Flash: Israel Launches Major Offensive into the Gaza Strip
Responding to a major upsurge of Hamas cross-border attacks from the Gaza Strip, Israel has launched its biggest military offensive since the 2008-2009 Gaza war. Of the 768 rockets striking Israel since the beginning of the year, 120 came this week alone, one of them destroying a house in the town of Sderot. Forty-four Israeli civilians have been killed by such attacks in the last decade. During the recent rocket offensive, schools and other facilities were closed and around one million residents of southern Israel were instructed to stay home or go to air-raid shelters.
The offensive, called Pillar of Defense, follows large numbers of rockets being fired by Hamas and its smaller allies over the last four days along with several cross-border raids, most notably the destruction of an Israeli jeep by an anti-tank rocket wounding four Israeli soldiers.
For the first time in four years, Israel carried out a targeted assassination, killing Ahmad Jabari, leader of Hamas’s military forces whose car exploded. Here’s a video of that event. Jabari has been involved in many terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians and also the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was freed in a prisoner exchange.
If Israel is in a ‘go for broke’ frame of mind -considering some of the polls of their citizens, they are in just such a state of mind- things could get real interesting, real fast.
Please, explain “go for broke” in this case.
Thank you.
Last year, about this time, more than 60% of Israelis wanted to go to war with Gaza. Two thirds said the last war against Gaza was stopped too soon. Overall, Bibi and his administration are strongly supported by the people of Israel, in spite of what you hear otherwise. The Israeli people’s position on national security policies is overwhelmingly in favor of a stronger, proactive military posture.
After putting up with rocket attacks and terrorist attacks from the PA, Lebanon, Gaza and others, they’ve had about enough. They want …justice.
“Go For Broke” means ignore the Jihadi-laced U.N. and protect themselves. In the words of an Israeli friend, “UN? SCHMUN!” I hope the Palestinians are ready to move back a couple more BEFORE the Stone Age. Jordanian terrorists all…
The correct phrasing is “Oom Shmoom”. United Nations in Hebrew is “Oomot ha’Me’uchadot”, abbreviated “OoM”. It’s a term of derision, first used by Ben Gurion many decades ago, toward that feckless organization.
‘Going for broke’ means I don’t give a damn my dear. Israel and the Jews tried the nice, humanitarian ,helpful approach and got kicked in the teeth throughout History , now let the other side start worrying. They think crying wolf will get them help after firing over 100 missiles in to Israel within a week.
People wake up you’ve been taken for a ride by the Palestinians and their allies for years and what do we have to show for it dead Americans,broke America and sinking Europe if we don’t stop this virus now you can kiss your future good bye.
Warren: Things are always really interesting here. Have you ever tried to figure out the political parties?
Yo
I was going for understatement, there. People often forget that Israel is a nuclear power, with two hundred to four hundred nuclear weapons, depending on which source you trust.
iow, they have the ability to nuke almost every major Muslim and Arab city in the Middle East, with a few left over for seconds. otoh, if they do anything like that, other nations with strategic ties to those Arab and Muslim nations will join the game.
So, yeah. Things could get interesting.
Are these drone fired missiles?
Anyhow, better late than never.
I hope that its not just because an Israeli election is coming up, or Netanyahu was worried, finally, now that the more fashionable Tel Avivias were in range.
Southern ISrael has been soaking up thousands of these over the years, with nothing but bluster coming from the ISraeli government. Shameful, they way they looked over their shoulders for world opinion like shtetl Jews fearing cossacks.
The missiles are fired from bunkers, usually from locations close to the border between Gaza and Israel.
I mean the missile that turned the terrorist into shawarma.
Barry, I am sure that you are duly elated, as I am. It is NOT as if they don’t have it coming!
So, this blogger dispatched her own missive forthwith, and here is some food for thought for the readers – http://adinakutnicki.com/2012/11/14/idf-exacts-major-price-from-hamas-finally-kills-its-military-commander-commentary-by-adina-kutnicki/
Faster….faster…kol ha’kavod! A blessing on the ‘hit squads’ heads!
