Day 17 of Operation Cast Lead, Monday Jan 12, 2009

Here is today's shortened coverage of Operation Cast Lead:

School, Zoo, Weapons and Explosives: Hamas makes it fun!!!

The Muqata has been called in for emergency ambulance duty, so there will be no update from him until his shift is over and he gets some sleep.

Israelly Cool, with today's coverage: Operation Cast Lead Mon Jan 12th, 2009




Boker tov, Boulder has a report on a pro-Hamas Rally in Denver that was outnumbered 3 to 1 by the pro-Israel Rally.

Summary of Jan 11 Operations by the IDF Spokesperson.

War in Gaza Update #14.5


Mere Rhetoric 
Israel Matzav
IsraPundit
YID With LID
Elder of Ziyon


And here are some more traditional news outlets:


Al Jazeera
Arutz Sheva
BBC Middle East
DEBKAfile
Ha'aretz
IDF Spokesperson
Internet Haganah
One Jerusalem
Israel Politik
Jerusalem Post
UK Telegraph Israel
Yahoo! News: Middle East Conflict
YNET NEWS

NEW YORK — Thousands of supporters of Israel rallied near the United Nations on Sunday to declare that the Jewish state's two-week-long military action in the Gaza Strip is an act of self-defense.

"For the last three and a half years, Israel's been bombarded daily by a number of rockets coming from Gaza," said Gov. David Paterson, one of a dozen elected officials who addressed the crowd that filled a block of 42nd Street in Manhattan. "The founding charter of Hamas calls for the obliteration of the state of Israel."

Across town at Times Square, about 150 pro-Palestinian demonstrators waved signs with pictures of dead and wounded children and chanted, "No justice, no peace! Israel out of the Middle East."

Source: |Fox News|, in Supporters of Israel, Palestinians Rally in New York City

Operation Cast Lead, phase 2.5, that is what the defense establishment has dubbed the incorporation of IDF reserve forces in the Gaza incursion.

Simultaneously, the diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have intensified, as Amos Gilad, head of the Defense Ministry's Security-Diplomatic Bureau, revealed that the Cairo-brokered talks have undergone a pivotal conceptual change, "now that Egypt fully understands" the dangers of Hamas.

"The goal is to tighten the siege on Hamas, but this is not to defined operational objective," a defense establishment source told Ynet.

Day 17 of Operation Cast Lead is expected to allow for better examination of the French-Egyptian ceasefire initiative, while IDF forces

will continue to target terror hubs in the Strip.

Source: |YNET NEWS|, in Official: Egypt fathoms dangers of Hamas

ISRAEL ALONE AMONG BARBARIANS AND THOSE FEARING THE BARBARIANS...

The world must be wondering, 17 days into Operation Cast Lead, why it is taking so long for Jerusalem to cave into pressure for a cease-fire in Gaza. From the UN Security Council, that renowned bastion of international probity, and the constellation of Muslim, Arab and non-aligned states to our unwavering European allies, the international community - and much of the media - wants Israel to stop fighting.

We Israelis can hear these erstwhile friends in Europe and the media saying: "Everybody is wrong, and you alone are right?"

They continue: "Yes, Israel has a right to self-defense - but must your IDF kill innocent civilians and destroy buildings in the process? Can't your tanks avoid harming them? Your failure to fight a war that is televised live, 24/7, without spilling blood has enraged the Arab street. We don't want this fury turned against our interests in the Middle East."

Source: |Jerusalem Post|, in Israel goes it alone

LONDON, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- An estimated 15,000 demonstrators jammed London's Trafalgar Square Sunday to support Israel's military offensive in Gaza, observers said.
Gathering under a banner reading, "Peace in Israel, Peace in Gaza," rally attendees heard speeches from Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sachs, the Israeli ambassador to Britain and a several of members of Parliament, The Sunday Times of London reported.

Counter-protesters brought together by the Islamist Human Rights Commission, meanwhile, assembled at one edge of the square near the Canadian Embassy, with about 1,000 people attending, the newspaper said.

Source: |UPI|, in 15,000 attend pro-Israel London rally

Iran is exerting heavy pressure on Hamas not to accept the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire with Israel, an Egyptian government official said on Sunday.

The official told The Jerusalem Post by phone that two senior Iranian officials who visited Damascus recently warned Hamas leaders against accepting the proposal.

