Israel gives Hamas’ missile guy unprecedented opportunity
The Israeli Defense Forces gave Hamas’ leader of their missile forces, Yehia Bia, a close-up look at their own missiles yesterday according to the Washington Times;
An Israeli rocket launched Sunday killed a senior Hamas leader in charge of the terrorist movement’s missile operations, as fighting between the Jewish state and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip entered its fifth day and foreign leaders scrambled to prevent the conflict from escalating.
President Obama reiterated U.S. support for Israel but urged a diplomatic solution to the violence, which flared up when Hamas started firing rockets at Israeli towns and cities over the past several months.
The Israeli army said it killed Yehia Bia, the Hamas commander in charge of missile operations, when a missile flattened a two-story house in a residential neighborhood of Gaza City as Israel expanded its targets to include the homes of wanted terrorists.
I hope Yehia Bia took advantage of the opportunity and learned something from his brief examination of the weapon. More importantly, I hope Hamas as a whole takes away some lessons. I’m sure they’re listening to our president’s pleas for a diplomatic solution, one of things that Hamas is famous for embracing. Of course, immediately, Hamas harped on the 11 civilian casualties that the missile attack supposedly produced. I’m pretty sure that their idea of “civilian casualties” is different from what the rest of the world thinks are civilian casualties.
Israeli missiles also hit two media centers in Gaza, wounding six Palestinian journalists Sunday and damaging the equipment of several foreign media outlets from Europe. The buildings were targeted because they housed the offices of Hamas’ Al Aqsa TV station and the pro-Islamist Al Quds TV of Lebanon.
That probably won’t help Israel’s image, but, meh.
Category: Terror War
“Israeli missiles also hit two media centers in Gaza…” media hit? I know I shouldn’t but I will anyway. What are the coordinates for…aw, I better not.
“That probably won’t help Israel’s image, but, meh.”
Bah. They’ve been taking hits in the Media for decades. May as well hand some back.
When Hamas kills Israeli citizens they are fighting for freedom, when Israel kills Palestinians it’s oppression run amok….
Sadly the war of words doesn’t change much. There is no negotiating with Hamas any more than you can negotiate with the Taliban…these enemies only understand death and power. It’s always better to be judged by twelve than carried by six, Israel learned that lesson shortly after being born. It’s time the lesson was taught on a grand scale to many in the middle east.
BBC is reporting that the strike on the Gaza media center killed an Islamic jihad leader.
I think the Canadian UN observer who was killed because of a Hezzbollah gun emplacement near his position referred to it as “tactical necessity.”
It’s also a violation of the Geneva Conventions, and not on the part of the Israelis.
See, even civilians can get it.
I’ve been following the IDFSpokesperson on twitter, they’re saying they got 4 high-ranking Palestinian Islamic Jihad guys in the media center.
Surprisingly decent news out of CNN this AM. I got this in one of their email alerts:
“More than four times as many Americans, 59%, sympathize with the Israelis compared with those who sympathize with the Palestinians, 13%, in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to a new CNN/ORC International poll released today.”
The way some jackholes act, they think they’re in the majority.
Well, Nik, when there is a positive correlation bewteen American views and foreign and domestic policies, we will have turned a corner. The fact is that except for a few months immediately preceding an election, whatever most Americans favor or don’t is neither here nor there to policy makers. We are to be grateful they tolerate us!
Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal: we will only cease fire after our demands our met. If Israel wants to halt its fire, it’s welcome to do so. The murderer is the one who must stop the killing and initiate, not the victim.
And the media will play it as if Israel is the murderer.
@9: Well, traditionally the man doing the stabbing IS the one considered the murderer. I think the logic runs true when you’re using guns, too.
It’s just both sides are murdering each other. I don’t know, do two wrongs make a right?
@3: Can’t see that happening without nuclear weapons being involved. Wars be expensive. And that probably wouldn’t sway the survivors much, either. You can knock them (and should) but you have to give the Middle East credit for stubbornness.
“You put yours down.”
“Okay, but you go first.”
“Hmmm. Look, mine is bigger so I will only put mine down if you put yours down.”
But I don’t care if I die.”
“Sheee-it. That’s a game changer!”
David Rodoy: “it’s just that both sides are murdering each other”
No. Killing someone in self-defense is not murder. Not by any civilized standard. Israel struck at Hamas and their supporters only in response to thousands of rockets fired into Israel over the last few years. And I would point out that with a thousand Israeli strikes in response in the last few days, fewer than 100 Gazan Arabs have been killed, by Hamas’ own account. Israeli munitions work just fine. The reason for low civilian casualties in Gaza is because the IDF goes to ridiculous lengths to avoid or minimize those civilian casualties. Does that sound like murder to you? Do you really equate it to Hamas and Co. indiscriminately firing rockets into Israel, to terrorize and kill (murder) whomever they might?
I’m not impartial (being a proud IDF veteran), but British Colonel Kemp likely was: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=225172
This link is supposed to be about the pro-Israel protest held earlier today in the Loop, but it seems to lead to something that Hamas is doing that is abominable, dragging a man behind a motorcycle who is accused of helping the Israelis:
http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-pro-israel-rally-held-in-loop-20121120,0,2677802.story
Give it time to load.
Here is an article from Fox News in regard to my post @13 above:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/20/hamas-kills-six-suspected-aiding-israel-drags-body-through-streets/?intcmp=related
And this addresses the practice Hamas is engaging in, using faked images and old footage to arouse the populace:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/20/brazen-faking-images-reveals-hamas-desperation/?intcmp=trending
I found this statement to be significant: “It is significant that there has barely been anything from Gaza’s brothers in the Palestinian Authority. The (West Bank) leadership is nauseated with Hamas.”
The possibiity of a truce (if Hillary can stay awake to work on it) is rising. Let’s hope something good happens. I do not want to see any more US troops deployed to some place where they are not allowed to fight.
Ah! There is, indeed, a cease-fire in effect. Let’s hope something worthwhile comes out of this:
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/21/15327753-israel-and-hamas-agree-to-gaza-cease-fire?lite
If a cease-fire, especially a lasting one, happens..that’s one more feather in Ms Clinton’s cap for if/when she runs for President.
If she chooses to run in ’16, she’s gonna be damn tough to beat.