...and going by what Israeli leaders are saying, there's no stopping the attacks in Gaza until Hamas bleed and is brought to their knees. The Israeli offensive which began with surprise rocket attacks -- the Israeli version of “shock and awe” -- on Saturday, has already killed hundreds.
What a bloody start to the new year for the people in Gaza.
Israel has said that the military operation in Gaza is a response to Hamas' rocket attacks in southern Israel and is therefore forcing Hamas to end its rocket barrages and military buildup.
But middle-east political analysts say that Israel's motive is "to expunge the ghost of its flawed 2006 war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and re-establish Israeli deterrence".
Israel has a rep to protect. And Hamas and Palestinians and everyone else had better know that.
That display of power in Gaza is for the benefit of Israel's enemies who seem, of late, to be less afraid of it than they once were. Now, that's been worrying Israel.
A news analysis in the New York Times quoted Mark Regev, spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, remarking about the weekly government meeting that he attended.
“In the cabinet room today there was an energy, a feeling that after so long of showing restraint we had finally acted,” he was quoted to have said.
Mark Heller, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University was also quoted as saying that that energy reflected the deep feeling among average Israelis that the country had to regain its deterrent capacity.
“There has been a nagging sense of uncertainty in the last couple years of whether anyone is really afraid of Israel anymore. The concern is that in the past — perhaps a mythical past — people didn’t mess with Israel because they were afraid of the consequences. Now the region is filled with provocative rhetoric about Israel the paper tiger. This operation is an attempt to re-establish the perception that if you provoke or attack you are going to pay a disproportionate price.”
Granted that Hamas had fired rockets into southern Israel. (But let's not start debating the Palestinian offensive). Israel's response was disproportionate in its force..
So, will the violence end? Is it in someone's interest that the violence continues? And if there is a will to end it, who will be one to end it?
Meanwhile, read this. And this.
And may there be peace on earth!
Hamas was pretty stupid to launch attacks it know it cannot finish. They just asked for it and they are getting what they deserve. Israel's response was disproportionate in its force.. No it is NOT.
ReplyDeleteCan someone answer me why (I mean really, not rhetorically) the gulf Arabs haven’t supported the infrastructure in Gaza?
ReplyDeleteFor the cost of a single multi-billion dollar tower in Abu Dhabi and/or an A380 private superjumbo with gold fixtures a lot of good could be done, no?
The Jews have always been generous with their financial support of Israel.
I hope the Israeli will just throw a nuclear bomb at these trouble makers.
ReplyDeleteTo do a further to the rest of the world send a couple of nuclear bombs to Iran, another one trouble makers,
these would surely make the world a better place to live in.
This is a good read:
ReplyDeletehttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/2008122813459308175.html
i agree with some of your comments. Why don't the world blame those terrorists and get them to stop bombarding Israel! Typical to blame Israel for everything!!!
ReplyDeletehello anonymous,
ReplyDeletewho the heck is this trouble makers you are referring to?the Muslims?
keep in mind that NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORIST.keep in mind also that it was not the Muslims that started the Holocaust.keep it in mind also that the Palestenians are just defending their homeland when day by dy the Zionis regime try to takeover of what's left in Palestin.bear it in mind that the Jews have no place to called a home when all of the sudden the western countries feel pity towards the Jews and give them a land to be called Israel and since then the Zionis harass the Palestinians for their land.
Palestin is a weak country compared to Israel who have the States to back them up.but what saddens me is that not a single damn country nearby Palestin willing to help to ease the burden of all those suffering Palestenians.
How, pray tell, can you justify your assertion that "Israel's response was disproportionate in its force.." when you precede it with "[g]ranted that Hamas had fired rockets into southern Israel. (But let's not start debating the Palestinian offensive)."
ReplyDeleteThose two issues are not mutually exclsuive to each other and the debate on whether or not Israel used (and continues to use) a disproportinate amount of force in its response cannot be isolated or divorced from the debate on the Palestinian offensive.
Let me be patently clear that I am not pro-Israel or anti-Palestinian in any way, shape or form and that I abhor the resulting human suffering and the loss of life from any use of force. However, I cannot see the logic of people arguing that Israel's retaliatory strikes have overstepped the mark in terms of what force was first visited upon them.
