So then Hamas fired a few of its own rockets into Israel, and Israel retaliated massively, and we were off to the races once again. Even though that was bound to end the ceasefire. Israel, fed up with their pinprick attacks, was looking for somebody to punish and since it couldn’t locate all the jihadi leaders, it decided to assassinate Ahmed al-Jaabari, the head of the military wing of Hamas.
GAY CUM DRINKING ON TUMBLR CRACK
faces the permanent political danger of being outflanked by more extremist rivals, so it cannot crack down too hard on the jihadis. Gwynne Dywer, an independent journalist based in London, believes neither side really wanted a fight but was pushed into it - another example of what he calls “the cock-up theory of history.” Hamas has been trying to maintain calm in Gaza and extend a ceasefire agreement with Israel, but it has little control over various radical jihadi groups who build popular support by making utterly futile rocket attacks on Israel. Why coddle those twisty Palestinians by giving them a state of their own? … Better to keep them behind that wall and smite them if they raise their heads. Netanyahu, whose Likud party has merged with an even more hawkish lot under Avigdor Lieberman in the run-up to an election on Jan. Above all, Israel has prospered, especially under Binyamin Netanyahu, a prime minister who has largely ignored the peace process … Mr. In diplomatic terms, America is as steadfast as ever many European countries also blamed Hamas for starting the latest round of violence. Israelis will sleep more soundly - for a while. Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system has proved its worth and many of Hamas’s missiles have been destroyed. In military terms, Hamas has been put back in its box. The Economist suggests Israeli hardliners will be encouraged, rather than the reverse. Indeed, the world of a negotiation over borders, refugees, Jerusalem is a world of great discomfort for Netanyahu, because it will force choices that run against his nature, his politics, and his ideology. Sure he’d like to destroy Hamas and negotiate with Abbas - but on his terms. But he is truly in his element in dealing with it.
Netanyahu didn’t seek out a war over Hamas’s rockets, which threaten an increasing number of Israeli towns and cities. Hamas’s behaviour merely validates Netanyahu’s view of reality - and it empowers him to rise to the role of heroic defender of Israel.
This is a world of toughness, of security, and of defending the Jewish state against Hamas rockets, incitement, and anti-Semitism. It’s politically inconvenient to admit it, but given Bibi’s world view - which is profoundly shaped by suspicion and mistrust of the Arabs and Palestinians - he’s more comfortable in the world of Hamas than of Abbas. The agreement is further de-facto recognition by Israel and the international community of Hamas’ government in Gaza.Īaron David Miller in Foreign Policy magazine explains why Netanyahu prefers to take on Hamas, rather than deal with the rump West Bank government of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority President. He hasn’t undergone a Zionist conversion and he still denounces “Israeli aggression,” but he knew he was acting in Egypt’s best interests when he made do with a limited diplomatic protest to Israel’s operation in Gaza and offered his services as a mediator.… Even if the cease-fire agreement garnered them only part of their original demands, Hamas’ civilian leaders will be seen as having squeezed concessions out of Israel for the benefit of ordinary Gazans. This was the week in which Morsi cemented his position, not just as the leader of the largest Arab nation, but also as a regional statesman. Anshell Pfeffer at Haaretz adds Mohammed Morsi, the Egyptian President, to the winners’ list. There’s also criticism from inside Israel. Instead, Hamas comes out of this bombardment strengthened. But it did not change the political equation. There is no question that the Israeli attempt to launch an all-out attack and invasion of Gaza has failed.Īdds Vijay Prashad in the Indian newspaper The Hindu, What did “Operation Pillar of Defense,” as the Israelis called it, accomplish for Tel Aviv? It certainly allowed the Israelis to test their missile defence shield (Iron Dome) and it allowed them to use their heavy weapons against the Palestinian population. 22 elections.Īn editorial in the Dubai-based Gulf News is typical: The ceasefire in Gaza agreed between Israel and Hamas is undoubtedly a victory for the latter.
Hamas is seen in many camps as “winning” and gaining credibility abroad Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is accused of using the conflict to burnish his hawkish credentials before the Jan.