All I can say is reminds me of what we say in the USA when we see a bus load of politicians driving off a cliff – its a good start. Israel is on their own after the reelection of The Feckless Won. I hope and pray for the best possible outcome for you.
Paleo, know this – our forces are ready! They want to end the madness, and they will – if TOTALLY let off the leash!!
May God bless you and keep you safe.
The question needs to be asked: will Obama begin to supply arms to hamas via libya?
Israel, remember their are real Americans that support you.
If I weren’t so old I’d consider signing up for reserve duty with Israel – and I’m not even part Jewish.
It really should read:
“…Obama’s covert installation of his ally, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, in power next door has given Hamas much more confidence. Obama’s Hamas partners have also forged ties with Egyptian Salafist groups ready to stage attacks into Israel across the Egypt-Israel border.”
Today might be a good time to ask Obama come clean on his Arab Spring strategic plans to remake the Middle East minus Israel. Then it might be fun to ask Petreaus to reveal all he knows about the Islamists in control of U.S. Foreign Policy.
There’s no way Obama could’ve stopped or caused what happened in Egypt. He watched and then pretended to be in favor of whatever DID happen.
No one installed the MB.
In my opinion, Obama privately has little sympathy for Israel because of the West Bank. This tension between Gaza and Israel will play out as before: every Arab nation will bluster to a greater or lesser extent and no one will intervene. They have no means to or the real will to.
Internally, countries like Egypt will now politicize Gaza institutionally as never before. That will serve to further radicalize people and, unlike Mubarak, the Egyptian gov’t will probably turn a blind eye to “unofficial” moves against Israel – up to a point. In reality nothing will change. Arabs countries are simply too dysfunctional to do anything about Israel.
The Feckless One’s ignorance of history vis a vi The West Bank – and in fact the nature and beginnings of the ‘Palestinian’ people is appalling. Even the most intensive search of the Arabic language fails to find any reference to the letter ‘P’ – or the sound of same. How can anyone with no ‘P’ sound in their language have a name with that sound? By all rights these should be ‘Balestinian’ people…
But since the Palestinian people are Cause Célèbre with the snobbish elite throughout the world (and I suspect – some of our RINO’s) and since The Feckless Won wishes to be head of such he will leave Israel to their own devices. Unfortunately that may manifest itself in slow to arrive help in the form of ammo – spare parts – etc if an all out shooting war comes to pass. This may force Israel into the reluctant position of having to use their nukes if push comes to shove. First one should be allocated to Tehran IMO. Second and third over Mecca and Medina. After that – take your pick. World condemnation would be harsh and swift but at least they’d be alive to hear the criticism.
Filistin – Arabic. Remember the Philistines?
Palaistínē – Greek. Ancient Egyptian – Peleset/Purusati – “Sea Peoples” at the Mausoleum of Ramses III. Assyrian – Palastu = Gaza. Old Hebrew – Plištim usually translated Philistines.
“The Arabic word Filastin has been used to refer to the region since the time of the earliest medieval Arab geographers. It appears to have been used as an Arabic adjectival noun in the region since as early as the 7th century CE. The Arabic language newspaper Filasteen (est. 1911), published in Jaffa by Issa and Yusef al-Issa, addressed its readers as ‘Palestinians’”. – Wikipedia.
Modern Arabs call them the Filistin in their own language. It is not a modern usage by any stretch.
I have my doubts about obama’s involvement. He had Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dorn in Egypt stirring up trouble before it bubbled to the surface. Plus he had his buddy Rashid Khalidi and some muslim brothhood boys over for supper in 09. Add in that muslim brotherhood operative that is Hilary Clinton’s assistant (and probable lover) and it starts to really stink.
I think the ties are stronger than you think.
The story about Ayers is apparently true. However trying is not doing. One would’ve had to be in Egypt at the time to fully grasp events. There is no doubt the watershed moment in Egypt was the broadcast on TV of the revolution in Tunisia after a fruit vendor immolated himself. Egyptians saw it could be done and questioned their own mettle.
