Israeli Ground Forces Enter Gaza

The Associated Press reports that "Israeli tanks and troops launched a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip Saturday night with officials saying they expected a lengthy fight with Hamas militants in the densely populated territory after eight days of punishing airstrikes failed to halt rocket attacks on Israel. Hamas vowed that Gaza would be a 'graveyard' for Israelis forces." California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared that "every nation has the right to defend itself against terrorism and cold-blooded attacks on its people. Israel is no different and is right to defend itself against the unceasing violence of rocket attacks launched by Hamas." Czech European Union presidency spokesman Jiri Potuznik said that "at the moment, from the perspective of the last days, we understand this step as a defensive, not offensive, action." The EU President, however, does not represent all of Europe. The French Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that "France condemns the Israeli ground offensive against Gaza as it condemns the continuation of rocket firing" and termed the Israeli action a "dangerous military escalation."

It is important to point out to the French and to all those who may condemn the Jewish State that Israel has the military capability to take care of Gaza without a single boot on the ground. The Israeli Air Force is one of the very best air forces in the world. Over the last week the world has witnessed the precision in which Israel is able to target its enemy. Israel could continue to bombard Gaza with bombs from the air if it so wished. If Israel was not worried about civilian collateral damage in the assault on Gaza it could continue an aerial attack and cause much more damage. When it comes to Israel, this is not the case. Israel has decided that it is worth risking the lives of Israeli soldiers by launching a ground offensive. This risks IDF lives in a way that an offensive from the air does not. It is a testament to the fact that Israel has always taken civilian casualties into consideration. It is imperative that you not be fooled by the media offensive against Israel. The media will attempt to portray a ground offensive as an escalation on the part of Israel. This is certainly not the case. It is Israel showing that they will not rely solely on their air force, as they no doubt could, but that they are willing to sacrifice Israeli soldiers in the battle against Hamas. I pray that the Israeli soldiers and tanks moving into Gaza are successful in their mission against a fanatical jihadist enemy.

The Associated Press further reports that "the U.N. Security Council scheduled emergency consultations Saturday night on the escalation of violence in Gaza." Israel should brush the United Nations aside as one brushes aside dandruff on the shoulder of a dark suit. When it comes to Israel the United Nations is more than irrelevant. They are a nothing more than a mouthpiece for the enemies of Israel. They are a propaganda headquarter for the Palestinians and the Arab States, all the while having the aura of international legitimacy.

The AP reports also that Hamas has "threatened to resume suicide attacks inside Israel" as if Israel needed another reminder of the jihadist evil which it faces, an evil force that is willing to conduct suicide terrorism targetihg innocent civilians.

And here is Bob Dylan to provide some perspective:


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Thousands Of Afghans Demonstrate In Support Of Hamas And Against America And Israel

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Preaching Jihad Terrorism And Destruction Of Israel Intensifies Across The Middle East As Strikes On Gaza Continue

The following are three disturbing examples.

1. EGYPT: Islamic preachers on various Egyptian telivision channels have intensified their anti-Semitic jihadist rants: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1965.htm

2. JORDAN: Islamist Jordanian MP Muhammad Abd Al-Qader incites the masses to wage jihad: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1962.htm

3. IRAN: Perhaps the most disturbing of all, Iranian telivision shows Iranian toddlers being taught about martyrdom and the hatred of Zionists: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1964.htm

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Senior Hamas Leader And Cleric Sheikh Nizar Rayyan Killed In Israeli Airstrike

The Jerusalem Post reports that the Israeli Air Force "on Thursday bombed a building in the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza, reportedly killing seven people, including senior Hamas leader and cleric Sheikh Nizar Rayyan, and injuring thirty others." The seven killed include the Hamas leader, two of his four wives, and four of his children. The Jerusalem Post further reports on other strikes against Islamoterrorist targets including the homes of other Gaza terrorist leaders. "Since Thursday morning, the IAF struck over 20 targets, including rocket launching sites in northern Gaza, as well as tunnels and a car in the southern Gaza Strip, killing several Hamas operatives. In addition, the IAF bombed the homes of three senior Gaza terrorists. One of the homes belonged to Mohammad Baroud, a top Popular Resistance Committees operative. The army said that Baroud was the head of all rocket cells in northern Gaza and that he was funded and supported by Hamas. The army said that there were anti-tank missiles, rockets and bombs in the home. Another of the homes destroyed belonged to Hasim Drili, a northern Gaza Hamas operative. The army said that he had a manufacturing plant in his home for rockets, mortar shells and missiles. The third home belonged to Tafik Abu Raf, a Hamas terror operative in the central Gaza Strip. The IDF said that he had a weapons laboratory in his house. Not including Thursday's strikes, IAF warplanes have carried out some 500 sorties against Hamas targets, and helicopters have flown hundreds more combat missions in five days of raids, a senior Israeli military officer said Wednesday on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations."

