Palestinian Terrorists Continue Missile Attacks On Israel

Israel continues to take fire from Gaza for a third consecutive day. More than 55 rockets slammed into Israel after Israel carried out airstrikes following a terror attack where an Israeli Arab was killed while working on the security fence between Israel and Egypt (the Sinai fence). The Israeli airstrikes have targeted Hamas and other terror groups, including Islamic Jihad and their offshoots:

In the third day of violence, the Israel Air Force struck a motorbike in southern Gaza, seriously injuring Mohammed Rashdan who the IDF said was a member of a Gaza-based Global Jihad group and one of the planners of the deadly attack along the Egyptian border on Monday.

Aleb Armilat, who assisted Rashdan in planning the attack, was killed in the strike. In the evening, the IAF struck two more targets in Gaza, which it said were Hamas training camps. The Palestinians said that two teenagers were injured in the strikes.

In another strike, a 14-year-old was reportedly killed as the IAF bombed what it said was a rocket launching cell in the northern Gaza Strip.

The dead teenager was identified as Momen al-Adam. Two other people were reported injured in the attack. The airstrikes on Wednesday followed eight bombings late Tuesday night throughout the Gaza Strip.

IDF sources said that Rashuan was in the midst of planning another attack against Israel from the Sinai and that he was one of the key architects of Monday’s attack. One officer said that the involvement of Global Jihad operatives in attacks against Israel was not surprising but was concerning since the groups did not heed Hamas’s authority and would be difficult to rein in to abide by a new ceasefire.

Some of the groups are made up of former Islamic Jihad and Hamas members. Others, the officer said, come from Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

One of the rockets hit an Israeli home in Sdot Negev, but no injuries were reported. The Iron Dome missile defense system apparently intercepted an inbound attack on Netivot.

Since the border attack, Israel has been hit by more than 100 rockets and mortars.

Once again, it appears that the terror groups in Gaza are coordinating and hoping to lure Israel into a larger conflict (as well as potentially destabilizing the Camp David Accords with Egypt). The terrorists have no problem directing or taking fire on civilian areas since maximizing casualties is part of the propaganda war with Israel. At the same time, they show that Israel lacks a partner for peace in Gaza; Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist and sees the conflict as a way to maintain its own power.

Once Again, Media Focuses On Israel's Response To Palestinian Terror Attacks - Not The Terror Attacks Themselves

Over the past several days, Israel has endured more than 100 mortar and kassams fired at it. They've been fired by Palestinian terrorists from inside Gaza at civilians in Ashdod and elsewhere within range of the mortars and rockets.

It was only Israel's response - a series of airstrikes and counter battery fire, which killed and injured Palestinians that the international media caught wind of what was going on (see CNN, MSNBC, New York Times, etc.). After all, where was CNN's reporting of the Palestinian terror attacks? They were absent - subordinate to the Israeli response.

It's the same story that Israel has endured for years on end - Israel's enemies carry out attacks with impunity and without media scrutiny, but Israel's response is viewed with strict scrutiny.

Up to 15 Palestinian fighters have died in the airstrikes. At least 10 of the dead belonged to the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the group said in a statement. Mourners at a funeral procession on Saturday fired into the air as they made their way from a hospital in central Gaza City to Shejaeya, a neighborhood where many of the dead fighters had lived.

They chanted, “No free hudna from now on” and “We will not accept the degrading hudna,” referring to the fragile truce with Israel that has been largely observed by Hamas, the larger Islamic group that controls Gaza. Hamas often presses smaller militant groups to refrain from firing rockets at Israel.

A spokesman for Islamic Jihad’s armed wing who is known as Abu Ahmad said, “We will not accept a truce in exchange for our deaths.”

The Israeli military says that it is not seeking an escalation of violence in the region, but that it will act forcefully to protect Israeli citizens.

The sudden flare-up of hostilities began Friday when Israeli air-to-ground missiles killed the leader of one of the militant groups, the Popular Resistance Committees, and his assistant in Gaza. Israel said that the strike on the men’s car had been timed to thwart a terrorist attack that the group was planning against Israelis from across the border with Egypt.

Militants in Gaza retaliated by firing barrages of rockets into southern Israel, and the Israeli Air Force struck back at numerous rocket-firing squads and facilities used by the militant groups. The exchanges continued, albeit with less intensity, through Saturday.

Witnesses said that pilotless drones over Gaza were responsible for most of the strikes against militants and that the strikes occurred as the fighters were launching rockets, or just after they had fired them.

The fact is that nearly all those killed by Israel in the reprisals are members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which was in the process of carrying out a terror attack when Israel preemptively killed a terror leader and his minion. Islamic Jihad's response was the firing of more than 100 rockets at Israel.

The lack of collateral casualties speaks of the high level of precision in targeting the terrorists and separates Israel from its enemies - who fire indiscriminately on and from civilians so as to maximize civilian casualties.

But for the Palestinian terror group seeking to attack Israel in the first place, Israel would not have responded as it did. Israel's further attacks against those seeking to attack Israel must be seen in this light.

Israel doesn't want this fight, but Israel's enemies remain intractable and refuse to accept Israel's existence and will carry out attacks every time they consider conditions favorable.

Cease... Fire; Gazan Terrorists Fire Barrages Against Israel

Once again, the Palestinian terror groups in Gaza refuse to accept the plain meaning of the term ceasefire. They only seem to understand the term fire - and have again launched barrages of mortars and rockets at Israel.

10 rockets, mortal shells explode in Ehskol, Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Councils, Asheklon; no injuries; Erez border crossing damaged; 2 Islamic Jihad members killed, Palestinian report says.

A ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza seemed distant Thursday evening as the violence in the south of the country continued with at least 15 rockets and mortar shells exploding in Israeli territory, and Israeli air strikes that reportedly left two Islamic Jihad members dead.

The Code Red siren was heard throughout the Eshkol and Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Councils and in Ashkelon as 15 rockets and mortar shells fell throughout those areas, the IDF Spokesman's Office said in a statement.

There hasn't been so much a lull in the rockets as a pregnant pause because the terrorists are simply trying to coordinate activities among themselves to claim responsibility and to find new ways to blame Israel for a resumption of hostilities that began with the terrorist attack against Israel in Eilat.

Since then, Israel's response has been quite limited, even as more than 100 rockets, mortars, and missiles have been launched towards Israel causing deaths and injuries along the way.

Put another way:
But for the Palestinian terror attack, Israel would not have carried out airstrikes against PRC terrorists.
But for the PRC and Islamic Jihad reprisal attacks for those Israeli airstrikes, Israel would not have carried out further airstrikes.
But for the Gazan missile barrages, Israel would not have carried out still more airstrikes.

Simply put, but for the Palestinian terror attacks, Israel would not have had any reason to carry out defensive measures to eliminate terrorists attacking Israel and there would have been no casualties on either side.

From the Palestinian terrorist perspective, all this comes into sharp relief and focus: But for Israel's existence, we would not need to carry out terror attacks against Israel.

There would be no Palestinian casualties from any kind of Israeli airstrikes had the terrorists not carried out their attacks from the first. All these casualties lay at the feet of the terrorists in PRC, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad and their spinoffs who refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist and refuse to live in peace alongside Israel.

The terrorists further seek to cut off Gaza from the humanitarian aid that flows into Gaza from Israel by firing at the Erez Crossing - leaving the terrorists no one to blame but themselves when the flow of aid slows. It's a strategy they've used in the past - cursing the dark after attacking Israeli power stations and transmission lines that run into Gaza and provide a portion of Gaza's energy needs.

The Gazan Terror War Continues

Despite a purported ceasefire, Israel had no trouble taking out a wanted terrorist in Gaza affiliated with Islamic Jihad who was allegedly involved in funding the Eilat attacks.

The IDF Spokesperson' Office said that the terrorist "was involved in smuggling weapons and sought to advance military operations in Sinai." The army added that "lately there have been several attempts by Gaza terrorists to carry out attacks in Sinai and that was what this operative was involved in."

Several hours after the strike, two mortar shells exploded in the Western Negev causing no injuries or damage.

The offensive prompted a senior member of the organization in Gaza, Ahmad al-Mudallal, to threaten retaliation and declare that "this crime was meant to underline that Israel only understands the language of blood and terror."