I’d say next in importance was the murder by police of Khaled Said the previous summer. That Facebook page was huge during the revolution and Said’s face on posters was at Tahrir Square. The rancor over his death was bitter.
There was much organizing and grumbling but that had been going on for 3 decades. The latest big gripe had been the thought of Mubarak installing his son, thereby creating a dynasty. Mubarak was only the fourth President since Nasser and the man who ended up being the first President overthrew the Muhammed Ali Dynasty. Egyptians wanted no more dynasties.
There are Five Pillars of Islam and this offensive is called the Pillar of Defense. A coincidence?
No connection. In Hebrew it’s a reference to the Pillar of Cloud from the Exodus story, protecting the fleeing Children of Israel from the arrows fired by the advancing Egyptian forces. Today Israel is contending with missiles, not arrows.
Israel has gone to their version of DefCon 2.
Israel: Home Front Command Soldiers Mobilized
November 14, 2012 | 1706 GMT
Israel Defense Forces have sent an Order 8, or full mobilization order, to soldiers of the Home Front Command, Haaretz reported Nov. 14.
“For the first time in four years, Israel carried out a targeted assassination, killing Ahmad Jabari, the leader of Hamas’s military forces…”
Excellent!
As Insty would say: Faster Please.
Barry,
Figured you would post on this pretty quickly.
It seems to me that this may be more than just retaliatory. If the IDF atrits Hamas in Gaza, it weakens the Iranian retaliation by proxy if Israel decides to set Irans nuclear program back a few years. I would expect we would see similar actions against Hezbollah and a campaign in the West Bank as well.
Then there is the Sinai where trouble has been bubbling up with increased attacks over the Israeli border. Seems to me that Israel may want to quickly retake a good sized piece of the peninsula. That complicates things strategically for the Brotherhood in Egypt and for Hamas.
One thing is for certain, Iran is an existential threat against Israel if they have an atomic weapon. Israel will have to act. I wonder if we are not seeing the beginning phase of a calculated incremental plan to insulate Israel from retaliation in the future so it can strike when it deems it necessary.
I am not expecting a return comment.
Here’s hoping that every single one of Jabari’s virgins looks like Helen Thomas!
LOL!
If I had been drinking milk, it would have come out my nostrils!
Or semi-naked Hillary, Sotomayer, Kagan, Napolitano and Pelosi as the chosen handmaidens.
Plus Holder and Reid in drag just for a change.
On one side my government (Israel) acted perfectly. The opening to hit Jaabari was perfect, we had not more than 20 seconds time to do that. These men appear and disappear quickly. Thanks to our fine very on time intelligence!
Meantime we hear that the Egyptian Govt. would like an immediate cease fire, and talk. Even our ambassador in Cairo was invited to the Egyptian foreign ministry!
Hamas and all others know now that we are going for their big wigs. And more than 20 underground sites with missile depots have been destroyed, including the long range Fajr 5, which can hit my home in Tel Aviv. Meantime our drones and planes are continuing with what is necessary to do.
The news this evening are rather long here in Israel.
Unfortunately here in Tel Aviv we have to watch via TV what is happening 40-65 km further south, and live! The questions remains if we put our boots again into Gaza. Some reserves have been called up. History to follow.
What do you mean by Unfortunately here in Tel Aviv we have to watch via TV what is happening 40-65 km further south, and live!?
I think you’re fortunate.
To Bern: Unfortunately because what is happening to my country. On the other hand you are correct, fortunately, until now the missiles that could reach Tel Aviv are not fired. Only the shorter range Grad and the Hamas house made one Qassam.
Our Govt had to adopt another policy long time ago. It is intolerable what Hamas is doing, and equally intolerable what our Govt wasn’t doing since a long time ago. I guess in the future there will be no other way and enter Gaza massively and destroy the whole organization.
We have of course the capacity to destroy them,…but we are politically with our hands bound.
Todah Jossi,
I’m with you, wholeheartedly.
Todah raba gam lecha Bern. Thanks so much for your, and all others reading for your support. We are in for a long term fight, the fight for freedom, for liberty, and for all what is in consequence of it. A few days ago I watched the American special units here in Israel, training with ours at the Palmachim closed zone, (south Tel Aviv) which is reserved for large missiles launches, Patriots, Arrow and others. These systems are a joint US-IL collaboration. The tests were fine against mock Iranian new style missiles.
