Israeli Defense Minister Condoleezza Rice

Israel will not commit to a long-term operation in Gaza unless it has Condoleezza Rice's approval:

The government has yet to define or approve the overall goals of the current military campaign in the Gaza Strip, and will wait until Wednesday - after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit - to do so, senior government officials said Sunday night.

...The official said it was no coincidence that the security cabinet was not meeting until Wednesday to discuss the government's goals and aims in Gaza, after the Rice visit, to see if her intervention would put an end to Hamas's rocket fire.

The officials said that if Rice were able to bring about calm by getting Hamas to stop the attacks, it was unlikely that the government would go ahead on Wednesday and okay a widespread ground push into Gaza.

Rice is scheduled to go to Egypt before coming to Israel on Tuesday. Since most of the international community does not talk directly to Hamas, Egypt is the mediator.

Senior government officials said the IDF was likely to scale back its activities on Monday night, so as not to embarrass Rice with a major conflagration when she arrived on Tuesday.

It's good to know that Israel finally has its priorities straight when it come to protecting its citizens from Hamas terror attacks.

See also: Israel Looking Over It's Shoulder Before Deciding On Major Operation

Technorati Tag: Israel.

Is Hamas Asking For A Cease-Fire?

When you go to this page on The Jerusalem Post, that is what it says is in the title at the top of my browser, but the page itself reads: "Article content not available."

But over at the History Channel website, someone has helpfully quoted from the article:

The sources said Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh sent urgent messages to the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia urging them to work toward ending the IDF military operations in the Gaza Strip.

The sources told The Jerusalem Post that Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders also appealed to Turkey to intervene and convince Israel to halt its offensive.

Hamas's apparent readiness to reach a cease-fire with Israel is seen by some Palestinians as evidence of the Islamist movement's concern that it may lose control over the Gaza Strip should the military operations continue.

"Hamas is nervous," remarked a senior Palestinian Authority official in Ramallah. "All their leaders have gone underground. They didn't expect such a massive attack from Israel."

Even if this was true--is it still true, especially now that Hamas is claiming victory (as Israellycool points out) according to Haaretz and ynet with the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Northern Gaza?

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza.

Why Is Rice Ga-Ga For Gaza?

At Contentions, Eric Trager points out that the US--and Condoleezza Rice--seem to be suffering from tunnelvision as Rice rushes off to Israel while ignoring a bigger crisis:

Indeed, a diplomatic breakthrough at this moment is so unlikely as to beg the question: why is Rice even bothering? After all, insofar as the current fighting in Gaza will likely be confined to the strip, relatively few strategic interests are at stake. In this vein, Egypt has reportedly doubled its Rafah border troops and permitted only four injured Palestinians to cross into Sinai amidst the fighting, while Hamas’ call for 50,000 Palestinians to breach the Erez crossing and storm into Israel failed miserably.

Yet the same cannot be said of the ongoing presidential crisis in Beirut, where the implications will likely be felt beyond Lebanon’s borders. For starters, Syria has been widely accused of interfering with Lebanon’s political process. Meanwhile, Hezbollah—which has stalled negotiations and demanded veto power in the next cabinet—has turned its attention abroad in the wake of Imad Mughniyeh’s assassination. In recent weeks, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has declared preparations for another war with Israel, while an al-Manar correspondent was recently arrested in Morocco planning attacks against Jewish targets with an al-Qaeda offshoot.

Before creating a country that never existed for a people manufactured by a terrorist, it may be worthwhile for the US to first deal with a real country with a real people suffering from a real problem that is not their own doing.

In the interests of the Bush legacy alone, Lebanon should take precedence:

Given the urgency of the situation in Lebanon and potential opportunities for advancing U.S. policy in this theater, Rice’s focus on the Israeli-Palestinian arena during her upcoming trip is severely misplaced. While Middle East peace would be the Holy Grail of any diplomat’s legacy, Rice’s failure to meaningfully pursue diplomatic channels regarding Lebanon might give her a very different legacy. Indeed, if Hezbollah follows through on its rhetoric while Israel battles Hamas in Gaza, it will mark the second two-front Arab-Israeli war of Rice’s tenure.

The fact that the Rice has been concentrating so heavily in dragging the Arabs--while pushing the Israelis--into a peace process without legs with bigger issues in the region is a testimony to the power of pro-Palestinian propaganda the apologists who brandish it.

Crossposted at Soccer Dad

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza and Lebanon.

Israellycool Liveblogging Today On Gaza

Stay up to date.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza.

"Hasbara" Has Gone The Way of "Zionism"

Israel's enemies have long succeeded in turning the word "Zionism" into a pejorative term. According to The Jerusalem Post, they are also succeeding into turning the word "Hasbara" into a synonym for propaganda of the most exploitative kind:

What is often overlooked when Israeli "hasbara" is criticized as not effective enough is that, while the Hebrew word literally means "explanation", there are plainly quite a few people who don't want to listen to any explanation of Israeli concerns and viewpoints. For them, "hasbara"is nothing but propaganda. Thus, the ostensibly objective SourceWatch site claims with an unabashed lack of objectivity: "Hasbara refers to the propaganda efforts to sell Israel, justify its actions, and defend it in world opinion. [...] Israel portrays itself as fighting on two fronts: the Palestinians and world opinion. The latter is dealt with hasbara. The premise of hasbara is that Israel's problems are a matter of better propaganda, and not one of an underlying unjust situation."

Read the whole thing.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Hasbara.

