I'm hearing it from more than one source -- Israel is going back to war, but the fault belongs squarely on the shoulders of U.S. President George W. Bush. The Bush Democracy Doctrine is being blamed for violence in the Middle East, specifically between Gaza and Israel. The Bush Democracy Doctrine is blamed for Hamas entering the political process, winning the elections, and the resulting violence in the region.
On Fox News this morning in an interview conducted by Fox and Friends, a representative for Israel clearly stated the above belief. Also David Makovsky, in an article on the Washington Institute's web site, he describes the decision-making process for the final ground assault to reach the Litani River in August 2006 and explains how the decision to proceed with too little time was the result of Israel being 'blind-sided' by the US. Read it all at Israel Matzav who adds this:
As I have described before, Israeli cabinet ministries are political appointments handed out to senior coalition members. It is often the case that a minister has little or no experience in the specific policy area that his or her ministry handles. Such was the case, for example, with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in 2006.
While I don't absolve her from blame for the manner in which I believe she handled Resolution 1701 (and you all know I am no fan of hers), it is possible that had Livni been present in New York while 1701 was being negotiated, Israel would not have been 'blindsided' by what went on at the UN. And in fact, Livni did want to be in New York. But Prime Minister Ehud K. Olmert prevented her from going there until August 16, 2006 - after 1701 had been signed and adopted. The quote below is from the second-to-last story linked above. And here's another little tidbit that may come as a surprise to some of you:Olmert also encountered problems inside his own party over the weekend when Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni expressed disappointment with his decision to prevent her from attending the Security Council deliberations on the cease-fire resolution in New York.
The move was seen as revenge against Livni for opposing military operations and for voting against a decision to bomb Hizbullah's headquarters in Beirut at the start of the war. [I never knew she voted against it, and why is Olmert taking 'revenge' when it was clear all along that he himself opposed it? CiJ]
Who can blame Israel for defending herself, certainly not me. After a year without suicide bombers, this week two gained access to Israel, killing at least one woman. This is a result of the Gaza-Egypt crossing, with no inspections of who went back and forth, what they brought into the region, where they went after they crossed into Egypt. There are Strategic Implications for Israel of the Gaza-Egypt Border Opening, most important, dead Israelis.
Yesterday: Hamas Qassam Rocket Knocks Out Electricity in Sderot, Southern Israel. Thousands of Residents Face Night of Darkness , The Israel Project:
Hamas terrorists fired a salvo of ten short-range Qassam rockets at the southern Israeli city of Sderot this evening (Feb. 5), hitting a high-tension power line. The leaders of Hamas, a terrorist organization that seeks the destruction of Israel and seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, “take their directives from Teheran,” according to Jordanian King Abdallah II.
A spokesman from the Israel Electric Company said that large parts of the city of 24,000 residents are experiencing an electricity blackout.
Gaza City, Gaza Strip - Israel killed eight Hamas militants Tuesday, firing missiles into the sandy courtyard of a Hamas police station as the Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for a bold strike inside Israel, the first suicide mission in over a year. (TruthOut)
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour ... has allowed her organization to waste all of its resources condemning one country ... Israel. (YID With LID)
She has ignored violations in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others, and has done little to help the massacres going on in Darfur. She allowed the first Darfur conference to become an anti-Semitic hate-fest, and managing the next one along the same lines. She has allowed her institution to become a political tool of the Islamofascists.
Israpundit says: "Like it or not - and notwithstanding the mistakes that were made in the last eight years - America is still locked in a worldwide struggle with Islamists that can’t be wished away by blaming it all on the neocons."
Other terror news:
North African al Qaeda Warns Israeli Ambassador You Won’t Escape Us Again
The US air raid that killed al-Qaeda leader Abu Layth al-Libi in Pakistan is reported to have also killed three other leaders from the terrorist network -- Abu Obeida Tawari al-Obeidi and Abu Adel al-Kuwaiti were reportedly there with al-Libi. (National Terror Alert)
UBC Biological Sciences Building Receives Second Threat
Annual Threat Assessment - Al-Qaeda Improving Ability To Attack US
Other reading:
Vandals damaged or destroyed dozens of graves belonging to Muslims in the Austrian city of Graz, heightening tensions in the southern city where a local politician made disparaging comments about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). (Al-Arabiya)
Radical Muslim preacher told worshippers that American soldiers would 'rape and murder Iraqi woman and children', The Daily Mail
A new Zogby International Poll of 15,000 people proves that the majority don't know where Bethlehem is
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is upset because the United States Air Force Academy invited Walid Shoebat, Kamal Saleem and Zachariah Anani to address the 50th annual United States Air Force Academy Assembly in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Controversial "terrorism expert" Steven Emerson is also invited to speak at the event.) (here)
Violent Gang Members Charged in Large Scale RICO Case, Jim Kouri, CPP
check out Islam Watch, a great site.
It is true that our government has been using Israel as a chess piece for decades. We made them reliant on us and then hold out carrots to them to do the trick we want.
There have been times tho, when they said Screw you and acted in their own best interests instead of ours, which, of course, mightily irritated the powers that be, but it's why Israel is still around, too.
What they need to do about Gaza is find a way to shove it off onto the Egyptians, who are avid to keep it an Israeli problem, because the Gazans would be just as big a pain for Egypt as they are for Israel.
Rasta
Posted by: Rastaman | February 06, 2008 at 08:51 PM
Very comprehensive and timely post on current proceedings/press reports about Israel. As the fighting between Hamas and Israel grows more intense ... something is building...
Posted by: American Interests | February 06, 2008 at 05:41 PM
Olmert steadily builds his reputation as a weak, foolish, indecisive leader who will lead Israel into a position of weakness too profound to escape.
Posted by: David | February 06, 2008 at 05:07 PM