This Is a Lull?

The diplomats are desperate to call the situation in Gaza a lull in the violence, but the terrorists simply can't help themselves in withholding from their desperate attacks to kill and maim Israelis. Fifteen rockets slammed into Israel overnight, two causing damage in Sderot. Again.

The terrorists have no interest in peace with Israel and use lulls in the violence as a pregnant pause to regroup and rearm. Israel's Prime Minister Olmert plays into their hands by telling the IDF to curtail its operations in Gaza, which gives the terrorists breathing room to regroup.

At least now Olmert's timid responses can be offset by Defense Minister Barak's push to go after the terrorists. Until the incompetent Amir Peretz stepped down, there was no voice in the Israeli leadership to go after the terrorists and put the incessant rocket attacks to an end. Barak is at least making a push in that direction, but Olmert's failings continue to thwart Israel's basic security posture by pushing for ongoing talks with Fatah who provides cover for the terrorists and for engaging in backchannel talks with Hamas via Egypt.

The IDF is still intercepting terrorists before they carry out their attacks, and took out one of their rocket launchers.

Abbas shows that he's still an unrepentant terrorist at heart - calling Israel's actions to take out terrorists who murdered eight Israeli students at Yeshiva Mercaz Harav barbaric.

UPDATE:
Biased headline of the day: Israel and Gaza Trade Fire

That's right - just like carbon emissions, they're just trading Prometheus' flame.

The terrorists got busy firing off barrages of kassams at Israel, which slammed into Sderot as usual, and Israel has responded with airstrikes against the terrorists. That's not a fair trade. A fair trade would be dead terrorists. All Israel got was a terrorist rocket launching platform.

And of course, the New York Times not so subtly blames Israel for the uptick in violence because Israel went and killed four terrorists who were involved in an earlier terror plot (and included members of Fatah and Islamic Jihad - you mean you're shocked, SHOCKED! to see Fatah and Islamic Jihad working together?!). Israel is supposed to sit back and take terrorist attack after attack?