Israel Launches Operation Pillar of Defense against Gaza

[pepipop]

To be expected, I suppose. Again this is a more Palestinian biased report from Russia, whilst the UK’s foreign minister has blamed the Hamas for the latest escalation.

rt.com/news/israel-gaza-attack-protests-932/
*
Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza have sparked global protests condemning the attack. Thousands of people across the Middle East, the West, and Europe have come out to show their disdain. Yet, some countries remain convinced of Israel’s right to attack.

Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza have sparked global protests condemning the attack. Thousands of people across the Middle East, the West, and Europe have come out to show their disdain. Yet, some countries remain convinced of Israel’s right to attack.

Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense – which began Wednesday and has taken the lives of 39 Palestinians and three Israelis so far, according to Palestinian local media – has divided the international world.

In Egypt’s capital, Cairo, several thousand protesters came out Friday to demonstrate against the Israeli attacks, chanting “we will go to Gaza in our millions,” swearing to “sacrifice ourselves for you, Palestine.”*

 

[Dale_M]

News Update

Cease-fire negotiations in Cairo, involving leaders of Hamas, Turkey and Qatar, and indirectly involving Israel (via Egyptian intelligence contacts) are at a deadlock as of Saturday evening.

Israel is broadening its airstrikes from military targets to political and security infrastructure targets, bombing the headquarters of Hamas prime minister and striking police and security buildings.

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, said government buildings had been targeted because Hamas “makes no distinction between its terrorist military machine and the government structure.”

“We have seen Hamas consistently using so-called civilian facilities for the purposes of hiding their terrorist military machine, including weapons,” Mr. Regev said.

nytimes.com/2012/11/18/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-conflict.html?ref=global-home

 

[Dale_M]

According to the live blog on the Al Jazeera English website:

The Arab League held a meeting in Cairo on Saturday, and it placed the blame for the current crisis entirely on Israel.

However, an al-Jazeera reporter is quoted as saying that Israel considers the Arab League to be politically impotent: “Israel is well-aware of the structural makeup of the Arab League and its capability to change anything … Israel won’t be interested in the statements at all.”

An Arab League delegation may travel to Gaza on Sunday.

 

[Bill_Martin]

Al Qassam Brigades just took credit for shelling the city of Ashdod with 5 Grad missiles. IDF reported 4 rockets fired from Gaza struck Ashdod: 1 on a house, 1 on a car, 1 near a kindergarten & 1 in an open area. By the way, this is technically a war crime. Actually the way Hamas is shooting the missiles discriminately and the fact that they are shooting them from civilian areas and the men shooting them are not in uniform, all their missile firings are war crimes.

People close to Gaza only have seconds to find shelter if they get any warning at all.

And so the day goes on…

Revolting. I am rapidly losing sympathy for the Palestinians. When you vote for a known terrorist organization to head up your government, you reap what you sow.

 

[Dale_M]

A closer relationship between Turkey and Egypt may emerge from this crisis.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi also hosted meetings Saturday with two regional heads of state to discuss the makings of what he and other regional leaders have promised would be a more robust response to Israel’s actions than in past conflicts.

He and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed joint efforts to stop Israel’s attack on Gaza, Morsi’s spokesman, Yasser Ali, said in a statement published by the state news agency Mena.

Speaking at Cairo University on Saturday afternoon, Erdogan reiterated his condemnation of the ongoing Israeli offensive and called for a new era of Egyptian-Turkish cooperation.

“If Turkey and Egypt unite, everybody will be singing of peace in the region. And if we stick together, the region will no longer be dominated by crying and weeping,” he said.

washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/as-hamas-rockets-fly-israel-moves-toward-ground-invasion-of-gaza-strip/2012/11/17/a90a66d4-307f-11e2-a30e-5ca76eeec857_story.html

 

[Dale_M]

Israel is saying that its anti-missile system, which is called Iron Dome, has improved its effectiveness and is now intercepting nearly 90% of Gazan missiles. This includes a Fajr-5 which was launched at Tel Aviv today. That city just received delivery of its anti-missile system.
washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/gaza-conflict-tests-israeli-defense-system/2012/11/16/31178f2c-3033-11e2-9f50-0308e1e75445_story.html

Iron Dome, however, is not effective for the area closst to Gaza since there is not enough flight time to allow for detection and interception. So basically, the area within five miles of Gaza is unprotected by this system.

Most of Gaza’s missiles strike within 25 miles of Gaza’s borders, but they have a newly demonstrated ability to strike up to 45 miles.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

 

[Dale_M]

Anonymous is hacking Israeli Web sites

To protest what they call the “barbaric, brutal and despicable treatment of the Palestinian people,” hackers from the collective Anonymous have been attacking a number of Israeli Web sites, including Israel’s Foreign Ministry and the municipal Web site for Tel Aviv.

The group has also deleted the databases of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Bank of Jerusalem, and leaked e-mail addresses and passwords for other sites.

The campaign began Thursday night with coordinated attacks on several Israeli sites, including the Israeli Defense Forces blog and a private Israeli surveillance and security company. By Friday, the group took credit for bringing down 600 Israeli sites, using the hashtag #opisrael to boast about their progress on Twitter.

washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/11/17/anonymous-is-hacking-israeli-web-sites/

A statement issued by Anonymous said that their campaign was prompted by an Israeli government threat to sever Internet and other telecommunications into and out of Gaza.