[If only the western media would understand the conflict as the Egyptians do. ]

His remarks came as Hamas representatives met in Cairo with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Gen. Omar Suleiman and his aides to discuss ways of ending the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas representatives reiterated their opposition to a cease-fire that did not include the reopening of all the border crossings into the Gaza Strip, Hamas spokesmen said on Sunday.

The spokesmen said Hamas voiced its strong opposition to the idea of deploying an international force inside the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian official said that the two Iranian emissaries, Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, and Said Jalili of the Iranian Intelligence Service, met in the Syrian capital with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ramadan Shallah.

“As soon as the Iranians heard about the Egyptian cease-fire initiative, they dispatched the two officials to Damascus on an urgent mission to warn the Palestinians against accepting it,” the Egyptian government official told the Post.

“The Iranians threatened to stop weapons supplies and funding to the Palestinian factions if they agreed to a cease-fire with Israel. The Iranians want to fight Israel and the US indirectly. They are doing this through Hamas in Palestine and Hizbullah in Lebanon.”

Source: |IsraPundit|, in Iran warns Hamas not to accept Egyptian truce proposal






TERRORIZING, THREATENING AND RIOTING MUSLIMS...OH MY!

(IsraelNN.com) Muslim extremists have threatened to kill Madonna, the pop star who has expressed admiration for Israel and who professes to study Kabbalah, as well as star Britney Spears.

Mohammed Abdel-Al, spokesman and senior terrorist for the Popular Resistance Committees, was recorded as threatening, "If I meet these whores, I will have the honor – I repeat, I will have the honor – to be the first one to cut [their] heads off…if they will keep spreading their satanic culture against Islam."

Source: |Arutz Sheva|, in Muslims Threaten To Kill Madonna, Britney Spears

And here is some B-roll footage of hateful Turkish Muslims threatening the Israeli Basketball team in Ankara, Turkey:

The "Religion of Peace", indeed!

And now, the Israelis are fined for fleeing the barbarians, and tagged with a loss? Europe, you Anti-Semitism is showing:

The Eurocup disciplinary judge has ruled on the Week 9 regular season game Turk Telekom Ankara vs. Bnei Hasharon, which was not played as scheduled last Tuesday, by sanctioning both teams. The ruling by the disciplinary judge was made Sunday. The judge sanctioned Turk Telekom of Turkey with one home game to be played behind closed doors without fans and a 15,000 [Euro CiJ] fine for not taking 'all necessary preventive measures to avoid disturbances before, during and after the game'. He sanctioned Bnei Hasharon of Israel with a 20-0 defeat in the unplayed game and a fine of 50,000 [Euro CiJ] for refusing to participate once referees had deemed the playing arena safe. The judge's ruling may be appealed by either or both teams within a period of 10 days from its issuance.

Source: |Israel Matzav|, in Israeli basketball team that fled court tagged with forfeit

And even Palestinian-loving Geraldo called the Paleo Ambassador to the UN on his hypocrisy:

I went back to my apartment where I met my boyfriend who had also just returned from the second Pro Israel rally on 39th Street & 7th Avenue. We walked outside the building and across a major midtown avenue on the West Side to buy some groceries. He was still carrying the Israeli flag and we were both wearing baseball caps with the American flag and USA on the brims. A large number of Muslims were milling around since it seems that their rally had reached its end point and was dispersing. Six Muslim men were being photographed with posters with the words, "Praise Hamas and Hezbollah, Reopen the Ovens" and were taking photos of themselves and their posters. Seeing us with the Israel flag, they began screaming, " You're assholes, Kill the Jews, We are going to kill you, This is OUR country," etc.

We went into the corner deli and they began banging on the window and stood outside in a very threatening mob waiting for us to leave. I heard one man say, "She is a female" - very observant. I don't know what this was suppose to signal to his fellow terrorists. When we left the deli a mob of the original Muslims and others who joined them came up to us screaming death to the Jews, and one man around 19/20 years old ran up and with force and hatred threw an egg into my friend's eye. This may not seem like much but I am sure the intent was for the egg shells to be lodged in his eye. The egg was not thrown from afar against his coat but was thrown like a rock would be - to inflict as much harm as possible. The assailant then grabbed our Israeli flag, threw it to the ground, and was spitting on it and wiping his feet on it. When we asked a traffic cop to make an arrest, the assailant ran away down the block but the traffic agent did not answer us nor did he call 911. He passively stood by doing NOTHING.