People have to recognise the right of a sovereign nation to defend itself and its citizens against external attacks. Hamas broke the ceasefire by firing rockets across the border into civilian areas on the Israeli side. What was Israel supposed to do? Use the same modus operandi in response? Would Israel firing rockets in response across the border into the Palestinian territory have constituted "a proportionate use of force"?
That is a farcical arguement at best. If I have superior military abilities and capacity to you and you attack me; then I am not simply going to respond with an 'eye for an eye' - but rather, I'm going to make sure I retard your ability to attack me again.
I have read a whole raft of news reports on the on-going crisis and the one thing that has not been answered with sufficient clarity is what Hamas' justification was to break the ceasefire? Israel has argued, rightly ot wrongly, that they have responded in the way that they have because Hamas broke the ceasefire by firing rockets into their territory. Hamas' response has been that it was Israel that first violated the terms of the ceasefire - but up until now, and I am more than happy to be corrected on this point, Hamas' has not adequately detailed how it is Israel first violated the terms of the ceasefire.
For those arguing that it's the same old Israeli rhetoric and justification, I beg to differ. Unlike in times gone by, Ehud Barak and Tzipi Livni, Israel's defence minister and foreign minister respectively, have stated that Israel is not in conflict with the Palestinian people and their struggle but with Hamas.
I sympathise with the Palestinian people and their plight and I hope for an end to the violence and bloodshed as soon as possible but it is difficult to make peace with an outfit that does not recognise your right to exist. Rightly or wrongly, whether the Arab and Muslim world likes or accepts the existence of Israel from a historical-theological perspective, it exists today and will do everything in its power to twart and repel any attempt to annihilate it from the face of the earth.
Before we start debating the Israel's purportedly disproportionate use of force in retaliation, perhaps it is time for the Arab/Muslim world to accept that Israel is here to stay and therefore, the road to peace is to accept that as a given and work around that. Rhetoric centred on the destruction of Israel is not doing the long-suffering Palestinian people any favours.
Hamas would do well to take on board a quote from an Egyptian politcal analyst on the unfolding violence: if you cannot kill the wolf, then it is better not to keep pulling its tail.
Dean Nair
In the first place why want to be so stupid to fire rockets to others.Don't you think you're asking for trouble.Hamas doesn't give a damn to the security of their own people and why the hell should Israel worry on the security of Gaza.Yes,one nuclear bomb will do to bring back the world peace.
ReplyDeleteSo the Jews beat up Palestinians for their electoral ends while the Malays use the non-Malays as a punching bag for their 'ketuanan Melayu' shit. What else is new in this world.
ReplyDeleteshankar~selina,
ReplyDeleteHamas was stupid to launch attacks? What do you DO then to people who occupied your land forcefully? Give them flowers? My goodness, how OLD are you? Think before you write child, you're exposing your peanut-size brain!
Anonymous 12:08PM,
Yeah why not we nuke everyone and leave the good old Americans to rule the world eh? Do you really KNOW what's going on out there? NO, YOU DON'T. You only HEARD and READ what the jews-controlled media spinned out to fools like you. Yeah, innocent Israelis "retaliating" what HAMAS "started" out first. How gullible you are...
Khalid Asmawi
if Hamas had not fired rockets, would there be an excuse for israel's offensive?
ReplyDeletethe real losers are the people of palestines.
the culprits, hamas & israeli politicians.
i am surprised nobody seems to be asking 'why on earth hamas fired the rockets' ???
hamas is not stupid. it is evil. this is exactly what hamas wanted - death of innocent palestinians.
