Tag Archives: Hamas

September 18, 2014 · 6:02 pm

THE CONTINUING IMPACT OF TERRORISM

Recently, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations made startling statements about what lies behind much of the terrorism in the Middle East. Ambassador Ron Prosor charged that the aggressive behavior of Hamas was backed and financed by the country of Qatar. Oil-rich Qatar has been spreading its influence by purchasing six American universities, Harrods department store in England, and Paris’ Saint-Germain football team. Prosor said Qatar will buy, bride, or bully its way to whatever it wants, including the 2022 World Cup. Second only to Iran, Qatar is becoming the world’s biggest sponsor of terrorism.

The ambassador’s charges throw light on why terrorism continues to be so deadly in the Middle East. For example, during the war in Gaza, the Palestinians Authority confirmed that Hamas activists shot PA Arab supporters in the legs. Hamas imposed house arrest on the PA supporters (who knows for what reason) and then shot them in the legs or arms for failure to comply. In addition, it was charged Hamas had been planning a coup against the PA in the West Bank.  The IDF (Israeli Defense Force) and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) arrested 90 Hamas activists to stop the attempt.

The bottom line is that Hamas will use their own people as human shields, kill indiscriminately, use schools and hospitals to launch rockets while applying the millions they receive from Qatar to built rockets and tunnels for sneak attacks on Israel. Terrorism is a specter of hate, violence, and murder now being financed by the nation of Qatar.

Among the victims of this line of thinking are the Christians in Iraq. For 2,000 years Christianity has maintained a heartland in the Iraqi town of Mosul. The apostles Thomas and Thaddeus are believed to have worked and preached in Iraq that was then known as Assyria. Their ministry preceded the birth of Muhammad by 600 years. As ISIS swept in, the Sunni terrorist group expelled Christians from towns in the surrounding area. Terrorist marked their homes with the Arabic letters nun meaning Nazarene or Christian. Then, the invaders declared the residences “Property of the Islamic State.” In 2013, Baghdad’s Monsignor Pios Cacha predicted religious cleansing would affect the Christians as it had the Jewish community a half century earlier. Iraq had been the homeland of 150,000 Jews. Today, less that ten Jews are in the country.

Westerners find it difficult to grasp how religious faith could be at the heart of a Middle Eastern war. Diversity has been a cornerstone of American society from the beginning where today even bizarre sects are tolerated. Not so in the world of deadly battles between Sunnis and Shi’ites continuing daily. The West must wake up to the fact that countries like Qatar spend their billions to underwrite the conflicts. Whether we like it or not, want to avoid the conflicts like a plague, or are forced to see what we don’t want to recognize, countries like Qatar have pulled us into the struggle. Saudi Arabi and Iran each finance different sides in the conflict. The war goes on.

It’s time to pay attention.

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August 26, 2014 · 12:55 pm

THE POLITICS OF WAR

BLOG 215 August 25, 2014

The Israeli-Hamas conflict is winding down and we’re talking about the next war? Sounds like media commentators in America speculating about the next presidential election two days after the last election was over. Unfortunately, that’s the way things go in the Middle East.

Both sides are aware that the current conflict will eventually end but the war is not over. The mindless resistance of Hamas continues even though their leadership, rocket launchers, and attack tunnels are being pounded into oblivion. Nevertheless, Israel is already hard at work accessing the conflict and its meaning for the next round.

Here are some of the implications we can ponder.

  1. America came out of this conflict looking even worse than previously viewed by the Israeli population. President Obama and Secretary of Defense Kerry tried to lean on Prime Minister Netanyahu to stop fighting. The implication was that the USA was siding with Hamas. Once again, America failed to grasp the nature of the conflict until it was nearly over. Trying to reverse themselves, American advisers disclaimed the Obama – Netanyahu conversations. Sorry. The damage was done and America is even distrusted more now. In the next conflict, American advice will mean even less.

America must come to understand that economic pressure is not the issue. Hamas has one primary goal –to destroy Israel. Failure to get this point reduces US negotiating to nothing.

  1. If the West backs away from Israel, they will develop new relationships with countries like China, India, Korea, and Russia as well as Japan. Israel will not remain isolated. The West had best pay attention to this fact about their most reliable Allie in the region.
  2. Hamas will claim a victory in the war because their political leaders were not killed. They will also think that without their strong resistence the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) would have penetrated more deeply into the Gaza area. Well, forget that. When the Palestinians figure out the scope of their losses because of Hamas’ strategy, the Hamas propaganda link will sink.