"We will take action against the enemy in a language that it understands, the language of blood," he added. "We will not ignore the crimes it commits against our people."

Also overnight, an IAF jet targeted two terrorists in Gaza after they were spotted attempting to fire rockets at southern Israel from two different locations.

Of course, Islamic Jihad had no problems firing new rockets at Israel, and one of the rockets fired at Israel instead landed in Egypt, injuring a woman.

But for the Palestinian terror attack on Eilat, Israel would not be carrying out attacks against those responsible. Israel has shown tremendous restraint in going after the terrorist infrastructure, and Israel has released information showing just how Israel sought to limit any damage to Egyptian security stationed along the border as Israeli forces hunted down the terrorists responsible for the Eilat attacks.

Videos shot from the aircraft show that the troops intentionally diverted fire from the Egyptian all-terrain vehicles and soldiers towards open areas near the border base, from which the terrorist sniper fire originated.

The terrorists, who positioned themselves a few dozen meters from the Egyptian military post, launched an RPG rocket at one of the helicopters, and directed machine gun fire at it.

In addition, an examination of the bodies of the terrorists killed by the IDF clearly showed that at least three of them were Egyptian citizens. One was a member of a radical Egyptian group who was tried in the country.

Mirroring how Hizbullah launched attacks against Israel from within the vicinity of UNIFIL positions so as to result in counterbattery attacks falling on UNIFIL, so too did the Gazan terrorists use the Egyptian forces as human shields.

The terrorists purposefully used the Egyptian positions to attack Israel - firing from within those areas so as to maximize the casualties and potentially bring Israel into a shooting conflict with Egyptian security forces - raising the stakes for all involved.

What the terrorists didn't count on was the tremendous restraint shown by both the Israelis and Egyptian security forces.

Meanwhile, Hamas claims that Israel is fabricating the Eilat terror attacks so as to provide a means for going after Gaza. This is nothing more than propaganda from Hamas, which can't rebut the photographic and video evidence proffered by Israel showing how the terrorists operated, where they came from, and who was involved.

For its part, Egypt is planning on launching a new initiative to destroy the smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Sinai.

Palestinian Terrorists Escalate Rocket Attacks As Israel Again Defends Itself

Palestinian terrorists in Gaza have again launched barrages of rockets against Israel. Each rocket is intended to cause mayhem, injuries, and deaths. They are fired indiscriminately against civilian targets, and more than a few have resulted in serious carnage.

Even with Israel's deployment of the Iron Dome anti-missile system, rockets and missiles have rained down on cities within range of Gaza. Some of those rockets and missiles were intercepted, but others have managed to get through.

Kassams have landed on kibbutzim (and here and here). Grads were fired and hit various locations, including Ashdod. Three people were injured when one of the Grads exploded.

And when the terrorists aren't firing rockets, they're firing mortars.

So, which terrorist groups are firing the rockets, mortars, and missiles? Well, all of them are claiming responsibility. Hamas declared its armistice over with Israel, even though it always considered its hudna to be strategic in nature. The moment the terror group considered itself to be sufficiently armed and capable of attacking Israel, it would do so.

The PRCs and Islamic Jihad also claimed responsibility for attacks.

Each and every one of these terror attacks are crimes against humanity and war crimes under international law, yet the people who twitter about how Israel may have killed civilians ignore that salient point. Those who claim that US law (Leahy law) should prevent military aid to Israel because civilians are killed ignore that the Palestinian Authority would be cut off as well, precisely because the Palestinian Authority is comprised of the terror group Hamas and Fatah, whose spinoffs in the al Aqsa Martyr's Brigade and People's Resistance Committees are regularly engaged in terror attacks against Israel.

Gazans are preaching revenge, even though it was Palestinian terrorists who initiated the latest round of violence by carrying out multiple terror attacks against vehicles near Eilat.



Israel attacks terrorists who surround themselves with human shields, who attempt to smuggle terrorists and arms in and out of Gaza via dozens of smuggling tunnels, and yet Israel is cast as the bad actor here? Israel hasn't occupied Gaza since it unilaterally left the region in 2006. Indeed, Gazans squandered a golden opportunity to build the foundations for a 2-state solution. They took up arms and the moment Israel left, they turned the then-deserted communities into terror training camps and rocket launching zones from which to attack Israel.

Meanwhile, Egypt is considering diplomatic actions against Israel after several Egyptian security forces were killed when those security forces were caught in the line of fire from Israeli airstrikes targeting terrorists. Egyptians are calling it random firing, but the terrorists who attacked the vehicles in Eilat were wearing Egyptian uniforms and Israel believes that the terrorists originated in Gaza and crossed into the Sinai and then into Israel to carry out the attacks.

UPDATE:
Defense Minister Ehud Barak apologized for the deaths of the Egyptian security officers.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Saturday said that "Israel regrets the deaths of Egyptian policemen [killed] during the terror attack on the Israeli-Egyptian border,"Speaking during a security briefing with Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz, Barak said that "the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt is of great importance and strategic value for the stability of the Middle East."
The defense minister was expected to open a military investigation into the deaths of Egyptian forces in the border incident. Later, a joint investigation with the Egyptian military will be launched in order to clarify the circumstances of the incident.

That's a move designed to defuse tensions between Egypt and Israel, and to help keep the security coordination in place between the two countries that have gone a long way to reducing (but not stopping) terror attacks in both countries.


UPDATE:
More than 50 rockets have slammed into Israel in the past 48 hours and Israeli injuries are also increasing:

Sirens were heard in Beersheba shortly before two rockets exploded within the city, hitting a vehicle and private residence. Four people were evacuated to Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba to be treated for serious injuries, Channel 2 news reported.

Moments before, a Grad rocket from Gaza landed on a home in Ofakim, starting a fire and sending shrapnel and debris flying that injured a four-month-old baby, a nine-year-old boy, and a man in his early 20s. Emergency crews put out the fire and paramedics evacuated the three to the Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba to be treated for light injuries.

Sadat Assassination Plotter Released; Unrepentant

Aboud Al-Zomor, a military intelligence officer and one of the founders of Egyptian Islamic Jihad (and a forerunner to al Qaeda) who was tried and convicted for his role in the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981, was released without fanfare in the wake of Hosni Mubarak being forced from power.


Now, out of prison, he's treated as a celebrity.

He's quite unrepentant about the assassination - that the peace deal with Israel was proof that Sadat needed to be removed from power at any cost. Or at least the straw that broke the camel's back. He and his fellow EIJ terrorists wanted to usher in an Islamic state and saw Sadat as a roadblock; and yet Zomor also doesn't find Sadat to be nearly as bad as Mubarak, who was far more corrupt in his power.

When Zomor was imprisoned, Ayman al Zawahiri took over. You might have heard of Zawahiri.

Israel Continues Taking Fire From Gaza

The kassams, Grad missiles, and mortars continue to be fired into Israel from Gaza, and media reports claim that Hamas is backing off an all-out confrontation with Israel and floating a ceasefire/hudna?

If Hamas isn't firing all the rockets and mortars, they certainly are giving a wink and nod to the other terror groups and factions that are - because Hamas has no intention of cracking down against other terror groups unless they pose a direct threat to Hamas' ability to rule with an iron fist in Gaza. The PLFP says that a ceasefire is a dangerous thing for Palestinians, which makes no sense until you realize that the only reason that these terror groups thrive is that they've succeeded in indoctrinating entire generations of Palestinians into refusing to accept a Jewish state of Israel living alongside a Palestinian state. Yet, a hudna would play into the terrorists' hands since they'd use the opportunity to regroup and rearm, just as they've done since Operation Cast Lead. The ceasefires/hudnas have not stopped the violence, but any reduction in fire from Gaza is reported by the international media as a "relative lull" even though the attacks have continued unabated.

No nation on the planet would tolerate such a situation for anywhere near as long as Israel has.

Wouldn't you know it that the moment Israel strikes back hard to defend itself against terrorists, the claims of disproportionate use of force come bubbling to the surface. And once again, Turkish leaders are the ones who are busy touting this nonsense.

Turkey has no problem using force against the PKK, a Kurdish group that claims a region that includes parts of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq as its own. Indeed, one could call that use of force disproportionate, but I don't. It's military force designed to combat and defeat an enemy. In Israel's case, Hamas and other terror groups are entrenched within significant civilian populations with the express purpose of maximizing a body count should Israel return fire.

Hamas and other terror groups fire hundreds of rockets and mortars since the beginning of the year, and each and every one was with the intention of murdering and maiming Israelis and to cause significant property damage. Israel's response has been extremely limited - firing only in significant measure after an anti-tank missile blew up a bus carrying two people - injuring one critically. To go after the terrorists, Israel has carried out airstrikes against terror targets and the smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Sinai.

Those aren't disproportionate.

They are barely sufficient to deter Hamas from further attacks.

And now the Arab League is calling on the UN to impose a no-fly zone on Israel over Gaza. That suggestion comes on the heels of UN efforts in Libya to thwart further human rights abuses by Khadafi against his own countrymen and the Arab League thinks it has hit upon a winning strategy to give Hamas cover in its ongoing war against Israel. Make no doubt about it - Hamas is at war with Israel, and but for Israel's restraint, Hamas continues to exist and acts as a thorn in Israel's side.

None of the Arab League nations would tolerate such acts by a terror group against the regime - not Syria, not Iran, not Saudi Arabia, not the UAE, nor any of the other nations in the League. This is an effort to undermine Israel's right to defend itself from attack.

Hamas Claims Responsibility For Bus Attack as Israel Remains Under Fire

Israel is holding Hamas responsible for the attack on a bus in Israel using an anti-tank missile that critically injured a 16-year old and wounded the driver. Of course, one of Hamas' military groups claimed responsibility after issuing denials earlier in the day - probably because the group couldn't make up its mind on how to play the propaganda angle. Ultimately, it decided that the terror group carried out the attack in response for Israel carrying out strikes that killed several of its terror minions.

After the attack Thursday, and the firing of numerous mortars into Israel, the Israel Defense Forces "targeted nine terror-activity sites in the Gaza Strip," the IDF said in a news release. A military spokeswoman said later that IDF aircraft targeted three smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza in addition to the nine targets mentioned earlier.

The additional strikes hit shortly after a cease-fire, negotiated among Hamas and other Palestinian factions, was scheduled to take effect, according to Hamas' Interior Ministry.

Hamas said five people were killed and 45 were wounded in the earlier IDF strikes. One of the dead was Saleh Tarbin, a field commander for Hamas, the group said.

The school bus was traveling in southern Israel near the Gaza border when it was hit by a type of anti-tank missile known as a Kornet, said Israeli military spokesman Capt. Barak Raz. The Kornet is a Russian-made anti-tank guided missile system that is thought to have a maximum range of 5 1/2 kilometers (3 1/2 miles).

Of course, this once again highlights Israel's inalienable right to protect itself from terror attacks carried out by the group whose ultimate intention is to destroy Israel and supplant Israel with an Palestinian state on its ashes. Hamas is using every opportunity at its disposal to regroup and rearm following Operation Cast Lead, and its terror minions are itching at the opportunity to carry out murder and mayhem among Israelis.

And that bus attack could have been even worse - dozens of other students were dropped off by the driver just a few minutes earlier. Had those children been on board when the missile struck, I have no doubt that Prime Minister Netenyahu would have not only authorized massive airstrikes against Hamas, but launched a new operation to rival that of Cast Lead in scope - but with the intention of driving Hamas from power once and for all. Hamas got lucky that the attack was not more serious, and Israelis can breath a sigh of relief as well that the casualties weren't worse.

It's also why no one should buy the latest claim that Hamas has brokered a ceasefire with other terror groups in Gaza. It is purely propaganda with which it can claim Israel somehow violated the ceasefire when it defends itself against further terror actions carried out by Hamas, Islamic Jihad or any number of splinter groups operating in Gaza under Hamas' watchful eye.

Moreover, any such ceasefire (and there have been plenty of them since Cast Lead ended) isn't worth the paper its written on and still more kassam and mortar barrages have slammed into Israel, damaging farms in the area.

The terrorists are once again using human shields by firing the mortars and kassams from within heavily populated areas - to the point that Israel can't respond without causing civilian casualties. It's been an ongoing problem for Israel because Hamas and the other terror groups have no interest in preserving Palestinian lives - any death is in furtherance of their ultimate goal of destroying Israel. Civilian casualties are propaganda for Hamas, and all those deaths should rightfully be laid at the feet of the terror groups because but for the terrorists carrying out the incessant attacks Israel would not be forced to defend itself militarily to protect its own citizens.

These terror groups operate with essentially a triangle offense strategy against Israel. One can claim to be honoring a ceasefire and that they wont carry out attacks if Israel stops firing, but splinter cells or groups not included in the ceasefire carry out attacks forcing Israel to respond. Once Israel responds, those other terror groups get to resume their war against Israel's existence - claiming that Israel violated a ceasefire that didn't mean anything to begin with.

Meanwhile, Israel is warily watching Hizbullah in the north, as leaked Wikileaks documents show that Hizbullah may be capable of firing 100 rockets a day deep into Israeli territory.

UPDATE:
Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh is unrepentant and unmoved. He's towing the usual line about Israel and how Palestinians cannot turn away from Israel's aggression - even though it was Hamas' own terrorism and aggression that resulted in Israel taking steps to defend itself.

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Friday that "Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip will not be able to break the will of the Palestinian people."

He also called for the cessation of IDF attacks in Gaza.

38 mortars and kassams have been fired at Israel today. Israel has continued airstrikes and other actions to eliminate those firing on Israel, and there have been Palestinian casualties reported. Many are terrorists but those civilians injured or killed lie at the feet of Hamas because but for the terrorist group's ongoing actions - Israel would not have carried out these defensive measures to eliminate the terrorists firing on Israel.

Gazan Terrorists Fires Missile Hitting Bus and Injuring Passengers, But Focus Is On Israel's Reprisal

The fact that terrorists in Gaza fired a mortar that struck a bus in Southern Israel injuring several passengers is secondary to the fact that Israel carried out reprisal attacks against numerous terror targets throughout Gaza.

A mortar shell fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel Thursday hit a bus, seriously wounding a teenage boy and injuring several others, Israeli police said.
Reuters

Israeli forces immediately struck back, shelling various locations across the Gaza Strip, killing a 50-year-old man and injuring at least six people, including a 4-year-old girl, Palestinian medics said.

Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said those wounded in the bus attack were being treated at the scene. The head of the Magen David Adom ambulance service told Israel Radio that helicopters were ferrying the worst injured to hospital.

Thursday's bloodshed followed a relative lull in cross border attacks between Gaza and Israel after a sudden spike in violence last month that left at least 16 Palestinians dead.

A 16 year old was in critical condition after that bus was hit. Moreover, the Jerusalem Post reports that it was an anti-tank missile fired at the bus - which would explain how and why it was easily hit. Luckily, there were just two people on board - the aformentioned 16-year-old, and the driver, who was also injured.

So, why then is the focus on the Palestinians killed in Gaza - many of whom are terrorists and those ultimately responsible for firing the rockets and mortars into Israel?

But for the Gazan terrorists firing those mortars, rockets, and missiles at Israel, Israel would not need to respond militarily to defend its citizens from the incessant attacks that emanate from Gaza on a daily basis by attacking smuggling tunnels that allow the terrorists to rearm and resupply, and their bases of operation where they plot further attacks.

And the threats keep on coming - Israel's Shin Bet arrested a Hamas cell in East Jerusalem. The cell was responsible for planning multiple attacks, including an attack with a pipe bomb that injured one person.

Moreover, I'm not sure how anyone can characterize the situation in Southern Israel as a lull or a relative lull in violence. Since the beginning of the year, dozens of rockets and mortars have been fired into Israel and it's a situation that continues day after day, week after week. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terror groups are hoping to restart their war against Israel, and are itching to pull the trigger at a time and place of their choosing.

Reuters is redefining a relative lull to indicate that even though a couple of rockets or mortars slam into Israel, this isn't a serious situation - even though every last one of those terrorists' rockets and mortars are directed with the intent to destroy property, murder, and maim. Shame on their reporting and focus on Israel's actions, rather than on the terrorists' actions that precipitate Israel's right to defend itself against further attacks.

UPDATE:
Israel's Iron Dome missile/rocket defense system apparently carried out a successful intercept of a terrorists' missile earlier today. That follows Israel's military carrying out airstrikes and other attacks against terror targets in Gaza:

After hitting a student bus traveling through Shaar Hanegev Regional Council Thursday, critically wounding a 16-year old boy and lightly injuring the driver, terrorists in Gaza fired some 45 rockets and mortar shells at Israel. No further injuries were reported.

The IDF immediately began bombing targets in Gaza in response to the onslaught. Palestinian medics said a 50-year old man was killed in the airstrikes and a number of other people injured, including a child.

Ashkelon's Iron Dome system was set up just Monday, with soldiers running extensive tests to make sure it was functioning properly. Another system was set up earlier in Beersheba.

The defense establishment decided to place the system earlier than planned due to the recent escalation of violence in the south. It has already been set up in Haifa, and in the coming weeks officials plan to put it in place in central Israel as well.

The Iron Dome system isn't foolproof, and it isn't cheap, but it does provide a measure of security for Israelis living within range of the missiles and mortars. If the system manages to intercept enough of Hamas' and Islamic Jihad's missiles, expect the terrorists to once again shift tactics in their ongoing attempts to murder and maim Israelis.

Israel Mourns The Brutal Murder of Five Israelis While Rival Terror Groups Claim Responsibility

Israelis are in mourning today after burying a family of five Israelis who were butchered while asleep in their home in the West Bank. The Fogel family, Udi, Ruth, Elad, Yoav and Hadas, was laid to rest after a funeral attended by 20,000. They were slaughtered while they slept - and the youngest victim was all of three months. Their murderers slipped into the Itamar settlement near Nablus after dark and broke into a neighboring home first but found no one home before carrying out their murderous deeds in the Fogel's home.

Hamas approves of the terror attacks, and Fatah's response is to name a street after a Fatah terrorist who killed 37 people in 1978 (just days after naming a youth center after the first female suicide bomber last week).

Incitement is expressly forbidden under Olso, but Fatah and Hamas routinely ignore that.

Those are the terror groups that Israel is supposed to be negotiating peace with.

Building housing is not an impediment to peace - and it never has been. Housing can always be transferred, but when Israel lacks a partner, talk about negotiating and peace deals is a pipe dream.

As for who was behind the attack - both Islamic Jihad and Hamas claimed responsibility (and other Hamas thugs say it wasn't them) but Israeli authorities don't think that those groups were involved since they lack the terror network in the West Bank. Yet, Hamas is saying that they're going to resume terror ops from the West Bank.

Hamas militants in the West Bank have resumed their efforts to kill Israeli soldiers or civilians and abduct their bodies, Palestinian and Israeli security sources have told Haaretz.

The sources said Hamas activists believe they cannot keep Israeli hostages out of the Shin Bet and Palestinian Authority's reach for long. So they plan to kill them, abduct and bury the bodies, then negotiate returning them to Israel.

Hamas headquarters in Damascus and Gaza are pressuring organization cells in the West Bank to kill Israelis and abduct their bodies, in view of the effect Gilad Shalit's abduction has had on Israeli public opinion. Another reason for the pressure is the failure of Shalit's abduction to bring the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, the sources told Haaretz.

The only way that Fatah has remained in power in the West Bank is because Israel has propped them up against Hamas - the evil of the lesser of two evils.

So, what can you take away from Hamas' contradictory statements? They are itching for a fight with Israel, but aren't ready to do so on their terms. They know that the murder of this Israeli family would be enough to get Israel to go after the terror group behind the attacks in a serious way - particularly because of the brutal and heinous way they butchered the family as they were asleep.

Yet Another Reason Palestinian-Israeli Peace Talks Wont Succeed

I can sum up the reason that peace talks will not succeed between Israel and the Palestinians in one word. It is also the one word that diplomats, pundits, and the New York Times refuse to recognize trumps anything else, even as they tout the possibility of a breakthrough for a peace deal.

Hamas.

Palestinian Authority municipal elections scheduled for July 9, 2011, will not be held in Gaza until rival Palestinian factions reach a reconciliation agreement, Israel Radio quoted Hamas as saying Tuesday.

Hamas spokesman Fawazi Barhoum said that the elections, announced by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad earlier in the day, have no real value because they were declared by a government that has lost its legitimacy.

According to the report, Barhoum also said that the elections were meant to cover up the WikiLeaks scandals and the "Palestine Papers" released by Al Jazeera that exposed the concessions PA President Mahmoud Abbas was willing to make in peace negotiations with Israel.

Earlier Tuesday, Palestinian Authority Spokesman Ghassan Khatib had said that even if Hamas blocks elections in Gaza, they will still be held only in the West Bank.

The last Palestinian elections were held in 2005, and Hamas won handily in Gaza, and won a majority of seats in the Palestinian Parliament. Fatah and Hamas engaged in a civil war, and Hamas threw Fatah out of Gaza. Fatah has no ability to impose its will on Hamas, and Fatah needs Israel to provide sufficient backing to keep Hamas from overwhelming Fatah's operations.

So, while Fatah's Mahmoud Abbas and other diplomats engage in talks with Israel, Hamas continues to reject any and all deals with Israel.

Hamas rejects Israel's existence.

Hamas sees any deal in the context of a hudna - a truce until such a time when Hamas can fight and defeat Israel at the time and place of its choosing. That's a lose-lose situation for Israel and the Palestinians themselves. So any deal that potentially enlarges Gaza in land-swaps would be giving territory to a regime that is antithetical to Israel's very existence and which has shown no interest in peaceful coexistence.

Moreover, Fatah needs a diplomatic breakthrough and success, but it can't impose any breakthrough because the population has been conditioned to accept nothing less than Israel's destruction. Even news reports that Abbas and his negotiators were making concessions brought out the condemnations from the usual suspects because they were seen as collaborating with Israel to give up Palestinian rights to Jerusalem and accepting a two-state solution.

Meanwhile, Gazan terrorists affiliated with Islamic Jihad continue their ongoing attacks against Israel, firing off four mortars today that slammed into the Negev. Thankfully, there were no injuries but the incident shows Hamas and the other terror groups in Gaza have no interest in peace and that they're going to take advantage of the situation to further their own ideological goals, which do not include coexistence with Israel.

Palestinians Threatening War Over Israel's Decision To Protect Holy Sites

Islamic Jihad has joined with Hamas and Fatah in warning of terror attacks against Israel following Israel's decision to include the Cave of Machpellah among Israel's natural heritage sites. Islamic Jihad wants to go to war with Israel over this
.

The decision to declare the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb national heritage sites ahead of their renovation may lead the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to another boiling point: Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for the Islamic Jihad's military wing, threatened Tuesday to launch attacks within Israel.

"If the Israelis continue to damage our mosques and holy places, we will respond within the Zionist territory," the al-Quds Brigades spokesman told Ynet. Israel's ministers, however, insist that the government will not renege on its decision.

Abu Ahmed admitted that the reinforced security coordination between Israel and the Palestinian Authority was preventing the Palestinian groups from operating inside Israel, but estimated that "in the coming months, or to be more exact – in the next six months, the rules of the games are expected to change and the attacks will not only be against the settlers in the West Bank, but also within the entity, as we are aware of the fact that the soft underbelly and the biggest pain are when the attacks take place deep inside the enemy's territory.

"As far as we are concerned, the annexation of the mosques to the heritage sites is another move of aggression and a move aimed at completing the Judaization of the holy sites – and all the organizations are required to respond."

Mind you that these mosques were built over Jewish holy sites that predated the Muslim presence. Yet, now Palestinians want to excise the Jewish presence and any attempts to preserve Jewish claims.

Think about it. These terrorists want to start a war with Israel because Israel wants to protect a Jewish heritage site.

Moreover, the Palestinians admit that Israel's security measures have thwarted the terrorists' attempts to engage in jihad against Israel - to murder Israelis.

This is Israel's partner in peace? Seriously?

Thousands of Gazans Rally For Israel's Destruction

And the diplomats continue to say that Israel has a partner in peace in the form of the Palestinians? Here are the Gazans once again getting together to call for Israel's destruction. They do so to commemorate and honor the death of the founder of the terrorist group Islamic Jihad, who repeatedly called for Israel's destruction before he met his demise.

The demonstrations once again engage in the indoctrination of kids into the hatefest against Israel. The rally is geared to increase membership in the terrorist group and glorifies suicide bombers and terrorists who intend to maim and murder Israelis.

Palestinians will continue living in squalor of their own creation because they continue to propagate hatred towards Israel's very existence. They'd much rather live in that squalor fighting Israel than peaceful coexistence with Israel because of their religious, ideological, and indeed pathological hatred of Israel.

Note too that the AP calls masked terrorists merely militants, despite the fact that Islamic Jihad is on the US State Department list of terrorist groups, and the group has repeatedly taken credit for, and have been implicated in, hundreds of terror attacks against Israel.

Palestinians Promise More of Same

Palestinian terrorists attempted to attack Israel from Gaza yesterday. Israel thwarted the attack with an airstrike that killed the three terrorists and wounded several others. The Palestinians vow revenge. They also wounded a bunch of the people attending the funerals for the three dead Islamic Jihad terrorists when the terrorists fired their guns in the air:

everal Palestinians were wounded in Gaza on Saturday when gunfire and clashes erupted during a funeral attended by thousands of people for three fighters killed by an Israeli air raid.

At the funeral held by the Islamic Jihad group the crowds called for revenge and fired guns in the air in a rare show of force that ignored a ban on the public display of weapons enforced by the ruling Islamist Hamas group.

At least 17 people were wounded when the crowds arrived at the cemetery after several teenagers began hurling rocks at Israeli forces stationed along the border nearby, who then returned fire, according to medics and witnesses.

An army spokesman said troops "fired into the air to drive back Palestinians who were approaching the border fence."

Another three people were wounded by the ceremonial firing of guns in the air during the funeral, medics said.

"Take Revenge, take revenge, Sarayat al-Quds!" the crowds chanted, referring to Islamic Jihad's armed wing. "Respond, respond in Tel Aviv."

"We call on all Palestinian resistance factions to resume martyrdom operations inside the Zionist entity," one protest leader yelled through a megaphone, referring to suicide bombings.

Islamic Jihad isn't going to make peace with Israel ever. It goes against their very essence. They seek nothing less than Israel's destruction and could care less who dies or gets in the way.

The display of weapons and the gunfire is also a shot across the bow of Hamas, which maintains control over Gaza with an iron grip.

The Islamic Jihad response also shows that the Palestinian rank and file could care less how many of their own are killed or wounded through the action of the terror groups, and remains intent on seeking Israel's total destruction regardless of the human costs and death toll.

At the same time, Mahmoud Abbas is busy claiming that Israel is a colonial power. Never mind that Israel withdrew from Gaza unilaterally and Palestinians have total control over Gaza. They also have civil administrative control over most of the West Bank. Abbas engages in revisionist history and purposefully ignores the facts on the ground to claim that Israel is the obstacle to peace.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian foreign minister called on Israel to release 1,000 Palestinian terrorists to secure the release of Gilad Shalit. That's the same exact kind of formulation that has been on the table from the moment Shalit was captured by Hamas. It's more of the same. Where are the demands that Hamas release Shalit as a sign of good faith and humanitarian goodwill? That's completely absence and the Egyptian proposal puts the onus on Israel, not the very terrorists who precipitated his capture.

The problem, as it has been for decades, is that Israel lacks a partner in peace among the Palestinians. They don't want a two-state solution (one that could have been achieved in 2000 at Camp David). They want to supplant Israel and establish a Palestinian state on all of Israel's territory - regardless of the borders. They hope to achieve this through a right of return, even as the Palestinians effort to make their own areas free of Jews.

In other words, time isn't running out on peace. Peace will be possible only when Palestinians accept the Jewish nature of Israel, accept a two-state solution, and give up the ghost of a right of return. When that happens, peace can happen.

Until then, diplomatic efforts will end in failure.

Palestinian Terrorist Attempts Another Earth Mover Attack; Kassams Keep Coming

A Palestinian terrorist attempted to use an earth mover to kill more Israelis, but an Israeli taxi driver came to the rescue and wounded the attacking terrorist sufficiently that cops could finish him off.

An initial police investigation indicated that the bulldozer driver reached the intersection near Teddy Stadium and managed to push a police vehicle for about 30 meters. After that, he tried to push the police vehicle into a bus, but was apparently blocked by an electrical post.

According to ZAKA, the bus was full of girls dressed in Purim costumes en route to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital to cheer up patients before the holiday.

A number of bystanders suffering from shock were treated on the scene by MDA teams.

ZAKA operation commander Haim Weinrot said that "the girls were hysterical. They saw the enormous scoop heading toward them and saw death approaching, but they were saved at the last minute by the post. It is a Purim miracle."

Two Israeli policemen were injured as the terrorist used the earth mover to ram and flip the police car the two were driving in. The terrorists (or their copycats - there have been 3 such attacks in the past year) have killed four Israelis - all in the first attack, and in the successive attacks, only the attacking terrorist was killed.

It's a sign that the terrorists can't get their hands on explosives or through the checkpoints designed to keep terrorists out of Israel. They're left trying to come up with means to murder Israelis and are finding it increasingly difficult to accomplish even that. This isn't a sign that Palestinian terrorists have given up the ghost of murdering Israelis or that they're more peaceful now (a meme that deals with the relative lack of violence in the West Bank, but which ignores the constant Molotov cocktails thrown at Israeli security and regular clashes between stone throwers and Israelis) - only that Israelis are ever more effective in deterring terrorists access to Israel in the first place. Loosening travel restrictions, checkpoints, or removing security fencing will only enable the terrorists to resume their deadly goals of murdering and maiming Israelis.

Leave it to Hamas to cheer yet another cowardly terrorist attack and demand that more Israelis be murdered:

Hamas spokesman Munir al-Masri praised the terror attack, and was quoted by Reuters as saying that "this is a natural response to the home demolition in east Jerusalem and to the Israeli aggressiveness in the Gaza Strip."

Israel responds with home demolitions and has been retaliating in Gaza for Hamas terrorists incessantly and repeatedly attacking Israelis. The attacks in Jerusalem are a result of terrorists looking to find ways to infiltrate into Israel and cause mass casualty attacks despite Israel's security cordon.

And yet, the West and the US would rather see Israel lower its defenses as a goodwill gesture - a concession in the name of the peace process? It's asinine. It's also suicidal for Israel to contemplate given that the security has meant fewer terror attacks and bombings and limits the terrorists to cheering that their kassams and mortars can murder Israelis in their schools and homes.

Carl in Jerusalem has more as does Israellycool.

I would be remiss if I didn't point out that Islamic Jihad and the Gazans fired off another six kassams at Israel today in retaliation for yet another Israeli airstrike that killed more of their rocket launchers. Of course, Islamic Jihad vows retaliation for the killing of their murderous thugs who wish to murder as many Israelis as possible with craven rocket and mortar attacks.

Israel Goes After Islamic Jihad In Gaza

A day after Islamic Jihad fired rockets into Israel, Israel struck back, launching an airstrike against Islamic Jihad leaders and against the smuggling tunnels.

Palestinian sources reported on Wednesday evening that two Palestinians were killed and at least four others were wounded in an IDF strike in northern Gaza.

The IDF confirmed the attack was a joint operation with the Shin Bet to target senior Islamic Jihad operative Khaled Khareb Khaled Sha'alan – who the army said was involved in the firing of rockets towards Israel, including the attacks against Ashkelon in recent days.

According to the Palestinians, Israeli aircraft fired at least one missile towards a vehicle near a mosque in the town of Beit Lahiya. The two killed apparently belonged to the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad.

The Jerusalem Post reports that the IDF got its man. Israel has shown itself to have excellent intel on those involved in the rocket war against Israel, but political considerations have limited Israel's ability to strike at those terrorists responsible.

It is the political failure that undermines Israel's deterrence capabilities.

Terror Attacks Continue Against Israel With Elections One Day Away

Hamas and Islamic Jihad continue their war against Israel, firing rockets and attempting to infiltrate into Israel across the Gaza-Israel border. Israel responded with attacking Hamas outposts.