ReplyDeletethe stupids are the people of palestine who support hamas.
the useless are the arabs.
here is a statement from a muslim nation
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5roptSbO3GQ
Let’s get something straight, Israel is a legitimate country which was founded on chaos and fought and won for by the Jewish people, Israel was recognized by the UN, whether you like it or not, to the victors go the spoils of war, that is how the world works, to call Israel an occupied land is Fallacy, a propaganda statement. If Israel is a illegal state as stated by the Arab countries from the middle east and other misguided nations, than by the same reasoning than the whole of the middle east countries are illegal states, being lands stolen from the Turkish Ottoman empire from whom theses lands were stolen from by the British led and sponsored wars of the Bedouin tribes of the region. So the reality of the situation of “possession is 9/10 of the law” holds water for the jewish people and the palestinian peoples’ claim of it being an occupied land doesn’t hold water. Folks you lost the wars even after numerous attempts, so live with it.
So all these pathetic crying and moaning of poor Palestinians being killed is the fault of the people the choose to rule them, They voted in Hamas, a terrorist organization same as Hezbollah al being sponsored by IRAN. So when you ruling govt., goes and starts shooting rockets into a neighboring country well folks you are just looking for trouble, every action has a reaction, to cry now of Israel’s aggression is sheer stupidity.
Why is it the muslims don’t condemn and blame all these terrorist organizations, Why is it people support blindly, is it because you read the same Holy book so that means you are self righteous, so there are no murderers, crooks, rapists because they are Ummah, might as well free all those muslim convicts in our malaysian jails because they are ummah. Why do muslims complain that they are perseived as terrorists and murderers, who are the majority of suicide bombers, who blew up trains and busses in britain, the train bombings in spain,It is all an excuse, by using the excuse of israel, why go and blow up innocent people who are apolitical. you want to stop the bombers, stop supporting terrorists, simple, the moment the funding and donations freeze or finish off there will be no more money to make bombs, these people are anarchists , who are abusing Islam, and USING ISLAM as a unifying excuse. we recently had a Malaysian women killed in the Mumbai muslim terrorist attacks, we only got lip service, from the muslims in Malaysia, were there protests by UMNO AND PAS AND ALL THOSE UMMAHS at the Pakistan embassy, why the hypocracy? please understand this you push and push someday something has to give, If all the non muslim nations in the world turn around and say please keep your religion and don’t bother us anymore, don’t do trade with us and keep your oil, we will buy our oil from Russia, all muslims are persona non grata in all western nations. I am just waiting for the day when we see a mushroom cloud on the horizon and maybe a biological weapon’s attack, do you want to see nuclear devises raining down on the middle east, Mecca, Pakistan, don’t forget the biggest poppy growers in the world are muslims in AFGANISTAN, If you want chaos your wish may just come true. I think the time has come for muslims, to open their eyes and smell the coffee, they get very offended on perceived insults on their Religion but turn a blind eye to murder mayhem and chaos in fact even condoning it, what about the insult to all the intelligance of the rest of human kind on all the bombings. I think the wish of the muslims may just come true, if they cross the line, sept 11 was one where they went too far, now reap what you have sown, cry for the dead muslims, innocents dying everyday for the deeds of fanatics.
Genghis khan
what about darfur? not important ?
ReplyDeleteIts a longshot and frankly ludicrous for anyone to argue that Israel is in this to scare the other nations around it who are hellbent on its destruction. If Singapore lobbed a 100 missiles into Johor Bahru on a daily basis and KL bore with it for years, and then wakes up one day and fights back, would this argument of disproportionate force apply? Of course not. Its called defense of the nation.
ReplyDeleteUSA needs nuclear explosion to turn the world into dictatorship
ReplyDeletePravda.ru – December 23, 2008
Is the United States going to put dictatorship into effect under the guise of the anti-terrorist struggle? What may trigger another major transformation in 2009? The answer is obvious: another 9/11 in the USA.
Terrible and bloody events are in store for the world in the beginning of 2009. Most likely, the world will witness a reality show with a nuclear blast, which will be used as a reason for the US administration to change the world order again and leave the new Great Depression behind. There is every reason to believe that the Russian Federation may suffer as a result of this possible initiative too.
Joe Biden made a sensational statement on October 19, 2008. He said that Barack Obama would have to undergo an ordeal during the first six months of his stay in the White House. It will be the time of a very serious international crisis, when Obama would have to make tough and possibly unpopular decisions both in home and foreign politics.
