Hamas claims evacuation is victory for the suicide bombers

Five founding Hamas members made a rare group appearance in a Gaza restaurant to assert their right to continue the armed campaign.

It is highly likely that Gaza will now become the world's largest roach motel. After the Israeli withdrawl, with every qassam rocket lobbed into Israel from Gaza don't be surprised if the IAF engages in a little urban renewal in Gaza. Since Gaza will no longer be occupied territory under the Geneva Conventions, it will be done with impunity granted by international law under article 51 of the UN Charter.

Gaza has to be cleared of civilized peoples, fenced off and used as a dustbin for Muslims. Muslim troublemakers from the West Bank can be "resettled" there.

I support what Israel has done. They no longer have these people within their borders - Gaza is just a tiny dustbowl anyway.

It's clever & pragmatic.

What Americans are going to have to realize is when we withdraw for Iraq, whether that be next year of five years from now, the Muslim reaction is going to be the same - America defeated. This pill will be hard to swallow, but swallow it we must. This can only be done by preserving American honor is some significant fashion - by putting into a broader context of the War - the real War - not the phony war in Iraq.

-Rebecca

Of course this is viewed as a victory by Hamas, because neither this pullout from Gaza nor any other concession by the Israelis will EVER stop the Muslims from attempting to do what the Koran tells them to do repeatedly -- destroy the Jews.

More violence is on the way for Israel, and my heart goes out to those proud people. They are surrounded on all sides by enemies and yet they somehow manage to not just persevere, but thrive in one of the most desolate and hostile regions in the world.

All of this is just more evidence to the truth about the actual nature of Islam. We must face this truth, or one day too soon we will regret our own weakeness and cowardice. That much I can promise you.

Hulegu

The UN and International Red Cross have already served notice that they still consider Israel to be an occupying force in Gaza as she will control the airspace and coastline. This means Israel will be subject to the usual censure for failing to abide by the Geneva Conventions in any action taken against Palestinian terrorism.

I would also expect the US to do what it has done so successfully over the last 30+ years: restrain Israel from defending itself when the next wave of terrorism strikes. Condi's man in Gaza, General Ward, was just gloating about this in July.

In other words, same old - same old.

"This pill will be hard to swallow, but swallow it we must" Posted by Rebecca.

Bah, humbug!
Rebecca, Why would you pay attention to the enemy’s propaganda? Such talk should just harden your resolve to defeat this fascist ideology. ANYTHING and EVERYTHING short of a "you win, we give up" declaration by the Jihadists should be ignored and/or exposed as the Nazi type propaganda it is.

Only due to strong resistance did this brutal Occupation of Gaza end. Let us not forget that Israel is still in violation of every moral and ethical law by it's just as brutal Occupation of the West Bank. They have only removed 7,000 illegal settlers from Gaza. 450,000+ illegal settlers remain in the West Bank and if Israel has any interest in peace, they should expel all illegal settlers and end their own land grab policy which has brought them much pain and will continue to foment hatred and discord in the world.

NY Times
By JAMES BENNET
Published: August 21, 2005

August 20th, 2005...In the Jabaliya refugee camp, hundreds of men and boys, unable to crowd into the Caliph Mosque, sat on nearby sidewalks and in alleyways. In a humid stench of sewage and fried fish, with expressions alert and thoughtful, they listened as their imam called the Israeli withdrawal an "achievement of resistance," celebrated prominent "martyrs of Hamas" and declared, "Allah knows that when we offer up our children, it is much better than choosing the road of humiliation and negotiation."

I cannot comprehend such insanity, and this form of insanity is unjustifiable in any society...well, almost any.

Shirk, 1a876, Saladin, Shurki:

There will be Peace in Israel when all Arabs are expelled.

There will be peace in Europe when the mosques are closed and the Mohammedans deported.

Shirk:

"let's liberate Jerusalem with the help of your soldiers and glorious rockets."

I hope Israel gives them a good shower of 'glorious rockets'-

and I certainly hope that Israel will liberate Jerusalem from the Mohammedan scourge. I am looking forward to the demolition of the 'Al Aqsa' mosque!

Sharon is a heap of old obese deadweight, which is sinking Israel at this critical junction. So what he was something before old age and clogged arteries constricted blood supply to his geriatric brain! Unfortunately, although dhimmis can show uncommon courage and defeat the Muslims unequivocally, Islam is a cancer that does not stay long in remission, returning with evermore viciousness to devour the body that believed that it had beat it. Muslims in their strategy to Islamo-Arabize the region at the heart of Islam, brought down the Maronites of Lebanon, destroyed the native Africans of Sudan, strangled the Tamazight people of North West Africa, cleaned house internally by expelling Jews, persecuting native Christians to force them to convert or immigrate, compelling many of the elite stardoms of native Christianity to seek refuge in the West, leaving their peasant brethren to face the wrath of the Jihadest ideology without any support from the West.

Israel is much like Byzantium, a citadel engulfed in a see of Islam, fighting its fight bravely, but in need of support of the West to contract the Islamic tide. I really believe that in the span of less than a century, the Zionist dream would turn into a nightmare. Muslims would outbreed the Jews and turn the demographic table against them in Israel proper itself. Civilized people can not live or raise their children to live under conditionings of strife and constant War. Muslims on the other hand only care for Allah’s favor and the orgy awaiting them in sky, enduring subhuman conditions and sending their children to act as human bombs. How can any one defeat these people for good in a clean conventional War? Impossible!

Funny thing about Hamas's claiming credit for the pull-out on terror bombings, etc., is that the pull-out comes after a marked decline in activities, not a peak in them. Before the withdrawal, Israel did a number of things, from targetted assassinations of Hamas's leaders to levelling rats' nests, despite shrieking world opinion, such as around Rachel Corrie's accidental death when she was defending bomb smuggling tunnels. They haven't been passive and it remains to be seen what has been planned as a response to the likely continuation of violence from the usual suspects.

Clearly, Israel withdrew on its own timelines from as strong a position as they could under the circumstances. And if Hamas or anyone else thinks the Israelis will shrink from punishing them for any terrorist activities, wherever they are perpetrated, dream on!

And perhaps what Hamas et al still don't realize is they will pay a price in the arena of world opinion if they don't back off and let the clearing of West Bank settlements proceed. Their continued violence and agitating will only further alienate the EU types who told the PA last year, when they came crying about Israel's defense actions, to go away and not bother them until they stop murdering babies. This is support they can ill afford to alienate.