How is it that 20 tons of explosives, not to meniton many guns of every kind, have been smuggled into Gaza from Egypt? Can it really be that the Egyptians have made every effort to prevent it, or have they in fact done little or nothing to prevent such arms smuggling, and in fact possibly even aided it? What has Egypt done to merit any confidence that it will fulfill a single one of its solemn obligations under the Camp David Accords? It has prevented Egyptians from visiting Israel, prevented Israelis from participating in Cairo film and book festivals, allowed press campaigns that vilify Israel, put on the state television a series based on the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," and made Egypt a world center of antisemitism.

And the American government, which pushed the terms of that disatrous accord (if the Israelis were going to give up the Sinai for the second time, to Egypt, a country which acquired most of the Sinai only in 1922, and to which by its aggressive acts launched against Israel from Sinai had forfeited any title to the superior one of Israel as the winner in several wars of self-defense) has done nothing in the nearly thirty years that have passed to make Egypt obey fulfill those obligations -- and apparently lost much interest in such fulfillment just as soon as Israel, in three tranches, handed over the entire Sinai with its oilfields, and its roads, all built by Israel.

Now the Israelis, some report, wish to finally put paid to those many smuggling tunnels. Like idiots, some Israeli journalists have reported on this, and now, by alerting Egypt, have possibly made it politically and militarily for Israel to do what it has every right to do, and should do.

Those journalists in Israel should think a bit. Not "well done, thou good and faithful servant." But shame and disgust at their heedless reporting.

And Israel should not be deterred if the Egyptians are moved up. The tunnels are there. If they are not to be destroyed, the altnernative is to retake Gaza. Let that be made clear, to Egypt and to an American administration that is at a complete loss as to what to do, and so, in its failing and its flailing, unable to extricate itself from Iraq apparently because of the loss of face it fears it would have to endure (when, in fact, six months after such withdrawal the chaos and confusion and sectarian troubles all over the Muislim world would demonstrate the real "victory" achieved, and inevitably achieved, but never understood or recognized, once Saddam Hussein was removed), will try to pressure Israel all it can, in the hope that somehnow -- doesn't Brzezinski believe it? And Scowcroft? and Baker and the Baker Commission? -that in some undefinable way, that will lessen the Jihad when, in fact, it is the reverse. The Lesser Jihad against Israel does not cause the Greater Jihad against Infidels but is only a subset that started earlier, before the OPEC revenues and Muslim migration allowed for an enlarged world-wide battlefield. The Lesser Jihad against Israel has, in fact, for a long time actualy protected the West, serving as a lightning-rod for the general anti-Infidel fervor that is not a product of "extremist" Islam, or "Wahhabi" Islam, or "Wahhabi Salafist" Islam, or of something some call "Islamism," but rather of Islam. Unmodified, unadjectivized, unsuffixed Islam.

Posted by: Hugh at October 29, 2006 7:15 PM

Hugh,

Very good point. Why doesn’t the media ever wonder how those Fatah and Hamas ‘militants’ pictured parading every day on the streets managed to get their weapons, in the midst of “crushing poverty brought upon by heavy-handed Israeli actions”?

Posted by: Steve Cheng at October 29, 2006 7:22 PM

Israel should be encouraged to take back the Sinai given the acts of aggression by someopne not abiding by a treaty.

No doubt islam is coming home to roost where agreements with infidels mean zip.

Well, there are consequences.

Posted by: dgene at October 29, 2006 7:35 PM

Here's what Israel gets for handing Gaza over to these losers. Hopefully Condi Rice is happy with this chaotic mess. No doubt she thinks Israel is to blame for all this. Maybe she'll push for even more concessions by Israel to keep the peace.

Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at October 29, 2006 7:46 PM

Tell Egypt to close the tunnels. We write them a pretty big check every year, don't we? A deal is a deal.

If they don't want to cooperate, re-direct the Egyptian funds to alternative energy research.

Posted by: limes at October 29, 2006 7:54 PM

"Security Personnel" I presume that is New Speak for soldiers.

Posted by: Pelayo at October 29, 2006 8:27 PM

Pelayo,

You are right, the arrogant egyptian military would use the terms interchangeably but if you had seen them in action you wouldn't call them "soldiers".

Posted by: Ronin at October 29, 2006 8:36 PM

Very good point. Why doesn’t the media ever wonder how those Fatah and Hamas ‘militants’ pictured parading every day on the streets managed to get their weapons, in the midst of “crushing poverty brought upon by heavy-handed Israeli actions”?
Posted by: Steve Cheng

When an enemy army parades their weapons openly they are a legitimate target. Air strikes or more direct action would be completely legitimate to decimate this enemy. Maybe Israel should be invited to join NATO, making any aggrassion against them an aggression on all of us. And get Turkey out of NATO please...

Posted by: germaninamerica at October 29, 2006 8:52 PM

Tell Egypt to close the tunnels. We write them a pretty big check every year, don't we? A deal is a deal.

If they don't want to cooperate, re-direct the Egyptian funds to alternative energy research.
Posted by: limes

redirect the funds to Israel so they can re-take the Sinai. Heck.. why not go for the Suez Canal while they are at it.. :-) They could use the revenue I am sure. and they'd do a lot better at managing the Canal to boot.

Posted by: germaninamerica at October 29, 2006 9:23 PM

Israel should be invited into NATO for protection, and as a helpful partner. I am sure Turkey may decide to leave on their own.

Posted by: Islofob IS-1 at October 30, 2006 1:08 AM