Well done, Israel! Must be nice to have a competent President representing the national interest.
Get em Israel!!
Anyone know where that brick came from that just appeared in Obambi’s pants?
Hummmm…..looks like the train may be accelerating.
Israel: Military Reserves Authorized To Mobilize
November 14, 2012 | 2129 GMT
The Israeli Cabinet has given preliminary authorization to mobilize military reserves if necessary for an air assault against the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported Nov. 14, citing a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
im concerned that the explosion that killed the terrorist also contributed to global warming
I just saw a video in a Jewish store. The kid behind the counter was receiving from somebody in Israel. It was from Sderot, you would have thought it was coming from London during the blitz. It was that intense: people are living in their bomb shelters, sirens going off continuously, and the incoming explosions. Nobody here is seeing the truth. Obama and the MSM don’t care. I spit on the “Jews” who voted for him.
It is war now. Obama does not need to care. All Israel needs now is political cover. I think Israel will get that.
Enough already. Either Hamas wants war or peace and Israel is prepared to deliver either one.
Remember the leaders Israel is going after are the scum that cheered when US soldiers were killed and when Hussien launched rockets into Israel during the 1st gulf conflict. They also cheered wildly when the 9/11 attack occured in the US.
Well, how does it feel now punks?
I have no sympathy for them at all.
If the Palestinians won’t make a meaningful peace, they deserve everything they’ve got coming.
I have an exceptionally long memory for those who cheer the deaths of my brothers.
Dear Mr Rubin, you write ” targeted assassination “.It only smears israel to use an offensive wording like assassination : Elimination, or execution are fitting the action taken by the IDF.
Agree with this.
Why not call it a ‘civilian sparing terrorist retirement’?
I agree Philippe. And to Mr. Rubin, he should know we are not assassinating people, our enemies do. We are defending ourselves. It is perfectly legal and even dutiful (even with Bible consent) to defend yourself and if someone wants to murder you, you are entitled to precede him. The commandment Do not kill is wrongfully translated into English, in Hebrew is says Don’t murder, which is very different. We may kill in self defense, but not to murder or assassinate.
Nothing short of a mushroom cloud is going to stop these savages. If Israel has to evacuate cities within 25km of Gaza, until the fallout settles, then so be it.
Moslems cannot be dissuaded by reason or by appeals to their better natures since they don’t have one. The only method that has ever contained them and driven them back is death and defeat in battle. The casualty calculus needs to be made unsustainable for them. I would suggest using counterbattery radar to determine the launch sites of missiles and then sterilising everything in a 500m radius circle around that point with an MLRS strike. The Palestinians are never going to be talked into peace. They can only be attrited into surrender or extinction.
It was the only thing which worked in a past.
My Father was in the Eighth Army during the war, came to know the Egyptians and Libyans and more or less despised them.
They were treated almost as serfs and underlings and you know what? Not a peep.
It’s all about authority and punishment. They’d seen what happened to Rommel’s decimated Afrika Corps, the smoking tanks and a charnel house desert and that was enough of a warning.
Now? We live in a parallel universe to the Arabs and the situation is reversed.
“…, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, in power next door has given Hamas much more confidence. ”
Mr Rubin,
This may be true, but I think that Hamas made a strategic decision that starting with the heavy-duty missile firing would bring push to shove: that is, not because of confidence, but rather by betting that Morsi, being MB, would have to stand with them in Gaza. I think it is a huge miscalculation by Hamas. Morsi may scream bloody murder, but he’s wetting his pants because Egypt will be humiliated since there is no way they – unlike Mubarek – can influence what Israel does.
Does President Obama understand that he will not be safe in his million dollar mansion in Hawaii. Nuclear war seems beyond his comprehension.
Iran is pulling the strings behind much of what is happening on Israel’s borders.