The Hamas enemy does not hide its desire to destroy the Jewish State. The following video of Hamas women in Gaza vowing to become "martyrdom-seekers" and blow themselves up among "the apes and pigs" appeared on Al-Aqsa TV on December 30, 2008. Only barbarians would send their wives and daughters on suicide operations. This is the face of Israel's enemy:


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Two Israelis Shot In Denmark

The Associated Press reports that "a gunman wounded two Israelis working at a packed central Denmark shopping mall Wednesday, Danish police said. The two wounded men are Israelis in their 20s, police spokesman Lars Thede said."

Politikin.dk writes that "one of the victims was hit in the arm, the other was wounded in the leg, according to reports. Both were taken to hospital, but police were unable to provide information on their condition. Eyewitnesses told bt.dk that the perpetrator arrived in a hairdresser’s salon owned by one of the Israelis. He was said by eyewitnesses to have shouted something ‘in a Middle-Eastern language’ after which he began shooting. One of the Israelis was said to have tried to flee, while the other threw a stool at the man. Both, however, were hit. The police spokesman said that six bullets had been fired."

The following pro-Palestinian demonstration in Copenhagen on December 28th might help explain what would motivate such an attack. After listening to the chilling chant of "the Jews are Allah's enemies," your questions may be answered.


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Israel Rightly Rejects International Push For Cease-Fire With Hamas

Former IDF Brig.-Gen. and Knesset Member Effie Eitam explained Wednesday to Arutz Sheva that a cease-fire with Hamas should not be an option saying that “we must understand that this war against the Hamas terrorist regime has ramifications well beyond the immediate outcome. The entire Arab and terrorist worlds, especially Iran and the like, are watching Israel to see how it deals, yet again, with terror threats and rockets fired into its territory." Eitam further warned against repeating the mistakes made in the battle against Hezbollah two and a half years ago stating that Israel's "failure last time in Lebanon is that which created the present situation… Everything taking place now in Gaza is a direct imitation of what happened in Lebanon: the way they prepared themselves on the ground, firing rockets at our cities, etc. In Lebanon, we had a few excuses, in that our army wasn’t perfectly ready, and Hizbullah had a home front behind them constantly re-supplying them and helping them – but here in Gaza this is not true: Our army is ready, there is no home front behind them, and we will have no excuse for not dealing them a total defeat. If we do not now effect the total defeat of a terrorist organization to the point where they get down on their knees and beg for mercy, we will face a deterrence-loss crisis much greater than that which occurred following the Second Lebanon War.”

MK Eitam defined a “total defeat of Hamas” as dealing "a terrific blow to their military capabilities and to the desires of their decision-makers – if they are still around at the end; in my opinion they should not be - to resume firing rockets at us. Anything less will endanger us in the long run. Therefore, the test now is for the government leaders, not the army, which is ready and capable. If we fail, it will be a failure of the leadership. If they do half-a-job, it will have the gravest ramifications on our deterrence capability. Hamas can easily decide to stop firing rockets for a few day, if that is the condition for a ceasefire - and then where will we be? We will have had a small exchange of rockets between us, ending in a tie… We must not stop under any circumstances until we have achieved the objectives I stated above.”

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Military historian Victor Davis Hanson writes: "Hamas blankets Israel for days with rockets and the Europeans are silent until Israel responds with force-only to be blamed for inordinate aggression-the subtext being both that the militarily capable party is to be condemned for being,well, too militarily capable, and that those who can field and deploy terrorists, or aid those who will, against Western targets are deserving of some sort of exemption."

Walid Phares, author of "Future Jihad," writes that "BBC, CNN and France 24 are also tilting towards Hamas, which is creating a sort of a media consensus against Israel. It is a repeat of Lebanon 2006 on the media level so far."

