shrinking space between the reach of rockets from the south and from the north, in the event that Hizbollah were to re-enter the fray from Lebanon.

The red dots indicate locations hit from the south or from the north, two years ago.

Meanwhile, talk has been quashed of rocket-launching potential from the Shomron (Samaria). If rockets were launched from Tul-Karem, 10 miles east of Netanyah, if would add an additional front to the war.

(Click the map to enlarge it)

I was in Rehovoth last night and this morning. Some fighter jets could be heard, no doubt due to the proximity of the Israeli Air Force [IAF] base. Located just southeast of Rishon LeTzion on the map, it is in the "We're Next" range of cities (light blue, along with Yavne).

I have been informed that bomb shelter preparation and tests have begun even in Jerusalem.

Cross-posted on Esser Agaroth.

Beytsim...??? What's Beytsim! Whatever it is...Israel has it!

Wow! Israel has its beytsim back!
By Arlene Peck

For the past couple of years, I haven’t felt like even reading the paper. Not only because the news was so bad but there has been absolutely no leadership. Not here in America and, especially not, in Israel. That, folks has bothered me.

Finally, the politicians, not statesmen, who have been at the helm in Israel, seem to have awakened. I was astounded to see that, finally, they remembered the ‘rule of retaliation’. Someone must have told them that a country that is being attacked by vicious terrorists, day after day, year after year, actually has the right to fight back.

The timing of their incursion into Gaza was brilliant! Everyone has been so busy in celebrating their holiday season that I can hardly find any news about what’s happening in the Middle East on the evening news.

However, I have also noticed that many of the journalists who have been reporting on the “war in Gaza” have Arab names and are anything but impartial in their reporting. I find their reactions so predictable they are almost comical. For instance, today’s LA Times had an article written by two Arab journalists who wrote, “the mounting toll of civilians has alarmed world leaders. Prompting what they call a disproportionate response to Hamas attack and to urge renewal of a truce that “unraveled’ last month.” Let’s see, how did it ‘unravel’? Could it be that Hamas absolutely, positively refused to stop the terrorist attacks or to stop lobbing their steady stream of missiles into nearby Israeli towns? And, the benevolent guys from the United Nations were thrilled when their leader, Secretary-General Ban Ki-mon was quoted as saying, “I have continuously stressed the need for a strict observance of international humanitarian law”. I don’t think so. This group is usually ready to pass out sweets and candies whenever Israel is attacked. In six years, I don’t remember one comment, much less ‘demand’, that the Palestinians stop their constant bombing of Israeli towns. Do any of your remember any of their emergency meetings? The only difference is the Israelis do everything they can to avoid hitting civilians. While the Palestinian enemy set up shop and mortars in the middle of busy civilian streets, hospitals and schools. The mosques that I’m delighted to see are finally being bombed are usually weapons warehouses. Frankly, I don’t give a diddly-squat. As ‘politically incorrect” as I tend to be I’d move them all out and keep the lights turned off. The only humanatarian aid I’ve give would be to help them pack and get out. Transfer? It’s not the dirty word it once was and, I’m all for it!

Frankly, I find it difficult to feel any remorse for a people who elect an organization with its goal of destroying Israel. It doesn’t bother them, however, that Hamas won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, yet Western governments have shunned them as a terrorist organization. Not the least because of their constant refusal to change their charter devoted to the demise of Israel or to formally accept Israel’s right to exist.

When I say these people are savages, I know from which I speak. I was in Beirut for a few weeks during the Lebanon War in June of 82. And again to Gaza as a journalist posing as a “Christian writer” because sometimes I’m too curious for my own good. The impression that I gained from that ‘rat hole’ was the boredom and hate-filled eyes of the children. Truly, I have never seen such 'old eyes' in kids in my life. All the teenagers seemed to have to do was burn tires. I remember, I drove in with an Arab cab driver and even his car was stoned. And speaking of that, the older ones were sitting around everywhere smoking that ‘laughing water’. I believe they are trained from birth as terrorists. I remember when Egypt was offered Gaza and they didn’t want it because they knew what trouble these people are.

Obama says he is a strong alley of Israel despite rumors that he would be more receptive to the Palestinian position. During the election, I was appalled that the Jewish community here was the financial base of his success. I won’t even go into my disgust that I felt about the Israeli community here who told me non-stop how politically incorrect I was. It was an election that you lost friends over. Now, nothing would make me happier to say that I was wrong. It’s happened beforeJ my being wrong that is.

But, one thing I’m sure of. That being, that no matter what, Israel shouldn’t give any credence to what the world has to say when it comes to the Jewish state defending itself . I know what would happen if the residents of Tiajuana would suddenly start lobbing rockets into San Diego.