Regulation Does Not Work In War Either

In Groundhog day in Gaza,The Belmont Club takes a step back and looks at how the waging of war has changed:

Almost unnoticed in the course of this absurd tragedy is the assertion that third parties, like the UN and the EU, have some acquired the right to determine what is proportionate force between belligerents. In the past belligerents were free to determine what, within accepted usages, constituted a casus belli. And they approached the problem with the knowledge that if they went to war rashly or foolishly, they would pay the price of defeat and possible loss of territory. But today the right to determine when and where to fight back against aggression has been usurped by a bunch of bureaucrats in the UN and in Brussels. Aggressors all over the world are no longer so reluctant to cause trouble, secure in the knowledge that the UN will always be there to save them from a knockout count with their sacred bell.

Today nations neither suffer the consequences of aggression nor the benefits of righteous self defense. In its place the 'International Community' has create a perpetual limbo in which a continuous trickle of misery is considered an acceptable price to pay so that the authority of the 'International Community' can be upheld and its vanity embellished. Not actual peace but the protection of this perverse 'International' system has become the actual goal of diplomacy. In order to pay for it, Palestinians will be left abandoned to their oppressors, for employment as human shields while Israelis will be admonished to die without whimpering. Not in order to achieve a solution, but simply to turn the page of the calendar. Even the 20th century holds few examples of such political immorality and futility.

War is sometimes the price nations have to pay to win peace. But only the United Nations, and the sadly the European Union too, can create a system where war is endured only to guarantee more war -- and the prerogatives of the International System. All in the name of Peace, too.

Two years ago, Amir Taheri put it this way:

For a war to be won, it is not enough for one side to claim victory. It is also necessary for one side to admit defeat. Yet in the Arab-Israeli wars, the side that had won every time was not allowed to claim victory, while the side that had lost was prevented from admitting defeat. Why? Because each time the United Nations had intervened to put the victor and the vanquished on an equal basis and lock them into a problematic situation in the name of a mythical quest for an impossible peace.

Failing to put an end to war, the UN is trying to regulate it--and only making it worse.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza.

Excerpt From Palestinian Representative Riyad Mansour In The Security Council

I found a transcript of the statement Statement by Israel Ambassador Daniel Carmon, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. to the emergency meeting of the Security Council--but I couldn't find a transcript of what Palestinian representative Riyad Mansour said.

But UN Radio gives a short excerpt of what each of them said to the UN. Since you can read the transcript of the Israeli statement, I am giving only the Palestinian statement. You can hear the whole segment here.



Mansour's comment about Israeli threats of a holocaust is based on a convenient mistranslation. The rest of his comment is the usual rehash.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza.

Israel Looking Over It's Shoulder Before Deciding On Major Operation

For those who thought that Israel had turned the corner on the issue of defending its citizens from the Hamas rockets--think again.

Israel Radio reported today that the political-security cabinet is scheduled to convene Wednesday to discuss plans for a major operation in the Gaza Strip - the same day that Prime Minister Olmert will be meeting with Secretary of State Rice.

It remains unclear if the move is in order to postpone a major move until after the visit or give Rice the opportunity to veto and/or provide an excuse for PM Olmert for not invading Gaza.

There is some speculation that a decision won't actually be made on Wednesday and that instead Olmert will send the security heads back to do more homework answering questions raised at the meeting - thus delaying approval of a major operation yet another week in the hopes that by that time the level of shooting will reduce to the point that the operation can be indefinitely postponed.

So Israel is looking for an excuse not to deal a decisive blow? So what were they thinking when they first went in?

Considering what happened the last time the US gave Israel free reign to attack a terrorist group that was bombing it--is it really likely that Rice will give Olmert the OK to defend itself, especially seeing how such an attack will cause irreparable harm the imaginary peace process inaugurated in Annapolis?

Bottom line, the IDF that originally came out like a lion is once again reduced to being a lamb.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza.

Haveil Havalim #156 Is Up!

This week, The Israel Situation is hosting Haveil Havalim #156, with the usual variety of posts from around the JBlogosphere.

Check it out.

For more information email Jack at talktojacknow-at-sbcglobal-dot-net.

You can submit your post to the next edition of haveil havalim using the carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found at the blog carnival index page.

Listed at the Truth Laid Bear Ubercarnival.

Technorati Tags: Blog carnivals, haveil havalim, Israel, Judaism.

A Blatant Example Of Israel's Non-Proportionate Response (Updated)

Elder of Ziyon has a post on the Palestinian terrorist's gruesome reaction to the misery of their enemy:

The ghoulish terrorists of Islamic Jihad's "Al-Quds Brigades" claim to have body parts of Israeli soldiers: (autotranslated from Palpress)

The Al-Quds Brigades military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, it retains limbs Israeli soldiers detonated an explosive device in them yesterday evening Saturday thorn in the south east of the town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

...For his part, the spokesman Abu Ahmad Al-Quds Brigades in a telephone conversation with a local radio, the news and said that the Israeli forces spent most of dawn hours they are searching for the remains of soldiers on the walls and trees, and that the Al-Quds Brigades will offer these parts and body parts in a timely manner after improvement security conditions in the sector.

And in return, how does Israel react to the misery of their enemy? Disproportionately, of course:

Humanitarian Aid Sent to Gaza From Israel

Humanitarian aid in the form of medical supplies and food were transported into Gaza from Israel on Sunday despite ongoing rocket attacks on western Negev communities emanating from the region.

Thousands of units of blood and other medical supplies, as well as basic food items were brought through the Sufa crossing in 62 trucks from Israel.

Disproportionately, and unconditionally.

To answer the charges of the UN or the EU, who complain that Israel reacts disproportionately--
Guilty As Charged!

UPDATE: Soccer Dad has a post on how Israel returns the bodies of terrorists to their families--unconditionally.

[Hat tip: Israellycool]

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza.