Could it be true? Will Israel really start fighting Palestinian Islamists in earnest?

[ibrodsky]

From the Drudge Report:

Israeli defense chiefs propose 'exceptional' response to bombings
Mon Mar 15 2004 17:02:15 ET

Israeli defence chiefs proposed the military take "exceptional" action against Palestinian militants in response to the twin suicide bombings in Israel that killed 10 victims, army radio reported.

The defence chiefs, in a meeting with Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz, called for increased pressure on militant groups, especially the radical Islamic movement Hamas, for an unlimited period of time, the radio said.

A senior security source, quoted by the radio, said the proposed moves would be "exceptional in their scope, their intensity and their duration", and include activities "not seen in the Palestinian territories for a long time".

Such a clampdown would apply to militant groups in both the West Bank and Gaza, he said.

The proposals would be presented early Tuesday to members of the security cabinet for their approval.

The defence ministry was not immediately available to comment on the report.

Developing...

Source: Drudge Report

[Mira~]

Originally posted by ibrodsky
From the Drudge Report:



Source: Drudge Report

They need to send in "reporters" equipped with very special cameras to interview Rantisi, Yassin, Mahmoud al-Zahar and others.

[Mediocrates]

They need to carve in the ground in letters a thousand yards deep and a mile wide spelling out "How Do YOU Like It" across the face of Arafat's domain.

[Mira~]

They need to place Arafat's head on a stick at the entrance of the Mukata.

[Da Chuckstar]

How about getting a moveon with that security fence so that the suicide bombings will come to a halt and the Palestinians will be forced onto the negotiating table? Ignore what the Europeans think, they wouldn't dare try to tear down the barrier once Israel has put it up. If having to listen to the Eurotrash whine even louder about Israel is the price that has to be paid for finishing the barrier and saving Israeli lives, then so be it.

[Alfred]

Ho hum......Israel has lost its will to live and the current political class are the worst (both parties). A few little actions here and there to mollify the real men in Israel, and then back to sleep while the country falls apart little by little.

You know...we all criticize the Europeans for giving in to the Muslims and being overtaken by the Muslim birthrate. But all we have to do is look at Israel for a model.

There are plenty of real men in Israel (and real women for that matter), but the political class has lost its nerve and has become a dittering old man. I thought Sharon had what it took. Apparently not.

Too bad. Israel was once a feared and great nation. Now it is a basketcase that will eventually turn to Europe to fix things. And we all know what that will bring.

Apparently the Arabs have more "will" than do the Israelis. Perhaps Darwinism is taking place after all.

Ho hum......and so very sad.

[NewsGuy]

I'm very skeptical about Israel taking real measures against Palestinian terrorism before a horrific mega-attack happens, unfortunately.

Israel will not create a crisis during a US presidential election year, and is not ready to have Eurostan bar the imports of all Israeli goods. Likewise, Israel does not want to take on Hizbullah and Syria, which would happen, starting with Hizbullah raining down Katyushas on Northern Israel in such an event.

But a mega-attack could change the equation. I'm just sorry that Israel is unwilling to take preventative measures.

[cerulean]

As posted on another thread, it was really a miracle that Sunday's attack in Ashdod did not result iin thousands of deaths.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...=1079263938844

And this is not the first attempt that Arabs have made to produce a mega-attack in Israel (of course the mass murders of tens or scores of people in successive multiple attacks are horrible also).

Why is it that only successful mega-attacks should be taken seriously? Why aren't thwarted mega-attacks also taken just as seriously?

[L@mplighterM]

I’ve stopped thinking and pretty much gotten to the point where there’s nothing left to say.

The Europeans know damn well what has to be done in the ME but it has gotten to the point where Muslims have a significant say in elections. The name of the game therefore becomes don’t rock the boat our parties need the votes from the followers of Islam.

I think that Bush is also politicking when he makes speeches about Islam being a religion of peace and makes unreasonable demands of Israel.

Politicians don’t want to commit political suicide so they play the field trying to seduce all voters for their one vote. I don’t think principles mean much to politicians and a politician that speaks the truth will most likely end his or her career pretty fast.

Israel won’t start a major offensive similar to Lebanon those days are a thing of the past.

[Oh Jerusalem]

Originally posted by Alfred
You know...we all criticize the Europeans for giving in to the Muslims and being overtaken by the Muslim birthrate. But all we have to do is look at Israel for a model.

With great shame, I fully agree. So does Jpost's excellent columnist Evelyn Gordon:

From Madrid to the Gaza Strip
By EVELYN GORDON

If I were a Spaniard, one of the people I would be angriest with right now is Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Responsibility for last week's terror attack in Madrid obviously lies with the perpetrators. But short of the terrorists themselves, no one has done as much to encourage terrorism in recent months as Sharon has.

Prior to Sharon's announcement of his unilateral withdrawal plan in December, terrorism had been racking up an impressive list of failures worldwide. The September 11, 2001 attacks in America, far from causing the US to flee the Middle East, resulted in the toppling of both the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, as well as bold attempts to create democratic governments in both countries and an unprecedented American military presence in the region.

A series of vicious terror attacks in Iraq had similarly failed to drive out either the US or any of its coalition allies. Nor had such attacks deterred the Iraqis themselves: Young Iraqis were continuing to enlist in their country's police force, even knowing that this made them terrorist targets, while the Governing Council recently approved a draft constitution that could provide a sound basis for a democratic government.

The terrorists' only success had been in frightening away the UN – not exactly a major achievement.

Even in Israel, terrorism appeared to have proven a failure for the Palestinians. After three years of terrorist warfare the Palestinians seemed further than ever from their declared dream of statehood. The Palestinian Authority had essentially collapsed, its leader was being boycotted by the US administration, the Israeli army was operating at will in Palestinian territory, and most Israelis were far less willing to agree to sweeping territorial concessions than they had been three years earlier.

BUT THEN Sharon announced that Israel would unilaterally withdraw from all of Gaza and part of the West Bank, without demanding anything of the Palestinians in exchange. Not surprisingly, this was universally interpreted as a resounding victory for terror – and therefore created a strong incentive for more terror.

Muhammad Deif, the Hamas terrorist who has topped Israel's wanted list for years, declared last week that "Hamas actions are what made Ariel Sharon decide on a retreat from Gaza. In the past he promised security and said that Netzarim was like Tel Aviv, and now he is ready to leave Gaza unconditionally.
"God willing, we will see victory and the liberation of our lands with our own eyes." (It is worth recalling here that to Hamas, "our lands" include all of Israel, not just the West Bank and Gaza.)

Muhammad Dahlan, the former PA security minister whom both Israel and the US deem a leading moderate, had an identical take on the issue. He labeled the proposed withdrawal the greatest achievement of the intifada – the Palestinian term for their terrorist war – and declared that the common denominator between himself and Hamas was much greater than the differences between them.

A similar assessment was offered by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon and OC Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Aharon Ze'evi (Farkash). Both warned that the pullout would encourage Palestinian terror, with Ya'alon predicting last week that "it will take more than a division to repair the damage caused by withdrawing from a single settlement under fire."

Surprisingly, even the country's leading doves concurred. Yossi Beilin, in a column published in the International Herald Tribune last month, declared that Sharon's plan "proves those extremists right who argued that there was no point in talking to Israel all along; not because Israel would never budge, but because it eventually will without even exacting a price."

Finally, the Bush administration has also joined the chorus. According to a Haaretz report, the three American envoys who discussed the plan with Sharon last weekend said that Washington's chief concern was that the withdrawal could be perceived as a victory for terrorism. President Bush, they said, has laid down a policy of defeating terror, not surrendering to it, and this rule applies in Gaza no less than in the rest of the world.
One could justly note that Spain – even before the Madrid bombing's stunning success in granting an upset victory to the candidate who pledged to flee Iraq – was also no slouch in the pandering to terror department, given that the European Union in general, and Spain in particular, have for years feted Palestinian terrorists as statesmen and urged that Israel not only negotiate with them but capitulate to their demands.

Indeed, Spain is a leading member of the camp that "understands" terrorism against Israel: Its foreign minister, Ana Palacio, still refuses to call Hizbullah a terrorist organization, despite the fact that Hizbullah has continued attacking Israelis even after Israel's UN-certified withdrawal from every inch of Lebanese territory, and even though the group has financed many Palestinian terror attacks.

Nevertheless, even the EU never suggested a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza under fire. Nor was there any pressure for such a move from either the US or the Israeli public. Indeed, it was only a year ago that Israelis elected Sharon in a landslide on a promise not to withdraw under fire, while handing Labor, which ran on a platform of unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, the worst defeat in its history.

The unilateral withdrawal was entirely Sharon's idea – and by adopting it, he proved decisively that terrorism does eventually pay if the terrorists just keep up the pressure long enough. That message has now been reinforced by the Spanish election victory, but it is Sharon who holds the copyright. And the result can only be to encourage more terror, both in Israel and abroad.

[Ahava]

Israeli defence chiefs proposed the military take "exceptional" action against Palestinian militants in response to the twin suicide bombings in Israel that killed 10 victims, army radio reported.

The defence chiefs, in a meeting with Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz, called for increased pressure on militant groups, especially the radical Islamic movement Hamas, for an unlimited period of time, the radio said.

A senior security source, quoted by the radio, said the proposed moves would be "exceptional in their scope, their intensity and their duration", and include activities "not seen in the Palestinian territories for a long time".

Oh-ooh...

[Binyamin]

According to the last reports the Security Cabinet adopted the army's suggestions. I do not expect the response to be as big as they are asking for, but we should see a serious large scale operation. Sharon definately gave the impression that terror wins when he announced his withdrawl, and now he has a good oppurtunity to change that, aside for all the other reasons that he has to attack Gaza.

By the time Sharons pulls out of Gaza, if he ever does, it will not look as much like a retreat as it sounds like now.
I noticed over the past days alot of talk about what Israel will get in return. Sharon did not say that he will demand anything as payment (from the Americans) for leaving, because then the talk would be about how fair his demands were and if he would really get anything. Now that he left us with a completely inexplicable withdrawl, the politicians and commentators are beginning to discuss possible payments. Soon it will be understood that Israel will be getting something. Sharon will be able to fill in the blank and announce what he wants, and regardless of his demands they will be considered acceptable. (That does not mean that he will get what he wants, only that no one wll be challenging his right to ask for compensation.)

[Mira~]

It has begun....


Last Update: 16/03/2004 18:29

IAF strikes in Gaza City; three [Terrorists] reported killed

By Arnon Regular and Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondents and AP



Israel Air Force attack helicopters fired missiles at an apartment building and a car in the northern part of Gaza City on Tuesday evening, and witnesses said at least three people identified as Islamic Jihad militants were killed.



Let the beatings continue until morale improves!

[David_in_NYC]

I'll believe it when I see them emptying "refugee" camps.

[Alfred]

The buildings were probably empty after a six hour warning by the IDF that they were going to bomb it. The 3 killed were probably 8 year olds placed by Hamas to be killed when the IDF made their "scheduled rounds."

Do I sound like I have heard it all before.................(sigh).



Newsguy: "Eurostan"

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