Amazingly, I know that what ‘they’ think is always such a big issue. And, I’ll admit, a few years back it was a big concern. But that, folks, were before the rest of the world found out what the Jews have known about the culture of Islam for a long, long time. Then, the news reports and radio talk shows were dominated by the ‘plight of the poor Palestinian’. Since then, however, the Sunday people have experienced the terrorists attacks also and now realize what a cruel and barbaric nation we’re dealing with in this war.

Instead of hearing about the use of ‘excessive’ force, I’m listening to the reporters and call-in stations expound on how every country has the right to defend itself. Even Israel! I’m not hearing a lot of sympathy for the Arab side this time around.

And, the same way that I could even be wrong about Obama, who knows? Olmert, a man disgraced bycorruption charges has surprised me. Maybe the Three Stooges learned from the past war in Lebanon. At least, so far they’ve seemed to put a muzzle on Peres. “This is something I never even dreamed of (said a Gazan who only gave his name as Samch).”We expected some retaliation from Israel, but not like this.” Well, to tell the truth, neither did I. But I couldn’t be more delighted. Israel finally has her beytsim backJ

You may also want to view this exclusive interview with
Wafa Sultan on U-Tube by Arlene Peck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haDnKKpI2yU

HYPOCRITICAL ANTI-ISRAEL MEDIA EX-POSED!

Hypocrisy of anti-Israel Headlines Exposed!

by Steven Shamrak

Israeli Ambassador Gabriela Shalev recently announced that : "The main goal is to destroy completely this terrorist gang, which makes people on both sides of the border, in Gaza and in Israel, suffer daily." Nothing wrong with the annulling of Hamas as another Islamic terrorist organization, but we must not forget that it is the population of the PA controlled territory, which elected Hamas to lead them. The unwillingness of the so-called Palestinian population, in Israel or the territories, to live in peace and their support for terror against Jews is the main problem!
The 'Coalition of the Willing' has been trying for seven years to destroy al Qaeda. Surprisingly, there are no UN resolutions of condemnation of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, in spite of heavy casualties among civilians, or calls for restraint and negotiating peace with Taliban or al Qaeda. We must remember the reason why Americans are still dying in Iraq: the population of Iraq had hated Sadam, but they hate us, Western democracy and the Crusaders, even more!
"UN demands international action to stop Israeli strikes on Gaza" - For many years 'Ugly Nothing' and other international organizations, as well as governments, were peculiarly mute when Israel was under continuous attacks from Gaza. There were no condemnations or call to end them. There are 192 members of the UN. Israel is only country which is not allowed to defend itself!
"UN chief calls for ceasefire as Israel pounds Hamas targets" - Was the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon so prompt when for several years Hamas terrorised Jews in Israel with daily rocket and mortar fire?
"Syrian-Israeli Negotiations Halted" - There were no negotiations! Syria demanded the return of the Jewish Golan Hights without any commitment of ending support of terrorism or even peace with Israel! Both sides just played the PR game of 'Peace Negotiation'.
"Top PA negotiator: No peace talks with Israel during Gaza assault" - Daily rocket attacks, suicide bombings, rock throwing and kidnappings - This is the peace process that Israel has endured from the PA. There is no difference between these two terrorist organizations: Hamas and Fatah. Hamas is targeting support from the Islamic world, Fatah has mastered the better PR spin, aiming at the Western countries.
"UN official says Israel attacked during lull." - What an idiotic comment! It would be difficult to start major military operation precisely at the time when Hamas chose to send another wave of rockets.
"Good Question: Why Is Israel Bombing Hamas?" " For many years nobody asked why Hamas attacks civilian population in Israel.
Creating Human Disaster Artificially. "Egyptian border guards have opened fire on Palestinians who breached the border to escape Israel's assault on Hamas in the Gaza Strip." - As usual, no international outcry!
Food for Thought. by Steven Shamrak