Biden said that there were four or five scenarios for the development of the international crisis. Afghanistan, North Korea or the Russian Federation may become the source of one of them.
When Obama learned of Biden’s speech, he tried to explain everything with rhetorical exaggerations. However, Biden’s remarks gave food for thought, taking into consideration the fact that former secretary of state Madeleine Albright described his remarks as statement of fact.
Apparently, the political elite in the United States is certain that their nation would soon suffer another mammoth terrorist act. This assumption became the subject of Michel Chossudovsky’s article “A Second 9/11„: An Integral Part of US Military Doctrine.”
The independent analysts presented a selection of statements, which US top officials released during the recent several years. For example, Michael Chertoff, the Homeland Security Secretary, said at Yale April 7, 2008 that modern technologies let even a small terrorist group kill hundreds of thousands of people. Dick Cheney stated May 26, 2008: “Nobody can guarantee that we won’t be hit again.”
The general public has been prepared for a possible mega terrorist act with hundreds of thousands of victims. The expectation of another major terrorist attack, Chossudovsky wrote, became a part of the US military doctrine to justify possible preemptive strikes, i.e. aggression. The analyst also wrote that the US administration was aiming the efforts of the national security services at the liquidation of the consequences of the Massive Casualty Producing Event. Moreover, the US establishment believes that such an event may unite the Americans. Tommy Franks, the then CENTCOM commander voiced this idea in 2003. He particularly said that another event with many casualties in the USA would revive the support of wartime laws. Franks also said that such an event would mark the end of democracy in America. To put it in a nutshell, it would mark the beginning of the era of dictatorship.
The US administration planned Operation Northwoods in 1962, in which the US incursion into Cuba was supposed to be justified with a massive massacre of the Miami-based Cubans, as well as the explosion of a US warship in Guantanamo Bay. President Kennedy did not let the operation become a reality. The logic of Northwoods does not differ much from that of General Franks - a new mega terrorist act will justify the beginning of USA’s new aggression in the Middle East.
The Pentagon started to develop the plan of the new war in April 2006 – the third war after the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Stew Bykovsky, a well-known columnist, said in his interview in August 2007 that America needed another 9/11 because the country had forgotten who its enemy was.
Which weapon would make it possible to conduct a major terrorist attack with countless casualties and produce the effect of universal panic? A nuclear weapon would suit this goal best. It would not be a hardship to say that a nuclear explosion was conducted by Islamic terrorists who stole nukes from Russia in the beginning of the 1990s. A nuclear mushroom grows somewhere in the USA and the country launches another war and introduces dictatorship.
http://english.pravda.ru/world/americas/106864-usa_change-0
For those stupid that remark Hamas fired to Israel first, please be more mature and check why Hamas fired to Israel. Not disproportionate? How many Israel died after Hamas fired? And how many Palestinian have died after those days of all-out-war? You lose your sense of judgment, maybe you have relative in Israel.
ReplyDelete-ANy
This is a good read also:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/attack-on-gaza-as-usual-u_b_153757.html
(especially this part: Also from Haaretz (and Israeli paper), Zvi Barel writes: "Six months ago Israel asked and received a cease-fire from Hamas. It unilaterally violated it when it blew up a tunnel, while still asking Egypt to get the Islamic group to hold its fire." Yet the U.S. media refers that only Hamas violated the ceasefire.)
And this too...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theage.com.au/opinion/i-dream-of-another-israel-20081229-76sc.html?page=-1
Written by Uri Avnery, an Israeli peace activist and a former member of the Knesset.
dean nair,
ReplyDeleteHamas firing rockets into Southern Israel -- well, that is based on news reports.
We all know how Hamas was born because we all know that the Hamas-Israeli bombardment and counter bombardment did not just start last week. As we all know that the middle-east problem did not just start yesterday.
we all can jabber about what is best for the middle-east, how the Arab nations should all support the Palestinian struggle and we all know that the Arab nations are not and will not because we all know that they have self and other interests and are beholden to God-knows who!
I don't support violence and terrorism. But I'll be damned if I say that it's ok for Israel to use its military might to bombard Hamas.