However, expect the propaganda to continue.

4.The current cost to Hamas is great. Israel will not be making any concessions at the bargaining table. The war started with Israel defending itself then two goal evolved: destroying terrorist tunnels and demilitarizing Gaza. Hamas is not going to agree, but their back is to the wall. The point is that attacking Israel hasn’t proved to be a good idea.

  1. Hezbollah is watching. Israel knows the next war may well be with this terrorist organization based in Lebanon. Supposedly, Hezbollah was disarmed after the 2006 war with Israel and left with only 6,000 to 12,000 rockets. That idea was a colossal failure. Today it is estimated they have at least 60,000 rockets and maybe double that number. Intelligence sources indicate they are also developing drones with long range capacity. It doesn’t take an Einstein to figure out the implications of their stockpile of weapons.

The West has believed that co-existence is possible. In the Middle East, no one believes this idea to be true. Since Israel has been the main stay of American foreign policy, the next president (whoever that might be) better wake up to how the game is played. Failure to do so will seriously injure America as a real player in a deadly game.

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August 20, 2014 · 6:48 am

TAKING A DEEPER LOOK AT HAMAS AND TERRORISM

BLOG 214 August 18, 2014

The Western world has an important stake in understanding how terrorists operate and where they are going. The threats from ISIS to attack America only heightens the concern that citizens in the USA have about these murderous assault forces. It has been estimated that there are at least 30,000 jihadi fighters in Syria alone. The Al-Qaida movement continues to spawn clones and we need all the information possible on what comes next.

Matters have not gone well for Al-Qaida as of late and even they have rejected the ISIS movement as too violent. The so-called “Arab Spring” put a dent in their strategy that claimed only violence could bring real change. The quest from the populous for greater freedom also slowed their wagon. Today Bin Laden’s successor Ayman Zawahiri is no more than a shadow of the past. However, the Islamic terrorists in other areas have not slowed down.

In fact, the recent military advances of ISIS have even spread concern in Hezbollah, itself  a terrorist organization. Leaders of Hezbollah last week described the radical Isalmist movement as a “monster” that could threaten Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other gulf states. Hezbollah’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah claimed that only Hezbollah kept ISIS from invading Lebanon and pushing to the ocean.Of course Hezbollah has been fighting for Assad in Syria and is backed by Shi’ite Muslim Iran.  Recently, Saudi Arabia deployed 30,000 soliders to its borders with Iraq.  Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim monarch and has been silently supporting the uprising in Syria. The differences between Sunnis and Shi’ites appear insignificant to the West, but they are major factors in the Middle East struggle as the continue killing each other.

Hamas is caught up in the tangle of “who-is-fighting-who” for “what.” Heavily financed by the Gulf Arab state of Qatar of only 2 million people, Hamas received funds through the Muslim Brotherhood movement that viewed Hamas as a Palestinian branch. Sunni oriented Qatar views Shi’ite Iran as its greatest advesary and wants to keep the Iranians off their turf. Consequently, Qatar wants to keep Hamas in the Sunni camp and away from Iran. In the midst of this confusion  now comes Turkey and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan  helping to finance Hamas.

Because Hamas voiced support for Assad’s Syria, they were forced to move out of Damascus and as a result Iran lowered their support for Hamas. The merry-go-round keeps spinning. Sound confusing? It is.

The fundamental issue remains religious differences and where best to pour those billions from oil production to keep the pot boiling.

Now Hama has its back to the wall in Gaza. The Muslim Brotherhood was smashed in Egypt and they are defeated in the Gaza Strip. (Regardless of what they claim.) Unless they agree to a negotiated settlement, the cease fire ended August 18. The PLO and other Arab groups want a settlement; Hamas operates with a suicide mentality. Because Israel won’t budge, Hama is about to get wacked again. Currently, Israel appears to have no strategy for how they will control the Gaza area: dominate  it, de-militarize it, turn it back to the PLO. In an usual move, the European Union condemned Hamas for using citizens as human shields. The foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Italy harshly condemned pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Not good news for Hamas.

Where does Hamas go from here? They won’t quit, but they don’t have much to go on.

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July 22, 2014 · 6:48 pm

PROBING THE CURRENT ISRAELI – PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

2014 is starting to feel like 1914. (the start of World War I). The smell of smoke is in the air wherever we look from the China Sea to the Ukraine to the Middle East, war or the threat of war, rings through the air.