The only reason why Israel is losing support of Jews and non-Jews world-wide, even conservative ones, is because no one likes to be associated with a 'Loser' who is able but unwilling to fight back and defeat the enemy!
Mosque was a Rocket Warehouse. The IDF has released images of a mosque exploding in a fireball after being hit by a missile...proof say authorities that Hamas has been storing rockets in their mosques, sure that Israel would not hit a religious institution.
Sane Voice of the True Friend. The Czech Republic has backed Israel's right to defend itself. Czech foreign minister Karel Schwartzenberg said ''Hamas has progressively stepped up its rocket launchings onto Israel since the end of the truce, and the situation is unacceptable.'' (This is the same country which helped Israel to win the War of Independence by supplying weapons during the international anti-Semitic blockade of Israel in 1948 while the world waited indifferently for the second Holocaust which was planned by the advancing Muslim states.)
Listen Hamas and Leave. Hamas has called, on Hamas TV, on Egyptians and Jordanians living in Israel to leave the country. The radical Islamic group has repeated threats to re-commence suicide attacks. (The The same calls were made in 1948, in order to make killing of Jews easier for advancing Muslim armies! Yes, all of those so-called Palestinians, including the Jordanians and Egyptians, Syrians, Bosnians from the western Balkans , Circassians from the northern Caucasus, Iranian and others who live in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, and who have been occupying Jewish land.)
Air Force Hits over 40 Tunnels. The Israel Air Force said on Sunday evening that it hit 40 of the hundreds of smuggling tunnels under the Philadelphi Route along the Gaza-Egyptian border near Rafah.
The Fifth Column Must be Removed. Since the start of military action in Gaza, more than 150 Israeli Arabs have been arrested in the north of the country for violent protests.
Emotinal Blackmail. An Egyptian newspaper has reported that kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was wounded in an Israel Air Force attack on southern Gaza. The extent of his reported injuries was not reported, and there were no other confirming sources. (No "Proof of Life" has been given and during the two years no international representative has been allowed to visit Gilad!)
Quote of the Week: " If someone was sending rockets on my house where my daughters were sleeping at night, I would do everything to stop it, and I would expect Israelis to do the same thing." - President-elect Barack Obama, July 2008. - Must we trust his words, spoken in the heat of an election campaign, and wait for another flip-flop spin?
Soldier Charged for Self-Defence. Army corporal Nachum Ben-Yaakov has been charged for making threats and for firing his weapon in the air twice when surrounded by hostile Arabs during a disturbance between Jews and Arabs next to Hevron. (Soldiers who sadistically had bitten Jews during the army assault on the "Peace House" were taped, but not charged by the army. Since when has the IDF become the protector of the enemies of Jews? Stop this legal terrorisation of IDF Soldiers for fighting our enemies! Put Olmer, Barak and Livni on trial for fighting Jews and destroying Israel's future!)
Injustice Under the Cover of War. The judge of the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court dismissed the indictment of Yassam Special Forces officer David Atyah, the first police officer to be indicted for the violent evacuation of Jews from the expanded community of Amona, located near Ofra. The Yesha Human Rights Organization responded to the dismissal of charges against the Yassam officers that the judge's decision is a mockery of the severity of police brutality violations.
Hamas Leadership of Cowards. Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin said at a security cabinet meeting that some Hamas heads are hiding in hospitals in Gaza and even disguising themselves as doctors, in order to melt into the general population. ( They use an ideological demagogy to agitate anti-Israel feelings among so-called Palestinians and are perfectly happy for more civilians to die for the fake cause! They - Hamas, Fatah. Hisbollah, Iranian government, Al Qaeda... - do not care about the Geneva Conventions and have cynically been using dead civilians to draw sympathy from an anti-Semitic or brainless international community.)
Negotiations, What Negotiations? "Why would we continue with these negotiations?" said Abbas, whose 'moderate' Fatah movement lost authority in Gaza after Hamas took control of the coastal territory by force in June 2007, but still undemocratically holds on to power in Judea and Samaria. "We will not hesitate to end them if they continue to be a cover for Israeli aggression." ( For 15 years, since the Oslo agreement, Israel has been negotiating with terrorists being under fire. This political idiocy must end now and the government should stop being a political wimp!)
Hypocrisy of the 'Loaded' Headlines:
"Killing a two-state solution" - Editorial, The Guardian - It is impossible to kill something that has never been alive. For the enemies of Israel, Islamic and anti-Semitic ones, the 'two-state solution' is just a step toward the destruction of the Jewish state!
"Lack of condemnation as good as approval for Israel" independent.co.uk - This not approval but an embarresment, created by continuous international anti-Israel policy and years of silence while Israel was under endless rocket attacks from Gaza!
Half-Hearted War Again. Defence minister Ehud Barak has given the green light for humanitarian aid to cross into Gaza. Some 80 trucks carrying food and medical supplies passed through the Keren Shalom crossing. (Name any other country which has done this in the heat of initial military action against the enemy?) Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said ''Israel has not learned its lessons from the war in Lebanon.'' He added, ''the goals are not clear, and the air force acting alone cannot win the war." (This enemy of Israel is right! They know well the gutless habits of the current Israeli government.)
Massacre in Congo.
Ugandan rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has massacred close to 500 villagers in the Democratic Republic of Congo since Christmas. The LRA, which has plagued northern Uganda for 20 years is now threatening villages in Congo, Sudan and the Central African Republic. The United Nations refugee agency says villages are being set alight, women raped and children abducted.
On Dec 26 2008, the LRA guerrillas massacred dozens of people in a church, according to Ugandan military sources and aid workers. The guerrillas used machetes, swords and clubs to kill the people - amongst them women and children. (This atrocity is being committed at the same time as Israel began its anti-terrorist operation in Gaza. Interestingly, there is no international condemnation, outcry from the world press or the UN Security Council emergency special session! Is this indifference of the world to the suffering of the people of Africa a manifestation of international racism? Why is there such a "disproportionate" preoccupation with Israel? Is it a deep brotherly 'love' for Jews?)

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