We're not born yesterday. We know the history of the Palestinian struggle. And oooh yess... Israel is a soveriegn nation. Oh yes Sir.
As I have said...we all know the history of Palestine and the how the state of Israel was created.
And I reiterate that in all the skirmishes and attacks....Israel's use of force against the Palestinians has been disproportionate. And it will do no one any good if Hamas matches the military might of Israel. Not for the middle-east. Nor for the rest of the world.
Mr Anony 2.17am,
ReplyDelete4 or 400 people carry the same weight.We're not comparing RM 4 and RM 400.The 4 people also human and have family.Why want to be blind just because religion.You're born as human first before belong to any religion.Malaysia always over reacting if anything happen in other islamic country but they don't give a damn if the same thing happen in other non-islamic country.No sincerity in helping others.
setuju dengan puan Nuraina...
ReplyDeletesome folks just have a very limited history reference.Can somebody give us examples massacres created by so called muslims bigger than spanish inquisition/christians when they conquer jerusalem from muslims..or anything bigger than ww1 or ww2...???? hmmm
Go watch History Of Islam In Europe with Rageh Omar in Astro Awani...
I have only one question ?
ReplyDeleteWho suffers ?
Answer :-(
The civillians on both sides - Palestinians and Israelis.
Why can't everybody put aside their arrogance and ego for the sake of the people ?
All of us are put here on earth by the same person who created us all, but instead of living in harmony and peace, they go to war. For what ???
There is no honour when innocent civillians die in the crossfire on both sides.
I don't know much about the history but it's not like anyone can undo the past. Why can't they just move on ?
Is life so bad that they need to go to war ?
in 1929,hundreds of jews were killed by arabs of the palestine region,led by the mufti of jerusalem(a friend of hitler).this was before the creation of israel.please,don't sugar coat the palestines.hate runs very deep in this region.there are no angels in this region.
ReplyDeleteand to correct something here,jeruselam was not built by the arabs or moslems in the first place.it became the third holiest place of islam after prophet muhammad ascended to heaven,it happened more than 600 years after jesus and the romans(remember them ),assyrians(who captured the city),and of course,alexander the great whom brought the mighty persian empire to its knee.this is history ,period.
the statement'conquer from the muslims'just shows the level of understanding held by the muslims in malaysia.
please do get your history in order.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteanon@12:08 PM:
ReplyDeleteI hope you're not serious!
Anon@2:11AM:
excuse me... are you directing your comments at me?
i will however respond to your remark about the level of understanding of Muslims in malaysia yadayada and getting our "history in order"..
sorry to disappoint you...but I have a very good and clear understanding of the history of the Mid-east conflict i.e. the Palestinian struggle. Thank you very much!
I suggest, sir, you do not view the recent attacks in isolation from the conflict.
thank you, again.
(PS: and that is why i usually try to refrain from posting articles such as this.....)
1:40 PM
ohh you mean this one?
ReplyDeleteThe Hebron Massacre refers to the mass murder of sixty-seven Jews on 23 and 24 August 1929 in Hebron, then part of the British Mandate of Palestine, by Arabs incited to violence by false rumors that Jews were massacring Arabs.(wikipedia)
I`ve even check out zionist based website. They`ve even put around 60~70...so try not to tambah by telling hundreds...
Checkout Shabra Shatila (wikipedia)
The Sabra and Shatila massacre (or Sabra and Chatila massacre; Arabic: مذبحة صبرا وشاتيلا Maḏbaḥat Ṣabrā wa Shātīlā) ( [show location on an interactive map] 33°51′40.47″N 35°30′01.50″E / 33.8612417, 35.500417) was carried out between the 16 and 18 September 1982 by the Lebanese Forces militia group after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) allowed Lebanese Christian Phalangist militiamen to enter two Palestinian refugee camps, and the militia massacred civilians inside. It was argued that the Israelis should have known that a massacre could occur, considering the assassination of Phalangist leader and prospective president Bachir Gemayel two days before, and given the long history of bad blood between the Palestinians and the Phalangists.