As the radical militants and jihadist continue to strike, there are important undercurrents in the background that are often not noticed. Such is the case in the on-going war in Gaza. The hidden message in the recent reconciliation between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas is a case in point and one of the reasons for the continued strikes by Israel. Of course, the fact that Hama fired thousands of rockets on Israel set the stage for the conflict. The refusal to stop and join a cease fire has perpetuated the conflict. The creation of tunnels into Israel to allow terrorist to attack also threw gasoline on the fire.

Hamas’s persistence in firing rockets when the Iron Dome System knocks every one out that comes close to a population center is a tell-tale sign of how Hamas thinks. They believe in bullets and the sacrifice of human life –even when it is their own.

Have you noticed that there have been virtually no Arab responses supporting Hamas from the surrounding countries? The Egyptian government even blamed Hamas and not Israel for dozens of Palestinian deaths. Egypt has kept their border closed, keeping Gaza residents from fleeing to Egypt. As the carnage became worse, a few governments sent out mixed signals that were feeble compared to their screams in other conflicts with Israel.

Within the folds of this silence is a realization of what the reconciliation talks between the PA and Hamas would end up meaning. Hamas has changed its strategy and was using the Hezbollah model from Lebanon. It’s a “bullets plus ballots” approach putting a high emphasis on killing. In Gaza, they maintain 20,000 well-trained military units and security personnel.  Since the June 2007 military takeover of Gaza, Hamas has put 50,000 employees on the public payroll. Hamas has made some shifts to cooperation with the PA, but are actually challenging Fatah in their own backyard. Gaza workshops in turn stepped up production of M-57 missiles.

In other words, Hamas has put more fire-power in the PA and created a greater striking force against Israel. By setting up rockets in residential areas, they seek a propaganda advantage of accusing Israel of attacking women and children. The Israelis aren’t buying it and are destroying all possible sites. Israel will either stop them now or pay the price later.

These adjustments have been spurred by set-backs that directly or in-directly affected Gaza. The loss of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt as well as the cessation of smuggling arms through the Sinai Peninsula hurt Hamas. The decline of financial subsidies from Iran and Qatar blew another log on the fire. Equally bad was the growing resentment of Gaza citizens because of unemployment, hardships, and constant repression. The huge losses in the current warfare won’t help their standing. Moreover, as Israel pounds Gaza militants into the sand, the Israelis are destroying the “bullets and ballots” strategy. Moreover, they are wiping out thousands of rockets and attack tunnels.

The war goes on. Hamas would be smarter to stop firing useless rockets and find a new approach. Anyone for reconciliation? Sorry. The answer is no.

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July 15, 2014 · 5:50 am

ANOTHER LOOK AT THE CURRENT HOSTILITIES IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

With pressure mounting from the United States and the United Nations, the war between Israel and Hamas isn’t slowing down. In fact, Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear Israel would not stop until the rocket attacks from Hamas are ended. An independent observer must wonder about what keeps fueling the fires.

A number of factors exist that keep the attacks coming. Interestingly enough, of the over one hundred rockets Hamas has fired (including one drone down), virtually none have hit any Israeli city or killed one Jew. On other hand, Israel is turning the Gaza Strip into rumble and leveling Hamas structures to the ground. 168 Palestinians have been killed. 1,300 are now in United Nations Shelters. The numbers reflect Israel’s intention to stop the rocket attacks that have gone ceaselessly for months.

Hamas responds that Israeli missiles are hitting mosques and civilian targets – which is true. However, the problem is that Hamas uses the centers to cover their attacks. In order to stop the rocket attacks, these sites must be destroyed. The use of civilian targets to thwart bombing attempts has backfired on Hamas. The bombing of civilian houses is the result of Hamas military officers and operatives living there.

An additional fear that prompts continued warfare is the growing presence of ISIS and its successes inside Iraq. ISIS’S leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi discussed with his lieutenants expanding their attacks beyond Syria and Iraq. Jordan would become an obvious target. While ISIS has no direct connection with Hamas, they share a common goal to establish imposition of Islamic law on women and the persecution of all other religions in the region through the use of violence. The two organization have too much in common to be written off as not having common goals. Obviously, Hamas will be looking for a new supply of weapons and rockets as the Israeli’s destroy what they have left. The specter of ISIS only fuels the flames to stop the terrorist assaults before they get started.

In today’s warfare, Israel knows that time is on its side. The military power differential between Israel and its foes has grown. The current turmoil in the Arabic world only exposes their failure to modernize and unify. In addition, Palestinian terror attacks inside Israel appear to be contained. By the time Israel ends their assaults on Hamas, the politico-terrorist group’s significance will be further pushed into the sand.