Both Hanson and Phares are pointing out the bias from the international community and the media when it comes to Israel. The media will no doubt focus on innocent Palestinian casualties and attempt to create a consensus against Israel. However, let us remind ourselves of the support that Hamas has among the civilian Palestinians of Gaza. The people of Gaza voted for Hamas after Israel had withdrawn from every last inch of the Gaza territory. The Gaza territory has since been turned into a Hamas jihadist enclave. Just two weeks ago a Hamas rally was held in which tens of thousands showed up to support Hamas and the continued war to destroy the Jewish State. Thousands celebrated the rocket attacks on innocent Israeli civilians and the illegal kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit from undisputed Israeli territory. The Left will cry rivers over a Guantanomo detainee, but somehow not shed a single tear for Gilad Schalit who has not surprisingly even been afforded one visit by the International Red Cross while in Hamas captivity. All these thousands of Gazans showing up to the rally are certainly not members of Hamas's armed wing. But they are in no way innocent. It is this rally from just two weeks ago that provides a necessary context that will not be heard in the media coverage of the Israeli strikes on Gaza.


The following link shows an Israeli Air Force video of a Hamas rocket launch followed by Israel destorying others: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230733115606&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Here is another Israeli Air Force video showing a precision strike on December 31 against a Gaza mosque that was being used to stock rockets. Secondary explosions are caused by the ignition of the Palestinian weapons cache. Hamas has no problem using a place of worship as a military site and base for terrorist activity.


Further, historian Michael Oren notes that "the current round of fighting provides Israel with an opportunity to end its painful chronicle of indecision on Gaza and to embark on a lucid and realizable policy. Can Israel co-exist with a Hamas-dominated Gaza? What are the alternatives (the reintroduction of Egyptian forces, for example) to a renewed Israeli occupation of the area? To what degree will the international community accept a zero-tolerance approach to rocket attacks against Israel, and, more crucially, will the incoming Obama administration publicly endorse that stance? These and other questions might be answered in the coming days if Israel, withstanding the media backlash, dares to ask them."

Finally, the following photo was taken at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Manhattan. This terrorist sympathizer wants all Juice dead and supports the killing of innocent Juice by Islamoterrorists. I believe that Tropicana has a right to defend itself against madmen such as these who want all Juice dead. On the one hand, the functional illiteracy of this anti-Semite is laughable. On the other hand, the fact that a sign bearing such a message appears as part of a demonstration in New York City is no laughing matter.






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Sydney's New Years Fireworks Spectacular

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Race-Bating Rep. Bobby Rush: Reid's Opposing Blagojevich's Senate Appointment Makes Him Like George Wallace

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Fox News's Greg Jarrett Versus Palestinian Apologist And Former PLO Spokesperson Diana Buttu

Fair and balanced:


The following two Op-Eds help explain the context behind the Israeli assault against Hamas in Gaza:

The first is by Benny Morris and appeared in the New York Times on December 29. It is entitled "Why Israel Feels Threatened" and can be read at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/30/opinion/30morris.html?_r=2"

Another article by Stephen Brown of Front Page Magazine entitled "Why Israel Struck" can be found at http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=BB3D41A5-7F9A-4F16-A409-FC9DE039BF52"

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Former Israeli Ambassador To The United Nations Dan Gillerman On Assault On Gaza

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Palestinian Girl: "I Say Hamas, Is The Cause, In The First Place, Of All Wars"

The family of this Palestinian girl was killed yesterday in Gaza. Her reaction was to rightly blame Hamas:


The following was written on December 29, 2008 by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook of Palestinian Media Watch (http://pmw.org.il/Bulletins_Dec2008.htm#b2912082"):

"The UN announcement that 51 civilians have died in the conflict in Gaza must be understood in the context of Hamas's declared ideology to use civilians as human shields for Hamas fighters.

Indeed, Hamas continues to emphasize and promote the religious ideology that death for Allah is an ideal to be actively pursued. The goal is to convince Palestinians, including women and children, not to fear death but even to face it at the front to protect Hamas fighters.

Hamas's placement of its military installations and fighters among civilians reflects this ideology, and has led to these 51 deaths.

A Hamas representative in the PA legislative council this year expressed pride in the fact that women and children are used as human shields in fighting Israel. He described it as part of a 'death industry' at which Palestinians excel, and explained that the Palestinians 'desire death' with the same intensity that Israelis 'desire life.'"


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Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Interviewed By CBS As Third Day Of Strikes On Gaza Continues

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Day Two Of Israeli Strikes Against Gaza

The following video shows the Israeli Air Force destroying a rocket launching pad that Hamas purposely located in a residential area:


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