Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Pillar of Defense Day 7: Stretching the Point

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.