The only threat on the horizon is a nuclear Iran. Should Western attempts fail to halt their development of nuclear weapons, Israel is capable of handling this problem.

Why does the war continue? Because it is to Israel’s advantage to do so. The tragedy is that Palestinian Gaza Strip civilians will pay a heavy price for their unconditional support of Hamas.

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July 11, 2014 · 6:29 am

RENEWED FIGHTING IN ISRAEL

Israeli envoy to the United Nations Abba Ebon once said, “the Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” His haunting pronouncement has become prophetic. The lost possibilities keep mounting up.

During peace negotiations with Israel, the Palestinian Authority (PA) went out the back door and signed a peace agreement with Hamas which sunk the ship because the PA knew Israeli’s policy is never to negotiate with terrorists.  In turn, Hamas killed three Israeli teenagers and retaliation followed. Now the PA and the Gaza Strip are getting blasted. From opportunity to onslaught in a matter of days.

Personal perspectives on Israel and the Palestinians will shape how people interrupt the current conflict. Currently, Europe is experiencing a resurgence of antisemitism that colors reporting. Having returned from Israel several months ago, I have my own perspective shaped by over 35 trips to the country. I do know that the conflicts remain a powder keg just waiting to blow. This past week put the match to the fuse.

The great tragedy of war is that women and children as well as innocent bystanders get hit in the crossfire. We will hear many of these stories. They are beyond terrible and should never have happened. Neither should the three Israeli teen boys have been murdered that kicked off this conflict. Revenge and retaliation only produce more hate.

Following the killings, Israel launched its largest offensive in the Gaza Strip in nearly two years. Hamas has never stopped firing rockets into Israel and this current assault has the intention of ending weeks of heavy rocket fire. Militants fired around 160 rockets including one strike that came near the northern Israeli city of Hadera. At the same time, Israel hit 150 sites in Gaza. Of course, Hamas rockets had a minimal impact in Israel because of the Iron Dome rocket repelling system Israel has in place. Israeli rockets knocked out Hamas missiles while they were still in the air, damaging nothing.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the military to “take the gloves off” in responding to Hamas. Undoubtedly, the Israeli military will not let up until Hamas’s attacks are humbled. The army has called up 40,000 reservists that are prepared for a ground operation in Gaza if necessary. No efforts are underway for a cease-fire.

The Palestinians have compounded their first mistake with another. The cost will be high. It is almost as if their actions are always self-defeating. Of course, the PA didn’t like the deal on the table in their negotiations. Israel didn’t either. A compromise would greatly have been preferred to a war.

One aspect of the conflict is that Israeli and Palestinians have a different view of the value of life. Palestinians send in women wired with explosives to use as suicide bombers. Their view of human existence is that life is expendable. On the other hand, Israel considers life to be sacred. The L’chayim, to life, is a basic tenant of Israeli faith. The death of one Jew is considered to be the loss of a nation. In this philosophical debate, the Palestinians will loose again.

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February 1, 2014 · 3:28 pm

THE ON-GOING ARAB SITUATION

            By the way, if you didn’t notice earlier, a Russian probe into the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat found that his death was not caused by radiation or radiation poisoning.  Swiss authorities had speculated his death was consistent with polonium poisoning. Sorry. Wrong number. The head of Russia’s Federal Medical and Biological Agency reported that Arafat died of natural causes. Looks like Palestinian’s claims that Israel caused Arafat’s death is equally awry.

            Egyptian crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood continues. Near the end of December further sweeping arrests were made across the nation. The group received a government warning that anyone holding a leadership position in the Brotherhood could face a death penalty. The Brotherhood has not been declared to be a terrorist organization. This designation means that hundreds of thousands who hold membership could be arrested under anti-terrorism laws. The government promises some leeway for those who renounce the group’s ideology. The point is that a relationship with this group has become a life and death matter within Egypt.

When the military chief Gen. Abel-Fattah el-Sissi spoke to military graduates on December 26, he promised the country would stand fast in attacking terrorism. Of course, he meant the Brotherhood. Sissi isn’t fooling around.

The crackdown reaches beyond the boundaries of Egypt. In a recent blog, I noted that Hamas’s plans for receiving shipments of arms out of Egypt had been severely curtailed. It now appears that is an understatement. The tradition of strong Arab rulers has been to eliminate any possible threat. (ala the Brotherhood). Sissi knows that contemporary Muslims in the Middle East are not seeking the truth as much as they are attempting to restore power to their groups.  When the name of the game becomes political dominance, then the playing gets rough. The Muslim Brotherhood got in trouble because their goal was to first Islamize Egypt and then take control of the country. The ultimate goal was to capture the region, renew the caliphate, and establish Muslim controlled states. Of course, this was the issue when Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip.

