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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel's options: Disconnect from Gaza or talk to Hamas |
| 2007-06-16 |
| Defense Minister Amir Peretz convened security chiefs for a situation assessment on Thursday afternoon, with the focus on the Hamas onslaught on Fatah forces in the Gaza Strip. Two main conclusions were reached: First, Fatah has lost in Gaza, and second, Israel will not intervene, at least for now. From a military perspective, some defense officials actually said there was reason to be thankful for Hamas's takeover of the Strip. Before the recent round of intra-Palestinian violence, Israel had to distinguish between Fatah and Hamas gunmen in Gaza and make sure that that the former, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's loyalists, were not targeted. Now, according to this view, there is no longer any need to draw such distinctions, since all gunmen are Hamas and therefore fair game. "The bank of targets has grown tremendously with Hamas's takeover," explained one official involved in monitoring events in Gaza and planning policy. "Hamas is a clear and defined enemy, and that means that when we decide to respond it will be easier than before, since all their buildings are now targets, as is anyone walking around with a weapon." |
| Posted by:gromgoru |
| #8 I see no reason why they should let food in. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2007-06-16 23:21 |
| #7 I vote for disconnecting from Gaza. Let food in. Let terrorists in. Let weapons in. Let nothing out. Bake for 90 days at high heat. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2007-06-16 17:33 |
| #6 "The bank of targets has grown tremendously with Hamas's takeover," This is what I was saying back in Thursday's thread: Hamas appears close to taking over entire Gaza Strip. With Fatah shoved aside, the only responsible party remaining is Hamas. This would seemingly permit Israel much greater latitude in prosecuting all further missile launches and terrorist attacks. It might be best that Fatah retire to the West Bank and give Israel a clear field to do some serious house cleaning in Gaza.With the majority of Palestinians having voted for Hamas, they too are now legitimate targets. The very best thing would be for Hamas to get their ass kicked so hard that they question why in the hell they ever wanted exclusive control in the first place. Before, at least they could hide behind Fatah's duplicitous skirts. Now that it's all Hamas, all the time, there's no more plausible deniability or political fig leaf to conceal their dedication to genocide. Israel is insane if they do not drop the hammer big time. This is their golden opportunity to actively demonstrate their immense displeasure with those who have so vigorously undermined the peace process. It is also one of the few chances Israel will ever have to aggressively retaliate against all attacks originating in Gaza and thereby connect the dots for Palestinians so they can understand how Hamas causes them the worst sort of trouble. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-06-16 14:29 |
| #5 AP suggested slowly turning off water and power and tell Hamas that there appear to be shorts and massive leaks affecting water pressure and power. Ask them to look into it as Israel is afraid the water is just being wasted inside of a series of massive leaks somewhere in GAZA. Since Hamas has shot up the PA and likely has no technical people it would be interesting .... |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-06-16 14:28 |
| #4 Here here now more power, water, of air if they can stop that too. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2007-06-16 11:42 |
| #3 Other articles out there outline how Hamas is bankrolled, trained and armed by Iran and Syria. But isn't Peretz stepping down shortly? It will be interesting to see what the new minister chooses to do. I rather expect his plans are ready for execution. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-06-16 11:37 |
| #2 Moose---There is no Palestinian Authority, so no Oslo Agreement. The treaty is null and void without the the other party. You are right. Israel needs to quarantine Gaza. Ima sure Iran has been bankrolling this one. Now you have Hizb'Allah Junior in Gaza, and Hizb'Allah Senior in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL troops being what they are, things are building up. The US is perceived to be weak, Iareal under Olmert indecisive, so Iran will loosen the dogs of war. This is what happens when you do not deal with the rabid dog in your back yard in the first place. all the neighborhood dogs now have rabies. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-06-16 11:34 |
| #1 Dang it, Israel, make the next step: Gaza is now controlled by a terrorist organization. THEREFORE, Israel can NO LONGER permit ANY Gazans to enter Israel, and should immediately discontinue any support services such as water and power. Yes, they will say it will cause a "humanitarian crisis", but that "humanitarian crisis" has already come about because of Hamas. Finally, if Israel officially notifies the international community that it will be discontinuing its services, giving time enough for the UN and any other interested nations to start providing water and power to Gaza, then Israel should be able to wash its hands of the place. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-06-16 10:26 |