Speaking to his Cabinet on Sunday, Israel's outgoing prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said Israel would respond “when and where we choose.”
The government's position, Mr. Olmert said, is that “if there is shooting at residents of the south there will be an Israeli response that will be harsh and disproportionate by its nature to the shooting at residents of Israel and at our forces.”
Hamas has not taken responsibility for any of the new attacks, which have been claimed by smaller militant groups. But Israel says it holds Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since seizing power in June 2007, responsible for all attacks emanating from Gaza.
Hamas spokesman Taher Nunu said Mr. Olmert's threat was an attempt by Israel to “find false pretexts to increase its aggression against the people” and to undermine Egyptian efforts to mediate a long-term cease-fire.
In case you were confused on what "disporportionate" really means. Cue the rationalizations.
9 comments:
Is Israelis elect that neo-fascist animal Netanyahu as their PM, then I give up. I try to give Israel the benefit of the doubt and I like to think that their leaders are doing what is rational. But if Netanyahu wins than Israel will have done something as damaging to the peace process as the Palestinians electing Hamas. It may finally be time to have Canada and the US play hard ball and tell that pig that if he goes ahead with his plans to expand illegal settlements and to annex the occupied territories while refusing to give Palestinians the right to vote in Israeli elections - there should be sanctions.
The coalition LiberCon Government that you support is fully behind the massacre in Gaza. Rationalize that away.
Oh, the pontifications from Mount Pure.
I'm not surprised the Gaza offensive hasn't ended these attacks. And I don't think another offensive will either.
I don't think, no matter how feeble you call them, that the rocket attacks are acceptable. And I agree another offensive is clearly ineffectual and counter-productive.
I ask, though, what is the alternative? What response should the Israeli government take? What is the preferred alternative? Just saying grin and bear it won't cut it. There needs to be another option besides allowing rockets rain down or sending in the troops.
Jeff
If you accept the premise, that there is no military solution, and I would argue that the "after" in Gaza proves just that, then you are left with diplomacy. Pressure on Hezbollah has kept the northern border relatively quiet, so you gather your allies, and try to keep the calm.
I agree with Jeff.
Attacking Israel for fighting back is as indefensible as you call Israel.
There is no rational solution as long as there is no rationality. But if someone were to be shelling Canada on a regular basis, even if every shell landed in the tundra miles from the nearest person, I would not be advocating a roll-over-and-take-it response.
I'm not much of a Zionist but I have no objection to Israel shooting back when they're incessantly shelled. But until we all go take some time to try living on both sides of the conflict to understand what is happening rather than buying the propoganda from either side, we chattering classes in our comfy chairs in Canada have no leg to stand on telling either side what it can, cannot, should, or should not do.
David
I think it amounts to a little more than "shooting back". Nobody is suggesting rolling over, but good grief, the Israeli response just makes the situation that much worse, and they don't achieve their goals, they just kill Palestinians, and that is supposedly a solution. Like I said, Hamas is probably more popular now than ever, arms are still being smuggled and security is a pipe dream. We've seen this movie before, over and over again, so the view that retailation is effective, defies logic or historical context. And, you expect Palestinians to just sit in their walled ghetto and not respond, against their prison guards? Israeli policy undermines the moderates, and I guarantee all the dead children have served to replenish the Hamas ranks.
Perhaps the saddest thing is that some have turned the Holocaust into an industry to bolster support for the ongoing criminal behaviours of Israel.
Hamas is killing his own population while playing for Iran's goals.
If Hamas would focus on making Gazza a better place to live in instead of bringing missiles and shoot them, the borders would open and the people would have a good peaceful life. Israel left Gazza, has no interest there and keeps the border closed since it is used for bringing more and more missiles.
Enough hypocrisy by condemning Israel on Gazza, the west bank is a different story but Gazza is truly legit.
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