Heat things up in order to save Assad. Save Syria and influence in Lebanon remains strong. If Turkey gets involved in the conflict it paints Erdogan as a supporter of Israel thus weakening his base and making it more likely the next government will be more flexible with the Iranians. If things get too hot one telephone call to Obama promising more flexibility on US/Iranian talks should put the screws to Israel. Rather than weakening Iran , US policy is giving them ever more diplomatic power. Obama, as usual, is in over his head.
Yes. Competent leadership would have recognised Iran as the center-of-gravity for terrorism and eliminated it some time ago. Unfortunately, the West is led by America, which has suffered a leadership crisis for the last several decades.
The American body politic seems to prefer sticking it’s head in the sand and hoping those mean old mullahs will go away.
That, of course, leaves the neither regions exposed. 50% of American voters find that acceptable, 2% find it enjoyable.
Go figure!
“We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men”
~George Orwell
” Lead from behind “, is a phrase that feels good only in a cowards mouth.
For Israelis, the much admired battle cry of our finest officers has been and always will be, ” Follow me! ”
The world is in flames not so much because of a lack of leadership as much as a preponderance of cowardice.
Hamas will never stop until they have exterminated Israel.
Instead of being too focused on worthless in the end public opinion,Israel should focus on making Hamas a past tense threat as a message to Iran and Hezbollah of whats coming.
The IDF is not fighting to WIN and defeat Hamas, only to cripple them and that is a losing policy.
The politicians and generals think they have to keep Hamas alive because they ‘govern’ Gaza well.
This is insanity ,it’s like saying ‘ We can’t wipe them out,we have to keep the Nazi’s ruling over Germany because they are such efficient rulers over their people and someone worse may replace them.’
Sadly ISRAEL HAS INEPT POLICY MAKERS WHO ARE AFRAID TO DEFEAT THE ENEMY
Rip them up by the roots. If you have to fight a war, win. Hamas in gaza needs to be utterly destroyed with their leaders imprisoned or killed. Total victory first, let the Palestinians figure what to do afterwards.
Exactly right.
Ghilmeini, While physically possible, not sure the destruction of Palestinians is politically possible. Palestine is an idea, not a place. That idea is supported by over a billion humans, which would be a super-sized order of genocide. Besides, according to Liddel-Heart, a direct assault tends to harden the resistance.
What needs to be done is for a better idea to be put forth.
The two-state, lovey-dovey, peace in our time idea has not been bought into by the Arabs that call themselves Palestinians.
If the UN was more then a monetary exchange mechanism, they would have already established FIRM borders for Israel and split the displaced Arabs among other Arab states. That today is just as politically impossible as genocide.
Politics changes over time, so I expect one day the human race will get tired of human shaped animals murdering our women and children. Not long after that the issue will be resolved.
“I say we pull out and nuke ‘em from orbit. It’s the only way to make sure.”
- FO Ripley.
“Israel knows it cannot depend on an energetic U.S. pressure on Egypt to tamp down on the terrorists.”
One could assume that since October 24th over Khartoum which is when Operation Pillar of Cloud initially began.
IDF class of 2012 is different than Cast Lead, by recalling its rapid-fire performance in the Six-Day War then fought on multiple fronts.
The media is reporting 15 Gazans dead and 150 wounded and in Israel 3 dead and 5 wounded. Over 200 rockets have be fired by each side. Israeli rockets of course are usually aimed at specific targets so Israel definitely was seeing some sort of problem in Gaza.
Hamas will never stop until they have exterminated Israel.
Instead of being too focused on worthless in the end public opinion,Israel should focus on making Hamas a past tense threat as a message to Iran and Hezbollah of what’s coming.
The IDF is not fighting to WIN and defeat Hamas, only to cripple them and that is a losing policy.
The politicians and generals think they have to keep Hamas alive because they ‘govern’ Gaza well.
This is insanity ,it’s like saying ‘ We can’t wipe them out,we have to keep the Nazi’s ruling over Germany because they are such efficient rulers over their people and someone worse may replace them.’
Sadly ISRAEL HAS INEPT POLICY MAKERS WHO ARE AFRAID TO DEFEAT THE ENEMY.