It's expected that the attacks are tied to tomorrow's elections, but the outcome is sure to not work out in Hamas' favor, especially if Israel elects leaders who are more likely to go after Hamas after every single attack rather than wait months or years before carrying out raids against Hamas terror infrastructure and the smuggling tunnels that enable Hamas to resupply with more advanced weaponry.

It comes as Israelis prepare to go to the polls tomorrow to determine the makeup of the Knesset. There are 120 seats in the Knesset, and it is expected that no single party will come up with even 30 seats. It takes 60 seats to form a government and that means that the party that comes up with the most seats gets an opportunity to form a coalition government.

Outgoing Prime Minister, the lame duck corrupt Ehud Olmert has thrown his support behind fellow Kadima party leader Foreign Minister Livni, which may be a kiss of death as far as I'm concerned. Olmert's judgment has been worse than awful given the way he allowed and tolerated Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror attacks against Israeli communities within range of Gaza for years on end. Israel's Operation Cast Lead was a start in the right direction, but the Israelis have to maintain zero tolerance for any terror attacks, and the politicians continue to allow some number of attacks to occur without taking military action. That is unacceptable.

Livni is more likely to continue the string of failures that Olmert began. Binyamin Netanyahu is a flawed candidate, but is far better than Livni and the alternatives.

What's interesting is that some polls seem to suggest that support for Hamas has dropped since Israel carried out Operation Cast Lead. People in the region are beginning to see Hamas and the other terror groups as the cancer they are.

Let's only hope that the Israeli voters see that a strong hand against Hamas will result in safer Israeli communities and improved security. Concessions result in Hamas and the other terrorists taking advantage and engaging in still more attacks against Israel by any means possible.

On the 23rd Day, Not Quite a Cease Fire

Israel agreed to a unilateral ceasefire, which is where Israel stops fighting and Hamas gets the option of continuing to carry out war crimes by firing rockets at Israel, but for the moment, Hamas thugs have chosen to avoid firing. We'll see how long that lasts. Given the way Hamas has operated in the past, I don't give them more than a few hours. Hamas routinely violated every 3-hour ceasefire Israel proffered to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

Indeed, Hamas thugs have continued attacking Israel in the opening hours:

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev would not say what level of violence would provoke Israel to call off the cease-fire.

"Israel's decision allows it to respond and renew fire at our enemies, the different terror organizations in the Gaza Strip, as long as they continue attacking," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at the start of the weekly Cabinet session.

"This morning some of them continued their fire, provoking what we had warned of," Olmert said. "This cease-fire is fragile and we must examine it minute by minute, hour by hour."

Israel must adhere to a zero-tolerance of any additional attacks on it. The reason Israel had to launch Operation Cast Lead in the first place was because it allowed Hamas to think that it could attack Israel with impunity for years on end with rocket attacks. Israel's restraint was seen as weakness and Hamas exploited the Israeli political class' reluctance to attack Hamas, which put Southern Israel at increased risk of attack by kassam rocket and mortar.

Hamas fired 13 rockets at Israel this morning (make that 14 rockets and several mortars and two Israelis injured). Does that sound like a ceasefire to you? Only diplomats would say that one is in place. Watch for the attacks to continue unless Israel resumes its military operation against Hamas. At the same time, watch the media castigate Israel for "breaking" its ceasefire with Hamas, despite the fact that Hamas never stopped attacking Israel in the first place.

Now, Hamas wants to set terms and conditions for this ceasefire as well? That's rich. Of course, the diplomats are facilitating just that, which makes Israel's acceptance of a ceasefire all the more troubling. They may say that they've achieved their objectives, but Hamas is still nominally in charge of Gaza and their leadership is still roughly intact mostly because the top leaders are in Damascus, Syria taking orders from Tehran.

Speaking of Hamas war crimes, when will human rights groups demand prosecutions of Hamas thugs for this:



That's Hamas propaganda video showing Hamas terrorists sending children out into the streets to spot for the terrorists attempting to fire at Israeli helicopters. Hamas fires on the helicopters and knows that Israeli pilots wont return fire knowing that there are civilians are around, and that if they do return fire, the victims will be children. It's a no win situation for Israel, and it's aided and abetted by media and non-governmental groups that routinely ignore the rampant war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Hamas on both Israelis and Palestinians.

As usual, the United Nations will ignore the Hamas attacks, and will express relief at the ceasefire until Israel responds to the incessant attacks. Then, it will blame Israel for attacking claiming a lack of provocation or a chance for the ceasefire and diplomats to get their acts together.

Hamas says it will gradually cease firing the rockets, which is to say that it wont stop attacking Israel, but will simply reduce the numbers to a point where it thinks Israel will stop responding with the force seen thus far during Operation Cast Lead. It's a serious mistake to think otherwise.

Hamas may want to even the score? There's one way to avoid that scenario and it involves destroying Hamas as a political and military entity altogether in Gaza. It means enough with the ceasefires and opportunities for Hamas to regroup and rearm under hudna. Hamas seeks Israel's destruction, and will not waiver in that goal. Israel must destroy Hamas' ability to attack Israeli civilians, which means it must break Hamas' hold on Gaza.

UPDATE:
And like that, out come the uniforms. Hamas police magically reappear on the streets. Days after they disappeared so that they could hide behind women and children, Hamas thugs again show up to show the colors. Funny how that works. And everyone will buy into this nonsense.

Hundreds of Gazans are dead. Buildings smashed and Hamas infrastructure damaged, but Hamas declares victory. Israel may have won the battle, but Hamas declares itself a winner, and the media will agree.

The pressure is on Israel to open borders and to reduce the number of troops in Gaza, so that things are ready for the Obama inauguration. Israel's strategic objectives subsumed by US political needs? How exactly does that work? Who do Israel's political leaders work for? Israel or the US? Israel depends heavily on the US for political support, but Israel's strategic interest lies in destroying Hamas, not allowing it to survive even in a weakened state because Hamas will still attack Israel at the earliest possible moment. This is just a delaying tactic that works against Israel's long term security needs.

Israel is also making excuses for Hamas now? Rockets continue hitting Israel, but Israeli officials say that's just because all of Hamas hasn't quite gotten the memo? That's politics talking, and the diplomats control the outcome. Still, Israel has said that if the attacks don't stop, Israel will respond in force. Israel's military forces are showing that they have regained the initiative and deterrence factor of smashing Hamas hard, though it wasn't the killing blow that it should have been. Time and politics got in the way of victory.

Of course, there are Israelis, including those in the military, who know that Hamas will continue attacking Israel. Hamas wouldn't have it any other way.

Egypt is upset that Israel went with a unilateral ceasefire rather than the diplomatic efforts that Egypt was working with. Considering that Hamas has its own idea of hudna, Israel can do what is best for Israel, rather than doing what's best for Hamas.

Meanwhile, here come the lawsuits. Never mind that they have zero legitimacy. They're just out to get attention for Israel's actions, rather than taking Hamas to task for the war crimes Hamas has engaged in repeatedly. Every act of firing a kassam into Israel was a war crime. Yet, Hamas will get a pass on that. Instead, these suits seek to make Israel's ability to defend itself that much harder.

Operation Cast Lead: Day 20

The Hamas terrorists continue firing rockets into Israel, and continue attacking Israeli forces operating in Gaza from UN positions. This should come as no surprise. UNRWA admits that they've had Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists on their payroll for years and have been freely teaching anti-Semitic and anti-Israel propaganda in the UNRWA-operated schools. As FoxNews reports:

The United Nations agency that administers a school in Gaza where dozens of civilians were killed by Israeli mortar fire last week has admitted to employing terrorists to work at its Palestinian schools in the past, has no system in place to keep members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad off its payroll, and provides textbooks to children that contain hate speech and other incendiary information.

A growing chorus of critics has taken aim at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in recent years, although momentum on Capitol Hill has been slow. But last week’s incident, which Israel maintains was prompted by Hamas operatives firing mortars at Israelis from a location near the school, has prompted some lawmakers to scrutinize the U.N. agency.

UNRWA isn't the solution. It's a huge part of the problem. It has condoned the activities of terrorists and provides them with safe havens from which to operate, including schools and the very refugee camps that UNRWA administers.

