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March 04, 2008
Sound & Fury Signifying Incompetence
Caroline Glick comments on Operation Hot Winter; its lack of strategic and tactical coherence, the consequences for Israel and all democracies who are fighting Islamofascism. For the war against Israel is not a regional war over land and boundaries—those are just convenient fig-leafs for media savvy terrorists—but part of a transnational jihad being waged by Islamic radicals to bring about a Caliphite and a world without Jews, Christians, all non Muslims.
In one form or another, Olmert, Livni and Barak all said that the goal of Operation Hot Winter was to end the Palestinians' missile and rocket campaign against the Western Negev generally and against Ashkelon in particular. They intimated as well that the strategic objective of the campaign was to overthrow the Hamas regime in Gaza, and reinstall a Fatah government. Beyond that they said that they sought to kill or capture Hamas's leadership.
But the Olmert-Livni-Barak government gave the IDF insufficient tools to achieve these grandiose plans. They only allowed the IDF to deploy one infantry brigade and two partial tank battalions. They refused to expand the operation to a divisional sized force, which would still have been too small to achieve any significant or long-lasting results. The limited geographical scope of the IDF operation - in a 2-3 kilometer zone in northern Gaza - had no impact of Hamas's ability to continue to shoot off rockets and missiles whose ranges run from 5-25 kilometers. In short, the Olmert-Livni-Barak government enunciated operational and strategic objectives that it clearly had no intention of achieving.
Today the Gaza Strip is a terror state run by an Iranian proxy. Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in September 2005, Hamas and its terror partners in Fatah and Islamic Jihad have built terror armies along the model of Hizbullah. Hamas forces have received training in Iran, Syria and Lebanon. They have built up formidable arsenals of Katyusha and Kassam rockets as well as anti-tank missiles. And, according to Fatah and other sources, they have been augmented not only by Iranian, Syrian and Hizbullah operatives. Al-Qaida has also built up a presence in the area.
This combined force successfully overwhelmed Egyptian forces along Gaza's border with Egypt in January. Its current capacity has rendered extensive portions of southern Israel exposed to missile and mortar attacks. And unless it is routed militarily, its capabilities will only grow.
To read the complete story, please click here.
Hat Tip: Seraphic Friend, Joel Weisz
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at March 4, 2008 10:19 AM
Comments
Seraphic Secret is private property, that's right, it's an extension of our home, and as such, Karen and I have instituted two Seraphic Rules and we ask commentors to act respectfully.
1. No profanity.2. No Israel bashing. We debate, we discuss, we are respectful. You know what Israel bashing is. The world is full of it. Seraphic Secret is one of the few places in the world that will not tolerate this form of anti-Semitism. That's it. Break either of these rules and you will be banned.
Short term band aids do nothing but provide a moment of rest, but its is misguided sense of relief.
Posted by: Jack at March 4, 2008 11:44 AM
All residents living in Israel are acutely aware of this past weeks folly in Gaza. There isn't an Israeli alive who doesn't completely agree with Caroline Glick's assesment.
So what can we do against a government which refuses to heed the call of the people. A govt. which has a coalition held together by Shas's greed, a govt. which will probably withstand any attempts at toppling it within the next 2 years.
Many might say that the people should rally by the millions in the streets and demand the govt. be annuled,.
I can honestly say that the egomaniac running the govt. doesn't care about the people or what they want!
Rally's and protestations will not work, this man is destined to have this country destroyed before he leaves office. And Shas will be as much to blame as any other coalition partner.
Posted by: Gregg at March 4, 2008 02:51 PM
Jack:
Misguided, the operative word. Tragically misguided, is my rewrite.
It's what I do:)
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 4, 2008 06:57 PM
Gregg:
Never in the history of the Jewish people has a corrupt and unresponsive leadership deserved to see their final exit through a nasty coup d'etat.
But we believe in the gentle rule of democracy, or what passes for democracy in Israel.
We certainly do not advocate for big, decisive, patriotic guys in Ray Bans zipping around in jeeps mounted with .50 recoilless machine guns, and yanking the reins of government from a bunch of cowardly, jihad-enabling appeasers.
Nope, that's not us, that's the lunatic screenwriter next door.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at March 4, 2008 07:17 PM
Facts on the ground will eventually force even this pathetic excuse for a government in Israel to act. I just wish people in England could appreciate that Israel whilst fighting for its survival is also fighting for us.. the IDF deserves the thanks of all... instead the media in England either ignores or scorns.
Posted by: thud at March 5, 2008 09:11 AM
As with all such Leftist-inspired governments, hoping to hold world acclaim, the Olmert government will only do tiny things to solve the problem. They can unleash the power of the State on their own people to stop a protest, but to actually put sufficient and overwhelming force on the ground against a truly deadly enemy is just too much.
Utter foolishness. Useless.
Posted by: benning at March 6, 2008 04:57 AM