The exact number killed is a matter of dispute, with estimates ranging from hundreds to thousands. The number of victims of the massacre varies according to source: the lowest estimate is 328; the highest is placed at 3,500.
yeah..comparing bodycount right now do we?...
and the mufti you said friends of Hitler..can you give us any evidence or credible website to refer to...pictures of him and hitler would be great..
hmmm..i believe General Yamashita and Pol Pot are kittens to you...
I think the Arab or Middle East know better history about Gaza & Israel.Let them handle their own problem.Whereas, we should focus on our own history and take care our own backyard.I just wonder how would we react if "Orang Asli" chase us all the "pendatang" from their land Malaysia.
ReplyDelete"and the mufti you said friends of Hitler..can you give us any evidence or credible website to refer to...pictures of him and hitler would be great.."
ReplyDeletemy god is your history of this world that shallow! that's the problem with kids these days....
is not something i made up!
the life of this mufti(amin al-hussein) is well documented by historians on both side . .so, don't be lazy ,do your own research.
to nuraina
does an israeli child deserves the same sympathy given to a palestine child?
i am colour blind.my heart aches for both sides.Again there are no angels in this conflict.so,please don't sugarcoat your remarks.
I am very surprised to find out that there ARE people who actually thought that Israel is doing the right thing because Hamas's the one who started all this.
ReplyDeleteEverybody SHOULD get their facts right. Palestinians are robbed of their land! That is what started it all!
Seriously, I am shocked.
The Mufti of Jerusalem and Hitler met on many occasions. There are Youtube videos on this. The commenter Abu is asked to perform the necessary searches. Also, please be particular and search carefully how the Mufti of Jerusalem encouraged and supported Hitler's plans. There is enough evidence on this. I suggest Abu that you pick up your history books. But be careful. You might not like what you find.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 12:08 PM said...
ReplyDelete"I hope the Israeli will just throw a nuclear bomb at these trouble makers."
Wow! it`s really like you`re C-4ing Kg. Berembang/Kg. Plentong Tengah residents cause they are asking for their right to live.
And praising BN for their action.
Get your perspective recalibrated man.
Nuraina,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Most people in malaysia dont know the history of the creation of Israel regime. All they know about Israel is what they see and hear thru CNN and the likes. Hence, not surprisingly their comments on the Palestinian issue is not correct and rather biased towards "sympathy" for Israel. What ever it is, one cannot look at the current situation as an "isolated case". You must undertsand history. This thing is not one that just started yesterday! I have been searching for sites that gives good historical facts and events for my younger siblings to read and one such site is recommended. Especially those younger generations. But tis site is written in Bahasa Melayu, but I guess it shouldnt be a problem.
Hats off to these young people from NGO HALUAN.
http://haluanpalestin.haluan.org.my/
Happy reading - Hj Mohd
anon@6:48PM:
ReplyDeletehave i said anywhere that a palestinian child's life deserves more sympathy than a Israeli child's?
no one deserves to die in this conflict. WE ALL agree on this. but people are being killed and are dying. And Israel is THE terrorist here. Yep...they are.
Sorry...I won't apologise for that. If you want to have an equation of evil-ness, well, Israel is the (more) evil one here.
Can you understand that I said that I don't believe in violence and terrorism?
Thank you.
Nuraina -
ReplyDeleteyou are spot on! Israel is the TERRORIST. The axis of Evil.
Hj Mohd 12:02 PM -
Thanks for suggesting the website. I found it really informative.
Lantaklah Puan Nuraina orang muda generasi kaki suka main Call Of Duty ngan Counter Strike ni...dah kena brainwash. They`d probably know better backlife of Britney Spears than Palestine.
ReplyDeleteCheckout this one :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocides_in_history
Are muslims the biggest genocide contributor in history of mankind?
Quote from Hotel Rwanda :
Jack: [after Paul thanks him for shooting footage of the genocide] I think if people see this footage, they'll say Oh, my God, that's horrible. And then they'll go on eating their dinners.
sigh...sigh...SIGH !!
ReplyDeleteThe mighty true living GOD, our creator, is shaking his head with tears in his eyes !
BUT...BUT the fallen angel, the satan, is giggling away, hehehe !!
sigh...sigh...SIGH !!