‘Head in the sand’
Cartoon concept by Dr. Steve Carol, Official Historian - Middle East Radio Forum. Author - Middle East Rules of Thumb:Understanding the Complexities of the Middle East
Artwork by Joe Consalvo.
Samson Blinded
In Iran, Natanz isn?t the main problem. The peaceful power plant in Bushehr produces 20% plutonium ? that is, 20% of its 82-ton payload. Iranians had tested the extraction of plutonium from spent rods. Even if Israel bombs Natanz and somehow deals with underground nuclear facilities deep in the mountains, there?s a fully loaded Bushehr reactor designed by Russians to withstand a direct hit by conventional Tomahawk missile.
Iran itself is not the biggest problem. The biggest threats to Israel come from Pakistan and North Korea, both irresponsible proliferators. Pakistan is on the verge of Islamist takeover, and some of its nuclear bombs are reportedly stored in Saudi Arabia. North Korea would sell nukes to any cash bidder regardless of his terrorist affiliation.
Russia is a bigger problem than the Arabs. It has built a plutonium-producing reactor in Bushehr, will build more blocs there, and agreed to build similar quasi-military reactors in Egypt and Venezuela. Anti-aircraft batteries at the Russian Navy base in Tartus cover most of Syria against Israeli strikes.
Talks of Palestinian statehood are outdated: Palestinians already have a state with its president, government, passports, ambassadors, and a small army.
Israel agreed to fund Hamas years ago in order to weaken Arafat. Israel also agreed to fight Hamas. But the Jews don?t agree to talk to Hamas ? what nonsense. If you fight it, you talk to it. Israelis close their eyes to the reality that Hamas is the true Palestinian government. Talking to the worthless Fatah doesn?t help ? with the same results we can talk to Navajo Indians.
Israel imagines herself in control over Gaza, and so closes its crossings. That is neither sensible, nor legal. Israeli control of the crossings is the major legal argument in support of her responsibility for Gaza. Instead, opening the crossings and bombing Gaza as an enemy state in case of attacks from there is a way to go.
Israeli war in Gaza stemmed from the self-delusion that Palestinians might revolt against Hamas. Instead, Hamas claimed victory by the virtue of surviving Israeli assault, and gained popularity among common Arabs in Gaza and abroad for standing up against IDF despite being abandoned by every Arab government from Cairo to Tehran. The war branded even Syrian and Iranian government as ?moderates? and ?collaborators? for their failure to help Gaza, and greatly promoted Islamic radicals.
Face the reality.
It never rains but it pours seems to be the point of this writer, Samson blinded.
There are 3 border crossing points in Gaza. Eretz and Karni along the border with Israel and the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
From Wikipedia:
Erez Crossing:
The Erez Crossing is the only pedestrian exit point from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Palestinians who have a permit to work in Israel or those with permits allowing them to receive medical treatment or to visit immediate family in prisons use this crossing when it is open for pedestrian travel.
Karni is a crossing for the transportation of cargo and goods between Israel and the Gaza Strip and is vitally important to the Palestinian economy.
Rafah Crossing into Egypt has been usually closed since June 2006, after Palestinians attacked an Israeli border post and kidnapped Gilad Shalit. The export of goods does not take place at this crossing and in June 2007, the crossing was closed entirely by the Egyptian authorities after the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip.
I am wondering on what basis this writer suggests it is illegal for Israel to close presumably the Erez and Karni crossings. What obligation does Israel have to the Palestinians to allow them to enter Israel?
As for the Karni crossing again, while the trade route between Gazan Palestinians and Israel is essential to the Palestinian economy, on what basis is Israel lawfully obligated to support the Palestinian economy?
If Israel is so obligated, is Egypt any less so?
The Palestinians themselves by their leaders have failed to build the necessary infrastructures for industry, agriculture and business for themselves? They have failed to build a harbour and sea port to handle the export and import of goods by sea.
Instead Palestinians have continuously used the world’s never ending welfare handouts to support their war with Israel and for other self interest of Palestinian leadership that has to do with them and not the Palestinian people.
I agree that Israel should be talking to Hamas, but with their eyes open.
Israel should have in the forefront of her mind that Hamas is intractably bound to its Islamic creed and the the notion of perpetual war with Israel until Israel is destroyed. Israel must be very cognizant of the fact that Hamas believes completely in the Islamic concept of Taqyia. This is a time limited truce with an enemy which according to Koranic teaching is made necessary when the Muslims are weak. The truce is essentially an opportunity for Muslims to regroup and strengthen. Once they have achieved power greater then their enemy, it is perfectly right that Muslims break the truce and resume the war to bring about the ultimate defeat of the enemy.
Forewarned is forearmed. Israel should either be gearing up to mount another offensive to literally destroy Hamas which is what Avigdor Lieberman calls for and if he makes the right deal with Netanyahu, that is exactly what Israel will do or Israel will need to talk to Hamas about some kind of a truce. Obviously any truce arrangement will have to be designed so as to ensure Hamas cannot strengthen and re-arm.
Comment by Bill Narvey — February 11, 2009 @ 6:31 pm
.
…
Truce? What truce does anyone make with terrorists who follow the rule that truce are meant for regrouping?
..
They are destroyed or they disband, it’s the only truce to make.
Anything else is the road to death , and a new superhighway is opening up soon.
The day they were elected they should have immediately been attacked, hunted down and annihilated.
Not to have done so was a criminal dereliction of duty of the past Israeli Government for which that leadership should be held to account with criminal trials.
Not only do Democratic governments have the moral right to do these actions, they also have the have they moral obligation to their citizens to do this without fail, without hesitation, without qualms and with extreme prejudice.
Nothing less than full annihilation can safeguard democracies from terrorist groups, terrorist cultures and terrorist states.
…
Annihilation is the terrorist goal, “from the river to the sea”. Unless the annihilators are annihilated , this is exactly what will happen. People need to pin that thought to their foreheads and clean their heads out of terrorist vocabulary like “truce”.
“Truce” to Hamas means “victory and to Israel it means “ashes”.
Comment by Max — February 11, 2009 @ 9:37 pm
Livni is a whore selling herself and Israel to anyone with the cash. She should be strapped to a captured Qassam rocket and fired into the nearest UN H.Q.
Comment by Max — February 11, 2009 @ 9:44 pm