Let the [political] Games Begin…
Will Israel allow local and international political considerations to determine the outcome of this long-running war. Note some of the latest 
headlines:
Monday night: Israel accepts Egyptian formulation of ceasefire, including demand for removal of Hamas missile stocks, total cessation of all forms of attacks whether missiles, invasion through tunnels and Jihad attacks inside Israel
Tuesday midday: Heavy Palestinian bombardment of 15 Israeli towns greets Egyptian truce bid. Tehran: Don’t stop [see article: www.debka.com ]
Tuesday afternoon: Unilateral Gaza ceasefire collapses. Israeli air strikes resume after dozens of Palestinian rockets in hours[see article: www.debka.com ]
Tuesday afternoon: Code Red sirens sound throughout Israel, including in the Haifa area; Hamas takes responsibility for rocket fire.
Tuesday night: First Israeli death of Gaza operation as mortar shell kills man at Erez Crossing
In spite of Israeli (and Egyptian) efforts, by mid-afternoon more than 76 rockets had struck Israeli territory, by 11 pm more than 130.
The IDF refrained from responding to the rocket fire for some five hours on Tuesday before Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ordered the IDF to resume strikes in the face of Hamas’s rejection of the ceasefire. [see article: Jerusalem Post]
| In a bit of public relations confounding to the sane, Sami Abu Zuhri, the same Hamas spokesman who encouraged people to be human shields, appeared on Hamas’ Al Aqsa television Sunday to say his group was not leading Palestinians to destruction. “We are leading them to death,” he said.That, somehow, was offered as a good thing for Palestinians.Surreal |
Until finally, in the evening the headlines were not just about those who were injured, or a few injured remaining in serious condition in the hospital, including an 11-year old. It was a headline about a 37 yr-old man who volunteered to take food to soldiers near Erez crossing. He was hit by shrapnel and died shortly thereafter. May God be with his family and friends to bring them comfort. Were it not for God’s protection and the skills of those who operate the anti-missile shield, there would by now be many more deaths in Israel.
But, as usual, apparently the diplomatic game must be played. And the world media must be spectators to the match, each reporter trying to outdo the other in their multiplicity of words displaying mercy for the innocent victims suffering at the hands of the Israelis. The reporters must prove that they are ‘fair’ (I didn’t say JUST!) and are weighing the aggressors and the defenders with the same scales.
Never mind that it has been very clear to everyone that Hamas would continue to fire missiles into all areas of the Israel, no matter who won each diplomatic round or what the media published. This they did even during the “official” ceasefires of the months and years prior — just a few, here and there, at a whim. They just blamed it on rogue groups!
In a bit of public relations confounding to the sane, Sami Abu Zuhri, the same Hamas spokesman who encouraged people to be human shields, appeared on Hamas’ Al Aqsa television Sunday to say his group was not leading Palestinians to destruction. “We are leading them to death,” he said. That, somehow, was offered as a good thing for Palestinians. Surreal! [Investigative Project Organization]
