Pillar
of Defense Day 7: Stretching the Point
Israel
suffered a torrential downpour of rockets from Gaza today as if Hamas
was
trying to empty their warehouses and fire everything they could at Israel
before a cease-fire was called.
One
Israeli was killed when a missile landed near his car. Two other rockets
smashed into homes, one in Ashdod and one in Rishon LeZion on the outskirts of
Tel Aviv. 88 rockets were fired at Beer Sheva.
The
Iron Dome succeeded in destroying most of the more than 200 missiles that
were
fired at Israel, but as U.S. Sec. of State Hilary Clinton said in a press
conference tonight in Jerusalem sharing the stage with PM Netanyahu, even the
best system isn't perfect and missiles get through.
Israeli
analysts speculate that Clinton flew in to twist arms, both for Egyptian
President
Morsi, and PM Netanyahu, to get a cease-fire. So far Hamas is waving a
cease-fire at Israel like a tasty morsel in front of a hungry rancher.
Some
pundits even think that Hamas' goal is to keep stretching out the time when
they will agree to a cease-fire giving themselves the chance to strike at more
targets, and perhaps even draw Israeli forces into Gaza.
Should
the IDF enter Gaza there is no telling what this will bring. Israel might wind
up stuck in the Gaza mud for months, fighting house to house trying to unseat
Hamas while searching and destroying the rockets that are fired into
Israel.This while playing into Hamas' hands by allowing the media to broadcast
the bloody, messy, horrible results of this Israeli action against the people
living in Gaza.
Angry
Israelis are demonstrating in front of
homes hit by rockets calling for the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Many say
that Israel’s mistake is not attacking Gaza after the first missile fired, not wait months and let the
firing go on unanswered.
.However,
other pundits believe both sides want a cease-fire. Tuesday was supposed to
have been the day for the cease-fire, since United Nations Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon, the Foreign Minister
of Germany, and now Sec. of State Clinton, were all planning to be in Cairo for
the signing.
Just
as Israel lulled Hamas military commander Jabri out in the open thinking there
was a break in Israel's search for him, so Hamas is lulling Israel into the
hope of a
cease-fire
when in fact none is on their game plan.
Still,
most agree that the cease-fire will take place either Wednesday or Thursday.
But
Israeli analysts are wary, since nearly every one of them wonders how long the cease-fire will last. None
think the cease-fire will lead to a peace agreement, rather just a pause before
Hamas begins firing again at Israeli civilians.
Those
analysts who think outside the box wonder if perhaps the solution doesn't have
a medical comparison. When a person is infected, tests are carried out to
discover which virus or bacteria is infecting the body, and then treat the
disease with medicine, sometimes surgically removing a part of the body that is
the root of the problem.
In
this case the root of the problem is Iran. The Soviet Union has collapsed.
Russia isn't interested in fighting any wars. Syria is busy with a civil war.
Egypt is concerned with the $2 billion a year in US aid. Only Iran is the
active player, supplying weapons, military advisors, and money, to keep Hamas,
and Hezbollah in Lebanon, active as front-line forces against Israel.
Removing
Iran from the equation would cure the problem. The cost would be enormous. The
Allies would have to agree to cooperate in putting boots on the ground. This is
a far-fetched notion. But without Iran, and with the Iron Dome neutralizing
missiles, Hamas would evaporate, and Hezbollah might just shrivel up.
Moreover,
international terrorism, today supported and encouraged by Iran, might also
plummet.
Historians
believe that Islamic Fundamentalism gathers momentum and peaks, then recedes.
Analysts say that decrease in activity is usually helped along by a military
effort against the fundamentalists.
Perhaps
the time has come to realize that removing Iranian radicalism from the world
would be a good thing, and even something that might just cause fundamentalism
to begin a downward dive.
Meanwhile, Israel waits.
Will there be a cease-fire, or will Israeli boys be forced to go back into
Gaza, again, to stop rockets from falling on Israeli citizens.