So, it should come as no surprise that Hamas thugs were firing on Israeli positions from in the vicinity of UNRWA administrative buildings in Gaza. Israel responded to Hamas anti-tank fire with attacks of its own. The NYT reports that UN officials (namely Chris Guiness) were told by unnamed Israeli officials that the attack was a mistake. MSNBC says that Ehud Barak told the UN that there had been a "grave mistake", but the Jerusalem Post contradicts that statement claiming that Israel was justifiably firing on terrorists operating in the vicinity of UNRWA facilities. Carl in Jerusalem has more on this. If Hamas or other terrorists were firing on Israeli positions from UNRWA facilities, Israel is more than justified under international law to return fire. Terrorists do not get the benefit of doubt.

Reports also indicate that the nearby hospital was hit by gunfire. Hamas has no care for human life, and purposefully uses human shields to maximize the body count. Israel has sent five of its firetrucks to assist in dousing the fires at the UNRWA headquarters.

The UN continues to push out nonsensical and morally bankrupt statements such as the death toll in Gaza being unbearable. If that's the case, why isn't the UN demanding that Hamas cease attacking Israel and laying down its arms as it operates from within UNRWA administered locations throughout Gaza? But for the Hamas war against Israel, Israel would not be forced to defend itself by going after Hamas terrorists inside Gaza.

Where is the UN and ICRC to demand access to Gilad Shalit. He's been held by Hamas for more than 2.5 years, and the only reason that he's being held by Hamas is so that Hamas can demand Israel release hundreds of terrorists in exchange for Shalit. Where are the demands by the UN or other human rights groups for Hamas to engage in a humanitarian gesture by releasing Shalit unconditionally. The reason is simple. No one expects the terrorists to engage in humanitarian gestures. That's why Hamas continues violating each and every 3-hour Israeli ceasefire allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. It's why it's sheer folly for Israel to consider any longer ceasefire when Hamas will use that time to regroup and rearm.

That's because the UN too is part of the problem and its organization is riddled with the same anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment that we see from Hamas and other Islamic terrorist groups.

Venezuela is the latest country to break off relations with Israel. [T]hugo Chavez is close warm personal friends with Iran's Ahmadinejad (who's busy calling for the Arab world to cut relations with Israel), so it should come as no surprise that he's doing his friend's bidding. The same goes for Bolivia's Evo Mendes, who broke off relations with Israel yesterday. Never mind that all three countries are busy funding terrorists and call for Israel's destruction.

As per the NYT report, Israeli human rights groups were ignoring Hamas terrorist attacks and tens of thousands of documented terrorist incidents - each and every instance a war crime - and instead are seeking to find war crimes against Israel:

Also on Wednesday, nine Israeli human rights groups called for an investigation into whether Israeli officials had committed war crimes in Gaza. The groups say that tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza have nowhere to flee, the Gaza health system has collapsed, many people are without electricity and running water, and some are beyond the reach of rescue teams.

“This kind of fighting constitutes a blatant violation of the laws of warfare and raises the suspicion, which we ask be investigated, of the commission of war crimes,” the groups said in a news conference on the 19th day of the war.

The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Jakob Kellenberger, who spent Tuesday in Gaza City, agreed that the situation with civilians was dire but said that the principal hospital was making do with medical supplies, and that doctors, working around the clock, were mostly coping with the flow of the wounded.

Let's ignore the Hamas use of human shields, attacking from civilian areas, putting civilians at risk, purposefully targeting Israeli civilians, and calls to genocide and ethnic cleansing of Israel. Instead, these "human rights groups" stand human rights on its head and attack a nation's right to defend itself from attack. Hamas is responsible for the events in Gaza, and but for the rocket attacks, Israel would not have responded. Indeed, Israel didn't respond to the rocket attacks for years, and didn't respond to the hundreds of kassam attacks during the last ceasefire, which is why Hamas continues to believe that it can and will destroy Israel.

If Israel injures or kills civilians accidentally, it rushes to apologize. Hamas attacks civilians purposefully and cheers gleefully when Israelis die. Yet the media, the human rights groups, and the diplomats ignore this crucial difference. Do mistakes happen during wars? Yes. Do civilians get killed during wars? Yes. Do terrorists deserve the benefit of doubt. Absolutely not. The death toll in Gaza is higher precisely because Hamas seeks to maximize the casualties by operating outside the bounds of the laws of war and the Geneva Conventions.

Where can Gazans flee? Egypt doesn't want them. Israel left Gaza in 2005 precisely to see whether Gaza could live in peace with Israel. Gazans have to choose between war and coexistence; and that means finally standing up against Hamas and Islamic Jihad. They have a choice to make, and knowing how Palestinians have chose in the past, they will again choose Hamas and terrorism, despite the terrible toll.

UPDATE:
Israeli operations killed five Hamas terrorists, who happened to be bodyguards to one of the Hamas bigwigs, Mahmoud Al Zahar. Arab reports suggest that the IDF has Zahar's home surrounded. Israellycool has the details and more extensive updates.

The Muqata reports that Israeli soldiers came under fire from UNRWA positions and from buildings being used by journalists, which explains why Israel returned fire to those locations and their vicinity. Hamas is using journalists and the UN as cover to carry out their terror operations and hopes that Israel kills civilians, UN officials and/or journalists to further Hamas propaganda aims.

Muqata also has this report:

12:12 PM Italian reporter, one of the first members of the foreign press allowed into Gaza claims that there is no real humanitarian crisis in the strip and, surprisingly enough, reports in the Arab media are greatly exaggerated. This is in line with G.S.S. Yuval Diskin's statement for a couple weeks ago. (source in Hebrew)

UPDATE:
UNRWA is claiming that Israel fired on the warehouse using white phosphorus (WP). Expect to see whining and seething from the human rights groups that this is somehow a human rights violation or war crime, when Israel is within its rights to use WP.

There's nothing controversial about the use of WP, other than the fact that Israel is using it. It isn't an illegal weapon, it isn't a chemical weapon, and nations the world over have it in their arsenals. Human rights groups and anti-Israel groups are trying to make it controversial, but they're treading on thin ice. They're hoping that the repeated mention of it creates outrage and forces Israel to stop using yet another tool in their defense.

UPDATE:
Expect to hear complaints about how Israel killed Hamas' interior minister.

Hamas' interior minister, Said Siam, considered one of the most senior members of the Palestinian group's leadership, was killed Thursday afternoon in an Israeli air strike on his brother's home in Gaza City, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Siam's brother Ayad and the head of Hamas' security organization in Gaza, Salah Abu Sharah, were also killed in the strike. Palestinian sources reported that 20 other people were injured in the attack.

Siam, 50, is the most senior Hamas figure assassinated in Operation Cast Lead so far, and is the most senior Hamas figure killed by Israel since the assassination of Dr. Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi in April 2004.

People will attempt to claim that there's a difference between Hamas military and political wings, but that's a smokescreen. Both are Hamas and both are dedicated to the same goal. What are the Siams' role in Hamas? These guys organized the top level terror infrastructure.

UPDATE:
Hamas is now more accepting of a ceasefire? I guess when your top terrorists are dying in airstrikes, you reconsider your alternatives - a hudna lets you regroup, rearm, and prepare for the next battle. Of course, note too that Hamas wants to do everything possible to make the ceasefire one-sided. It claims to be doing so in the name of the Palestinian people, but if that ever were the case, Hamas would not have started a rocket war against Israel and attempted to negotiate a peace deal on the basis of the 2000 Camp David outlined proffered by Ehud Barak. In fact, Palestinians could have already had their state if they offered up counterproposals rather than rockets and mortars and suicide bombers in response to the Barak offer. Instead, we've got nothing but death, pain and misery because Arafat refused to provide a counteroffer to Barak, and Arafat, the PA, Fatah and Hamas launched into another Intifada.

UPDATE:
Photo review time.
Palestinians transport wounded people. I'd get hurt just attempting to ride in a car like that.

If Israel really wants you dead, here's what they do to your home. That was the home of a major Hamas terrorist. That's a clarion call that terror masters understand. Despite their bravado, they're cowards at heart and aren't keen on dying. They'd much rather have others die for them - the more Palestinians who die, the better since Hamas doesn't have a clue how to govern but it churns out the propaganda like clockwork.

