But deep down, they really, really want peace! "Another 2 mortar shells fired from Gaza, 9 total," from the Jerusalem Post, June 24 (thanks to Joseph):
Another two mortar shells were fired from Gaza Thursday evening and landing near one of the Negev kibbutzim close to the Strip.No injuries or property damage was reported to have occurred.
In total, nine mortar shells were fired by terrorists from Gaza on Thursday.
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The blockade against weapons is so infuriating them that they have to use what weapons they have for attacks. It's like when they kill to protest characterizations of Islam as violent.
Israel may be forced to use the 'Sampson option', and they may lose...But my suspicion is that even in victory, the losses to any attacking country's will be so significant, that in the end, the smoldering ruins of Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Syria Turkey etc, will make victory seem hollow indeed...
Islam is as "peaceful" as Fascism and Nazism.
Those are Jon's friends, firing rockets...he would expect them to attack the invaders and occupiers...
If Jon's friends don't quit messing around with Israel, some of them are going to get hurt...
Only NINE mortars? Better hurry-up with those "peaceful aid" flotillas, the boys are running low on ammo (whoops I meant food).
War!....real soon!....it's coming....
What are they waiting for, the most deterent effect would come from immediate, and devistating counter attacks.
I agree: because an immediate and overwhelming blow in response would break with the 'dhimmi' pattern that the Muslims want to impose.
Muslims, barbarians that they are, feel totally entitled to hit non-Muslims at will, whilst denying those others the right to hit *Muslims*, even in self-defence against Muslim assault. Only a massive hammering meted out to them by their intended victims, has a hope of shattering that granite sense of entitlement.
Background info:
In the 'Pact of Omar', the template or archetype of all the ugly, cruel, humiliating laws that have been used down through the centuries to oppress the dhimmis in every part of dar al Islam, there are two key rules pertinent to the situation of Israel.
One is that no dhimmi is permitted to own or bear arms.
The other, tacked on at the end, is that no dhimmi is permitted to strike a Muslim...period.
And if any one dhimmi breaks just one of the Rules for Dhimmis - which would include, one must assume, being found with a weapon, or punching on the nose a Muslim who had attacked you in the street - then whatever 'protection' your whole community had, is rescinded and the Muslim mob may wage jihad against you all, by way of collective punishment. (Remember that Muslim taking-for-granted of collective punishment, next time Muslims, and apologists for Muslims, start wailing about some supposed instance of Israeli 'collective punishment' of the pooor Palestinians [TM]).
In Bat Yeor's 'The Dhimmi' there are many accounts, by western non-Muslim visitors to Muslim-controlled lands in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, describing the way in which Muslims - men, women, children - regularly attacked (both verbally and physically) the dhimmis whom they encountered on the street. The shocked foreign observers saw that the dhimmis did not strike back in self-defence against even the most vicious and unprovoked assault; they would either try to flee, or grovel and flatter and plead in an attempt to placate the attacker by words, or else suffer in silence and hope the Muslim intended something short of murder.
Bearing this paradigm and historical background in mind, one can see that the Muslims are infuriated by the fact that the Jews of Israel - who, being Jews, are supposed to be unarmed, defenceless, cringing dhimmis - are 'breaking' the Rules for Dhimmis', by having and using weapons, and by hitting back, not always, but sometimes, against Muslims who have attacked said Jews.
However, every time Israel takes a 'hit' from Muslims and does *not* respond, Israel encourages the Muslims to hit some more...because it's easy enough to see, also from the history, that the 'deal' the Muslims offer - submit to us, pay us the jizya/ 'protection' money, and we *might* deign to let you live, and stop hitting you - is worthless. The more the dhimmis submit, the harder the Muslims hit; it's impossible for dhimmis to submit fully enough to satisfy the Muslim lust for Total Domination.
Of course the Muslims have never shown anything but love and compassion for their neighbors! We ALL know that! Right? Right?
“Islam Claims Jerusalem Too; Supporters of Israel consistently attempt to diminish Muslims’ connection" and other fairy tales:
http://bit.ly/aoJq47
It seems that periodically Israel's enemies need a reminder of what pain is. Iran and its allies construe kindness as weakness and take advantage of this. Sadly for them they have to get their arses kicked once in a while to keep them in line. It has worked in the past. Every time Israel wars with one of its neighbours they pull their heads in for a short time. Unfortunately their hatred soon mounts and again they look for opportunities to denounce Israel.
Reasoning with idiots whose agenda is to wipe you out is ludicrous. Israel needs to do some serious arse kicking and wait for its enemies to beg for peace. Unfortunately this is the only method that works with these Iranian and other Arab fools.
Actually, they're not my friends. Frankly I don't know much about Hamas. Probably more than most people here, but I don't consider that a lot. What I focus on first is the atrocities that I have an ability to influence. I focus first on the wrongs committed by my side. That's because I believe that you are responsible for the consequences of YOUR actions. You are not responsible for the consequences of OTHER PEOPLE's actions. This seems really elementary to me. Strange that people struggle with it.
Israel illegally occupies Palestinian territory. Israel routinely invades it's neighbors in gross violation of international law. Israel kidnaps civilians and holds them in secret prisons without access to the outside world. The only reason they can get away with this is with the support of my country, so I feel obligated to stand against it and try to stop it. If we can get this much larger beam out of our own eyes, then maybe we should take a look at the speck in our neighbor's eye.
Mortar shells don't have the range or destructive power of Qassam rockets. The moderate faction in Gaza must be winning.
Jon, perhaps you should learn something both about the facts and about international law before taking a stand. To begin with, Israel no longer occupies either most of Judea and Samaria or Gaza. Furthermore, the occupation was and is perfectly legal under international law. Israel only entered these areas in response to genocidal aggression. It is perfectly legal to capture enemy territory in war, especially in a defensive war. After some time that territory is returned, once peace is made. The problem here is that with the exception of Egypt, none of the Arab belligerents has been willing to make peace, including the Arab residents of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. And please don't bring up UN resolution 242. People who do always fail to take into account the fact that withdrawal is predicated on peace and recognition of Israel, conditions that have yet to be satisfied by the Arabs. Israel has never invaded any of its neighbors in violation of international law. If you are referring to Lebanon, not only were Israel and Lebanon in a state of war due to the refusal of Lebanon to make peace, but either Lebanon was supporting Hezbollah, in which case it had created a new causus belli, or, if we are charitable, it was not in effective control of the territory, in which case Israel was entitled to enter in self defense. Your claims about kidnapping are equally false. Israel takes prisoners of war and captures criminals and treats them lawfully. Among other things, if you were to inform yourself you would discover that these prisoners have access to the courts and have won notable cases.
If you are concerned with human rights and the rule of law, you should support the one state in the region that is truly democratic, with universal suffrage and freedom of speech, has an effective judicial system, and observes international law, rather than a bunch of dictatorships and fascist gangs that do not allow freedom of speech, do not have independent and fair judicial systems, and routinely engage in war crimes. Hamas, about which you claim to know more than most people here, commits war crimes on virtually a daily basis: its rockets are targeted primarily at civilian areas.