Because Hamas is directly linked to the Brotherhood, Hamas is now involved in the continuing struggle against the current Egyptian regime. The leadership of this terrorist organization must now recognize that they too are part of the crackdown going on in Egypt. Jonathan Schanzer with Foundation for Defense of Democracies recently reported that in his 10 years of following terror finances, he had never seen a group come so close to financial ruin as has followed Egypt’s actions against Hamas.

Hama’s finances have been severely crippled and the tunnels used as a supply line closed. Toughies for Hamas!

As winter turns into summer, we can expect new information to surface on how these shifts in the Arab world are effecting the on-going struggles in a number of countries. The reversals seem to never stop.

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December 12, 2012 · 7:38 am

THE NEXT STEP IN GAZA-ISRAELI NEGOIATIONS

            Now that hostilities have ceased, the next step between Israel and Palestinian militants is some form of negotiated settlement. Hamas will push for the lifting of the blockade that has stifled goods being shipped into the country. Five years after Hamas seized control from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the blockade was imposed by Israel to halt the flow of military weapons into Gaza. The closing of all ports has been highly successful, leaving Gaza in an impoverished condition. In turn, Israel will demand an end to arms smuggling. Weapons have continued to come in through a system of tunnels built along the Egyptian border. These tunnels were one of the main targets during the eight days of air strikes by Israel. Significant damage was done to this system.

            Obviously, negotiations will be long and tough. Both sides have a great deal at stake. Egypt’s continuing role is to work with Gaza and Israel to start talks. However, the ongoing turmoil in Egypt has made President Morsi’s position tenuous. Undoubtedly, his time is consumed with trying to survive the current upheaval since he claimed dictatorial powers. It is not clear when negotiations can begin in earnest with President Morsi at the table..

But what can be expected?

This past week the world got a few clues from the first visit to Gaza City in history of the political leader of Hamas. Khaled Meshai delivered a defiant speech, vowing to built an Islamic Palestinians state on all the land of Israel. Tens of thousands of supporters gathered to hear Meshai promise the Jewish state would be wiped out by resistance and military action. Meshai said, “Palestine is ours from the river to the sea and from the south to the north. There will be no concessions on any inch of the land.”

The Hamas leader promised no recognition of the legitimacy of Israel, vowing that they would free Jerusalem no matter how long it takes. Hamas appears to have developed a new confidence believing they have stood up to Israel. However, they know that the fall of President Morsi would have dire consequences for them.

So, what can the world make of the current situation. Palestinian defenders are not likely to write Meshal’s speech off as political rhetoric. They believe in what he said. Certainly his ideas represent the Hamas constitution. He must be taken seriously. Unfortunately, terrorist are not deterred by such things as having all their buildings smashed and their leaders killed. They’ll be back tomorrow with a another truck load of weapons.

Until Hamas reaches a reconciliation with the PLO, the Palestinians remain divided and Israel has stated it will not negotiate with any terrorist group seeking their downfall. Therefore, we have come again to an impasse going nowhere. This amounts to a continuation of the status quo of past years. We cannot expect much to come out of the proposed negotiations.

With Syria poised for a downfall of the Assad regime with radical changes on the horizon, and Iran enriching uranium for a bomb, both sides have a great deal to think about. Nothing is ever easy in the Middle East. And it hasn’t gotten any smoother.

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November 28, 2012 · 8:36 am

HAMAS & EGYPT: CHANGE? MORE OF THE SAME?

With the roar of rockets quieted, what’s going on in the Middle East? The Gaza crowds celebrating an artificial truce have gone home and the noise of guns has been displaced by the usual market place clatter. But what’s the story behind the story?

Moussa Abu Marzouk, Hamas’ second in command, said that Hamas would not stop arming itself because only force can bring Israel to the negotiating table. Of course, Israel refuses to recognize Hamas because they are a terrorist group. The complication is that Hamas totally controls Gaza while the Palestinian Authority is left with the West Bank. In other words, a divided front claims Palestine but no one can say with certainty who speaks for this group. However, Abu Marzouk’s statements indicate that Hamas has learned nothing from the three day shoot out that left Gaza City in a serious condition.

