The Conundrum, Part 10

Israel says that it will not hesitate to open fire on Hizbullah and it's reconsidering its deal on the Philadelpi route between Gaza and Egypt because of the incessant use of tunnels to bypass security. There are reports that Egypt is turning a blind eye to the smuggling, which enables Hamas and Fatah to gain access to weapons and materials for its efforts against Israel.

Some in the Israeli Knesset are wondering if the response to Palestinian rocket fire into Israel is strong enough. Good question, and it seems that the answer is no, despite claims to the contrary. Rockets continue to be fired into Israel, even as the IDF continues operations against the terrorists firing them.

Israeli forces also killed five in Nablus and recovered a bomb vest along with capturing several others:

A gunbattle ensued during which the terror suspects opened fire and threw explosive devices at the military force. None of the troops were injured and a source in the Central Command said that five Palestinians were killed.

Following the gunbattle, the military force apprehended the two terror suspects it had come to arrest and they led the soldiers to a hiding place where they had kept a 10-kg suicide belt, which the Shin Bet believed was to be used in an attack in the coming days, during the holiday time-period.

Syria's agitating (okay, when hasn't it been agitating) over Israel's continued presence in the Golan Heights. And there are reports that Syria may resort to military means to reclaim the Golan if the diplomatic posturing does not yield results. This is more of the same from the Syria regime since they lost the Golan in 1967 and couldn't regain the territory in 1973. Cyprus, meanwhile, has released a ship that was carrying radar equipment bound for Syria.

And this isn't a surprise. There's no movement on the release of Gilad Shalit despite calls by Egypt for Hamas to release him. No word on Goldwasser and Regev either. Ed Morrissey thinks Egypt is losing patience with the situation, and has several other observations, but I think Mubarak is triangulating on how to remain in power with the Islamic extremists nipping at his every move.

I think the notion of a prisoner swap is utterly misguided, but that isn't stopping some from proposing and forwarding it as a solution to the Shalit, Goldwasser, and Regev situations.

UPDATE:
No shocka here. Hizbullah isn't disarming and there's no pressure on anyone to do so. (HT: LGF)

UNIFIL reports state that they're continuing to clear mines and other ordnance, and even included some photos of the Chinese soldiers doing that dangerous task. They also included photos of doctors providing medical care to people and animals alike. Notably absent from the UNIFIL briefings is the number of Hizbullah disarmed, caches discovered, or weapons destroyed pursuant to UN SCR 1701, 1559, 425, and 426.

This isn't a surprise either.

If senior Palestinian security prisoners are not released as part of the prisoner swap deal to free kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, more kidnappings will likely ensue, jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti said.

Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison, expressed this view during a one-and-a-half hour meeting Wednesday with MK Taleb El-Sana at the prison's visiting quarters. In addition to Shalit’s release, the two discussed the pending PA unity government and the implications of the war in Lebanon.

If there's a prisoner swap, Barghouti's name is likely going to be included. And given that he's got the blood of quite a few Israelis on his hands, the chances of that swap happening should be precisely zero. He also thinks that if the Israelis weren't holding Palestinians and Lebanese prisoners, the taking of Shalit, Goldwasser and Regev would not have happened. That, of course, ignores the history and that the Palestinians and Islamic terrorists have never accepted Israel's right to exist and have done everything within their power to destroy Israel, including taking prisoners. Past incidents have resulted in prisoner swaps, and it is Israel's refusal to engage in a prisoner swap this time, combined with the military response, that has changed the dynamic of the situation. If Israel relents to a prisoner swap, the terrorists will again savor a victory in a situation that they have no business winning.

Technorati: terrorism, fatah, Gilad, Shalit, Olmert, Eliyahu, Asheri, Ashri, Abbas, Regev, Goldwasser, PRC, Hamas, Gaza, palestinian, Israel, hizbullah, hezbullah, hezbollah, lebanon, syria.