The War Goes On

The AP reports that an Israeli soldier was killed in Gaza when the Palestinian terrorists ambushed an IDF vehicle and then attacked the rescue vehicles. Well, that's not exactly how the Times headlined it: Gaza Attack Said To Kill Israeli Soldier. It's such a lovely use of the passive voice to make one wonder who actually killed the Israeli soldier. It's also funny how when Gazans get killed or injured, the headlines clearly use an active voice to state that Israelis are responsible for the incident.

And the report notes that they're concerned that this might start a fresh wave of violence. Earth to AP (and NYT), but the Palestinian terrorists haven't stopped trying to kill Israelis. They just aren't very successful with their kassam attacks, despite firing thousands of them. This concern about a fresh wave of violence might make more sense when you note that the Palestinians fired a dozen rockets at Israel yesterday.

Here's how the first three paragraphs of the story read:

Palestinian militants ambushed an Israeli army jeep patrolling the Gaza border, then attacked a rescue crew that rushed to the scene, killing one soldier and wounding three in a brazen cross-border attack, according to military and witness accounts.

The attack raised the possibility of a fresh round of violence in Gaza, just two days after Israel ended an offensive that killed more than 120 Palestinians. Senior Israeli military officers held an emergency meeting to plot a response, officials said.

Palestinian witnesses said a large explosion tore through the jeep, which was on the Israeli side of the border fence near the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza, and set it on fire.

More to the point, the article clearly states that the Palestinian terrorists launched the attack across the Gaza border into Israel - killing and wounding the Israelis on the Israeli side of the border.

And the kassams continue to be fired from Gaza and slam into Israel. Sderot once again came under attack.

Meanwhile, Egypt is trying to rebuild its border fence with Gaza - having already rebuilt a section. Hamas had breached that fence and invaded Egypt, which included sending tens of thousands streaming across the border to cover for illicit activities, including smuggling weapons and materials necessary for the terrorist war against Israel.

UPDATE:
Media Backspin (via dhg4 at LGF) runs the numbers that the world media ignores. To wit:

28 Claims of damage for agricultural property and goods.

113 Cars damaged by rockets between Saturday and Tuesday.

230 Buildings in Ashkelon alone damaged by rocket fire between Saturday and Tuesday.

565 Overall number of Israeli buildings damaged between Saturday and Tuesday.

It takes a whole lot of rockets and mortars fired by Palestinian terrorists to cause that kind of damage. It's the context often missing in reports on the situation in Gaza and why Israel was forced to take military action in Gaza.

The fact is that the media is actively running interference for Palestinian terrorists, enabling them to attack and kill Israelis, while not having to worry about the repercussions because the media spin ignores or downplays the acts that initiate the Israeli response.

Steve Erlanger, a NYT reporter, leads with a sob story about a Palestinian who support the ongoing terrorism. It's always about the heroic struggle against Israeli actions - all the while downplaying the Palestinian terrorism that forced Israel to act.

“We all support resistance to the Israelis,” said Hitam Abed Rabo, 33, a lawyer with the military court set up by Hamas, which she supports. “They talk about responding to rockets, but nothing justifies what the Israelis did here. They have to be confronted with strong resistance, so they don’t come back.”

Will firing rockets on Israeli towns bring independence and freedom? “Yes,” she said. “Absolutely.”

Ayash Abed Rabo, 34, her cousin, scoffed. “These rockets are a joke,” he said. “We want to live. We want peace. I don’t want Israel here, and I don’t want resistance.”

Nothing? A couple thousand rockets fired at Israel, and you think Israel should just sit back and take it? Hundreds of homes and businesses damaged by Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, and Israel should pack it in in Sderot. Well, according to the Palestinians, that is exactly what they want - they want Israel to pack it in.

The voices of reason in Gaza are few and far between, because Hamas has a way of silencing those who oppose its war with Israel.

Questions over just how many civilians were killed is a political one - because Hamas and Fatah need lots of civilian casualties to justify Israeli condemnation for its self-defense, while Israel knows that the number of civilians killed is far lower than the Palestinians will care to admit because the terrorists always seek to blend in so as to maximize the appearance of civilian casualties. They purposefully hide behind women and children, so if they are attacked, the body count will be ripe with images of blood soaked children and their toys.

UPDATE:
The moral equivalence brigade at the UN Human Rights Council issued a condemnation of the terrorist rocket attacks, but also condemned Israel's response. Figures.

Hamas says that they'll talk, but only if Israel lets down its guard and stops trying to kill terrorists.

The PRC is claiming responsibility for the morning's attack that resulted in a dead Israeli soldier on the Israeli side of the border, saying that it was in retaliation for the Israeli actions in Gaza.

They say this even as more kassams strike Sderot, and another Israeli was injured. That latest attack left a house on fire.

UPDATE:
Carl in Jerusalem has video of the attack on the Israeli forces at Kissufim Junction. Once again, the Palestinians handed out candies to celebrate the death of an Israeli.

UPDATE:
Expect more candy to be passed out by the Palestinians: Seven people slain by two terrorists at Jewish seminary at entrance of Jerusalem, police tell AP. Terrorists also dead. (HT: anonymous emailer) The Jerusalem Post notes the following:

Two Palestinian terrorists entered the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Kiryat Moshe on Thursday night and opened fire at students inside.

Eyewitnesses said that they saw four people dead, Channel 1 reported.

Magen David Adom has confirmed casualties but the number of wounded was unknown. MDA has confirmed that one of the terrorists was killed.

Once again, terrorists targeting schools. This is what they do.

UPDATE:
I'm breaking out the Yeshiva attack into it's own post. More to follow.