Israel insists that any easing of the blockade will depend on Hamas’ willingness to stop smuggling and producing weapons. Because Hamas’ founding charter calls for the destruction of Israel, any threat must be taken seriously. They have also claimed to be manufacturing rockets inside Gaza. Because the Iranian made Fajr-5-rockets came close to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, this problem will be given serious study. Possibly three days of war has changed nothing except to force the Palestinians to stop firing rockets for the moment. No one believes this concession will last.

Where are we now? Back to the status quo?

Matters in Egypt seem to be getting worse by the day. On Saturday, Egyptian judges and prosecutors struck back against President Morsi’s degree to supersede all legal restraints. The stock market went to the bottom and protestors again filled Tahrir Square. Rioting broke out and demonstrators were on the march.

At stake is an expected December 2 ruling by judicial review to disband the constitutional assembly. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood are attempting to sidestep that possibility by declaring the president above all constitutional powers. The procedure has backfired. A council overseeing the judiciary called Morsi’s decree “an unprecedented attack” on its authority. If Morsi thought his quick maneuver would succeed, he obviously misread the Egyptian public.

Mohamed Morsi’s election was only by the thinnest margin. At least half of Egyptian did not want the Brotherhood in the driver’s seat. This conflict will only bring his opponents back in force. Unless Morsi makes a serious retreat, Egypt could well explode again.

The end result? The status quo would only be re-enforced.

What happens next? Former  chief of Mossad Efraim Halevy sees only three alternatives in Gaza: destroy Hamas and possibly  invite even more radical groups to take over; occupy Gaza; attempt to reduce the hostile environment by preventing the influx of new weapons while allowing Hamas to increase its civilian political role. The last idea would be a victory for Hamas because Israel doesn’t now recognize them.

With the American elections concluded, Israel has a number of important issues to ponder. Palestinian leader Abbas will go back to the United Nations seeking formal recognition, but how can he seriously do so when he doesn’t control any of Gaza?

The status quo remains. Israel may have to determine which way the future unfolds.

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November 21, 2012 · 12:26 pm

HUMBLING HAMAS

You may have turned on the TV last week and been shocked to discover a war had broken out between Israel and the Gaza Strip. If you didn’t follow Middle Eastern events closely, you could have been completely unaware of the constant barrage of rockets fired out of this area. What started the war? Here’s the facts.

Since Israel made a unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza area in 2005, 8,500 rockets have been fired into Israel. 13,500 rockets have hit Israel since 2001. Since tht date, an average of three rockets per day have struck Israel. Currently, 5,000,000 Israelis now live in rocket range.

Why did Israel take out the Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari as well as targeting Hamas rocket launchers? The question is not unimportant because United Nations members always blame Israel –regardless. Let’s put it like this …

Mexico starts firing rockets on El Paso, Texas at the rate of 3 a day. This goes on for 7 years. Finally, the United States bombs the launching sites in Mexico. Do you think we’d wait 7 years? 7 weeks? 7 days to stop such attacks? Probably we’d respond in less than 7 hours. The issue isn’t hard to understand.

The basic problem Israel faces is not the rockets as much as it is the Palestinian mentality. Here’s another analogy to explain how they think.

We have a Friday night football game between the Israeli Warriors and the Hamas Rockets. The warriors win by a big 50 to nothing score. The games over and the Warriors go out to get in their bus. The Rockets hide in the bushes but start throwing baseballs at the bus. No matter how defeated they have been, they are going to attack the buses until the last one of them is dead.

Make sense? No. But that’s the way it works.

Yasser Arafat could have achieved peace with a capital in East Jerusalem but he walked away when President Clinton tried to broker a deal. Why? Because the Palestinians want nothing less that Israel to be pushed into the Mediterranean Sea.

Rather than striking a deal and rebuilding their society, they continue down a path of destruction and death. From my encounters with these people, I do not believe they will stop. These attacks and responses will continue.

While no one has clarified the facts, it appears that more rockets have been smuggled in through Egypt. Of course, they are Iranian in origin. Having upgraded from liquid fuel to solid state materials, these new Iranian rockets have a much greater range even shooting at Tel Aviv and hitting Jerusalem. The Iron Dome defense system has proven amazingly accurate, knocking out 90% of the Hamas rocket attacks in this war. Unfortunately, the l0% that break through are capable of significant destruction. This fact alone suggests that Israel will not quickly end the conflict until they have cleaned out the launchers and tunnels that bring rockets in from Egypt.

Suddenly everyone from Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi to the American State Department are scrabbling to bring a cease fire. They should have been working to stop the rocket attacks years ago and there would not be a conflict happening today.

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