Source: |Atlas Shrugs|, in MUSLIM VIOLENCE IN NY

ANALYSIS...

If Israel continues to ignore international condemnation and ratchet up the pace of operations, effectively beating Hamas to the ceasefire finish line, they may well leave Gaza with a Hamas severely degraded and with a decapitated and gutted operational terrorist leadership. This would set the stage for the rebuilding of a challenging Fatah force in Gaza - an actor preferred by both the Israeli and (importantly) Egyptian governments. Both would (and plan to) assist in standing up this force.

This is the operational end game I was driving at in last week's PrincipalAnalysis, A View To A Kill: Why Israel Is Likely Preparing Future Fatah Battlespace Against Hamas in Gaza.

Israel is getting close to the tipping point setting this in motion, and the flashback to the Karine-A and subsequent Iranian shipments of advanced arms to Hamas provides some context as to why Israel simply must see this through. And they appear quite intent on doing just that.

UPDATE: I intended to note the apparent huge success and impact of the IDF's targeting of Hamas weapons caches and stores in the early phases of the current Operation Cast Lead. What attacks have been made on the Israeli Merkava main battle tanks have been with roadside bombs - notably the Iranian EFP design, which can be manufactured inside Gaza rather than smuggled, thanks to effective Iranian training in Iran and Syria. The relative silence of Saggers indicates either a suicidal withholding of the anti-tank missiles in the face of an IDF armored push or the inability to produce them on the battlefield. Hamas possession of Saggers was not a myth, but known. So it is not unreasonable to conclude that many, if not most of them, have been destroyed.

Source: |Threats Watch|, in RapidRecon: Flashback and Fast Forward: IDF v. Hamas


Previously:

Hamas Booby Trap Scool, Zoo with Explosives

The John Batchelor Show for Jan 11^th

The Truth Behind Operation Cast Lead

Israel Is Not Gonna Take It Anymore!!!

Day 16 of Operation Cast Lead, Sunday Jan 11, 2009

President George W. Bush Refused Israel Strike on Iran

Full Text of US House Resolution Supporting Israel

CNN-Hamas Propaganda Video

Full Text of US Senate Resolution Expressing Support for Israel in It's Battle With Hamas

Towards a worldwide strategy for Islamic policy

Day 14 of Operation Cast Lead, Friday Jan 9, 2009

Day 13 of operation Cast Lead

Gaza Protests in Raleigh and Durham, NC

Using Children As Human Shields and Cannon Fodder

Joe The Plumber Becomes Joe The War Correspondent

WARSAW GHETTO UPRISING AN OVER-REACTION European Leaders Blame Jews for Disproportionate Response

Israel Agrees to French Ceasefire Proposal;
Hamas Rejects Proposal
Update Palestinian Authority Accepts Proposal
Updated Again: Sarkozy Lied About Israeli Acceptance

Operation Cast Lead Update for Jan 7th


The Background on Hamas

Hamas Leader: "There is no chance that true Islam would ever allow a Jewish state to survive in the Muslim Middle East. Israel is an impossibility."

Operation Cast Lead Update for January 6, 2009

Day 10 Update on Operation Cast Lead;Hamas War Criminals Conduct Operations From Hospital

36 Hours with Israeli Firefighters in Southern Israel

An Update on Day 9 of Operation Cast Lead

Anarchists, Lefties, Flower Children and Terrorists Oppose Operation Cast Lead

Day 9 of Operation Cast Lead Begins With Ground Invasion of Gaza

Day 8 of Operation Cast Lead

Operation Cast Lead Day 7
Update And Recap

IAF Takes Out Hamas Rocket

Gaza Grad Rockets Made in China

Operation Cast Lead Update for New Year's Eve

Communist Party USA Condemns Israel

Moonbat McKinney's Yacht Turned Back

Israeli Consulate to Hold Twitter Press Conference Today

Day Four of Operation Cast Lead

Photo of the Year: "Death to all Juice"

A Prayer for the IDF

President-elect Obama Stands with Israel

Living in the Shadow of Qassams

Report of IDF Troops About To Enter Gaza

Hamas Weapons R&D Center Hit By IDF

15 Seconds

Into the Bowels of Jew-Hatred

IDF Calls to Warn Gazans of Airstrikes

Day Two of Operation Cast Lead Begins

Live Blogging Operation Cast Lead

Operation Cast Lead Begins in Gaza