Propaganda masquerading as captions.

Operation Cast Lead: Day 14

Hamas has repeatedly stated that it would never accept a ceasefire, so why do headlines continue to equivocate between Israel and Hamas both refusing to stop fighting? Hamas continues attacks against Israel, and the Israelis are supposed to sit back and accept it?

While the call is tantamount to a demand on the parties, Israel's troops won't be required to pull out of Gaza until there is a durable cease-fire. The resolution calls on U.N. member states to intensify efforts to provide guarantees in Gaza to sustain a lasting truce, including prevention of illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition.

In Israel's first official response to the resolution, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said the Hamas rockets fired at Israel Friday "only prove that the U.N.'s decision is not practical and will not be kept in practice by the Palestinian murder organizations."

A Hamas spokesman said the Islamic militant group "is not interested" in the cease-fire because it was not consulted and the resolution did not meet its minimum demands.

Israel launched its assault on Dec. 27 in an attempt to halt years of rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled territory.

Despite the devastating offensive, Hamas has kept up rocket attacks on southern Israel. The rockets fired Friday hit in and around two of the largest southern cities, Beersheba and Ashkelon. Cities within rocket range of Gaza have largely been paralyzed since the fighting began.

The Security Council action came hours after a U.N. agency suspended food deliveries to Gaza, and the Red Cross accused Israel of blocking medical assistance after forces fired on aid workers. It also followed concerns of a wider conflict after militants in Lebanon fired rockets into northern Israel early Thursday, though the border has been quiet since.

Left out of that last bit about the Red Cross is reports that Hamas was sneaking in equipment and materials for its war against Israel among those humanitarian aid shipments.

That's why we're in the current battle in the first place. Israel finally said enough to the incessant rocket attacks and has gone after Hamas. The UN Security Council's latest resolution calls for a ceasefire process, but Hamas has no interest in abiding by it. It's completely impractical when it puts more conditions on Israel than it does on the terrorists who launched the war in the first place; Hamas. They haven't abided by their own ceasefire/hudnas in the past, and this situation is no different. Hamas has wanted war since its creation, and now it has it in spades.

Here's the full text of the resolution.

1. The Security Council stresses the urgency of and calls for an immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire, leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.


2. The Security Council calls for the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment.


3. The Security Council welcomes the initiatives aimed at creating and opening humanitarian corridors and other mechanisms for the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid.


4. The Security Council calls on member states to support international efforts to alleviate the humanitarian and economic situation in Gaza, including through urgently needed additional contributions to UNWRA and through the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.

5. The Security Council condemns all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorism.

6. The Security Council calls upon member states to intensify efforts to provide arrangements and guarantees in Gaza in order to sustain a durable ceasefire and calm, including to prevent illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition and to ensure the sustained reopening of crossing points on the basis of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access between the Palestinian Authority; and in this regard, welcomes the Egyptian initiative, and other regional and international efforts that are underway.

That's why the diplomats don't get it. Hamas has no political interest in stopping the war since their religious obligations trump all.

Hamas continues long range rocket attacks against Israel during yet another 3-hour truce, and yet we're supposed to believe that Hamas will honor a ceasefire? The diplomats have their heads in the sand if they think that a piece of paper printed at the UN will stop the war that Hamas launched.

The resolution makes no mention of how Hamas initiated the conflict, continues violating humanitarian truces carried out over the past several days, or that Hamas is responsible for war crimes by using human shields or incitement to genocide by repeatedly calling for Israel's destruction. Instead, we get a statement that condemns acts of terrorism, which Hamas supporters will once again use to claim that Israel is the one engaging in terrorism. Diplomats around the world continue to downplay Hamas' role in causing the current round of fighting, and that only further fuels Hamas - they think that they're wearing down Israel's will to fight and that the diplomatic war against Israel is taking a toll to the point where the diplomats will force Israel to stop defending itself against Hamas and the Islamists.

As seen by comments on my prior coverage, there are more than a few people who think that Israel is the group engaging in terrorism, not Hamas. It's an up-is-down world, and the Security Council resolution does nothing to address this.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad both believes that it is their religious obligation to destroy Israel at all costs, and the human toll is irrelevant - Palestinian or Israeli. The proof is in the comments from the very hospital where Doc. Propaganda is busy committing medical malpractice. This is a hospital that is crawling with stringers and reporters from around the world and no one else caught this nonsense?

The New York Times interviews people from the same hospital where Dr. Propaganda, Mads Gilbert is busy propagandizing away using whatever is at hand to further the cause for Hamas. In the course of the Times piece, however, we see that Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists who both consider it their religious obligation to destroy Israel, aren't exactly shy about what they hope for - death.

A car arrived with more patients. One was a 21-year-old man with shrapnel in his left leg who demanded quick treatment. He turned out to be a militant with Islamic Jihad. He was smiling a big smile.

“Hurry, I must get back so I can keep fighting,” he told the doctors.

He was told that there were more serious cases than his, that he needed to wait. But he insisted. “We are fighting the Israelis,” he said. “When we fire we run, but they hit back so fast. We run into the houses to get away.” He continued smiling.

“Why are you so happy?” this reporter asked. “Look around you.”

A girl who looked about 18 screamed as a surgeon removed shrapnel from her leg. An elderly man was soaked in blood. A baby a few weeks old and slightly wounded looked around helplessly. A man lay with parts of his brain coming out. His family wailed at his side.

“Don’t you see that these people are hurting?” the militant was asked.

“But I am from the people, too,” he said, his smile incandescent. “They lost their loved ones as martyrs. They should be happy. I want to be a martyr, too.”

Israel is going to oblige this Islamic Jihad fool (or should I say tool) along with all of his friends.

Further complicating matters is that Hamas now claims that Mahmoud Abbas is no longer in charge of the Palestinian Authority as his term has expired.

Hamas officials said that as of Friday they would not recognize Abbas's status as president of the PA.

But they also made it clear that they would not demand his resignation for now "because of the war" in the Gaza Strip.

"This is not the time to talk about such matters," said one Abbas aide. "President Abbas was elected by a majority of the people, and as such he's the legitimate leader. He represents all the Palestinians and not only those living in the West Bank."

PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad told reporters on Thursday that the law calls for holding presidential and legislative elections simultaneously. And since the legislative elections are due to be held in January 2010, Abbas is entitled to stay in office for an additional year, he explained.

However, Hamas and some Palestinian legal experts have openly challenged Abbas's right to remain in power after the expiration of his term.

So, while Hamas is busy attacking Israel and considers Abbas out of a job, none other than President Elect Barack Obama thinks that he needs to open dialog with Hamas.

The incoming Obama administration is prepared to abandon George Bush's ­doctrine of isolating Hamas by establishing a channel to the Islamist organisation, sources close to the transition team say.

The move to open contacts with Hamas, which could be initiated through the US intelligence services, would represent a definitive break with the Bush ­presidency's ostracising of the group. The state department has designated Hamas a terrorist organisation, and in 2006 ­Congress passed a law banning US financial aid to the group.

The Guardian has spoken to three ­people with knowledge of the discussions in the Obama camp. There is no talk of Obama approving direct diplomatic negotiations with Hamas early on, but he is being urged by advisers to initiate low-level or clandestine approaches, and there is growing recognition in Washington that the policy of ostracising Hamas is counter-productive. A tested course would be to start ­contacts through Hamas and the US intelligence services, similar to the secret process through which the US engaged with the PLO in the 1970s. Israel did not become aware of the contacts until much later.

Hamas has no interest in diplomacy - only acts that lead to Israel's destruction. When will the world come to recognize this inalienable and incontrovertible fact?

UPDATE:
The journalistic malpractice continues with respect to the CNN video of the Gaza hospital incident. The print story accompanying the video is still up, but the video is gone.

UPDATE:
The UN is engaging in a blood libel, claiming that Israel told a bunch of Gazans to move from one building to another, and then proceeded to shell the second location, injuring Gazans. It's par for the course when the UN in Gaza are really a bunch of Palestinians and Hamas supporters and sympathizers; they're not objective observers by any stretch. UNRWA's existence is wholly dependent upon the continuation of the refugee crisis, so they have no interest in seeing the conflict end.