 

[Bill_Martin]

Israel is saying that its anti-missile system, which is called Iron Dome, has improved its effectiveness and is now intercepting nearly 90% of Gazan missiles. This includes a Fajr-5 which was launched at Tel Aviv today. That city just received delivery of its anti-missile system.
washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/gaza-conflict-tests-israeli-defense-system/2012/11/16/31178f2c-3033-11e2-9f50-0308e1e75445_story.html

Iron Dome, however, is not effective for the area closst to Gaza since there is not enough flight time to allow for detection and interception. So basically, the area within five miles of Gaza is unprotected by this system.

Most of Gaza’s missiles strike within 25 miles of Gaza’s borders, but they have a newly demonstrated ability to strike up to 45 miles.

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk117/trialaccount96/IsraelgazaMissiles.jpg

That’s a pretty good success rate.

 

[epan]

I personally don’t see other Arab nations going to war against Israel over Hamas

There are no states going to war with Israel. The issue for states like the US, is the any violence in the region fuels increased terrorist resolve. You can be certain that security levels are now higher throughout the world, to try to intercept any increase in violence against civilians worldwide.

 

[LEMAITRE]

haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/live-blog-idf-prepares-for-ground-invasion-as-gaza-offensive-enters-fourth-day-1.478505



Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen

Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

 

[Nigel7]

Everyone please pray for this baby.

Lord have mercy!

An injured Israeli baby is held by a security officer inside an ambulance at the scene where a rocket, fired from Gaza, landed in the southern city of Kiryat Malachi November 15, 2012.

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polop...derivatives/landscape_635/israel17n-2-web.jpg

 

[meltzerboy]

haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/live-blog-idf-prepares-for-ground-invasion-as-gaza-offensive-enters-fourth-day-1.478505



Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen

Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Even though a report stated that the majority of Israeli citizens thought the continuation of drone attacks on buildings harboring Hamas military forces was a good idea, I’m sure both Israeli and Palestinian civilians ultimately want peace and security. The “collateral damage” caused by Israeli strikes is inevitable since, no matter how laser-focused the attacks are, the damage caused upon impact is likely to spread to neighboring buildings, killing innocent non-combatants. While this is better than the endless Hamas rocket attacks aimed at killing Israeli civilians, still if one’s family members or friends are killed, it is little solace to be told it was unintentional. So I think the best any of us can do in such a potentially escalating and dangerous situation, which may incorporate other Arab countries into the conflict, is to pray for a cease-fire in the short term, as well as reconciliation and peace in this troubled region for both Israelis and Palestinians.

 

[domandcarols]

Everyone please pray for this baby.

Lord have mercy!

An injured Israeli baby is held by a security officer inside an ambulance at the scene where a rocket, fired from Gaza, landed in the southern city of Kiryat Malachi November 15, 2012.

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polop...derivatives/landscape_635/israel17n-2-web.jpg

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=jiha...:&imgrefurl=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/(name removed by moderator)ictures/2012/11/2012111513230357979.html&docid=qQwZIXiFix5CtM&imgurl=http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/im...&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:74&tx=176&ty=85

And this dead 11 month old Palestinian baby, son of a BBC journalist whose house was shelled for no reason at all.

 

[domandcarols]

View attachment 15489
And also please pray for this dead 11 month old Palestinian baby, the son of a BBC journalist who house was shelled also killing the baby’s 20 yr old aunt. :’( And for all victims on both sides of which there are many…

 

[domandcarols]

View attachment 15490
And also please pray for this dead 11 month old Palestinian baby, the son of a BBC journalist whose house was shelled also killing the baby’s 20 yr old aunt. :’( And for all victims on both sides of which there are many…

 

[colmywaykurtz]

Pray to Mother Mary for peace. Man will never solve this conflict on his own, he needs divine help.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

I’m sure both Israeli and Palestinian civilians ultimately want peace and security.

There is not much evidence of Arabs wanting peace with the Jews. They want the Jews dead.

 

[meltzerboy]

There is not much evidence of Arabs wanting peace with the Jews. They want the Jews dead.

Probably the more extreme Arab leaders and Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists do. However, I think the average citizen–both Israeli and Arab–just wants to go about their lives, earn a living, care for their families, and educate their children.

 

[1AugustSon7]

The Canadian government, which once had an excellent reputation for neutrality and brokering peace deals, is right now lying to the Canadian people by telling us we have an alliance with the State of Israel.

We do not.

This weekend, Canada is hosting an International Forum on Security in Halifax, Nova Scotia, lead by (on Canada’s part) none other than Defense Minister MacKay, the one who is **lying **to Canadians by making the public think we have an alliance with Israel.

This is a deplorable, under-handed and viciously anti-democratic tactic on the part of Canada’s present federal government, which aims to deceive Canadians into thinking that there is (or ever has been) anything like an official alliance between Canada and Israel.

Canada’s useful, pragmatic and diplomatic neutrality has been destroyed by a government that - rather than having a public debate about the issue - chooses rather to deceive the Canadian population into thinking that Israel is a member of either NORAD or NATO. Israel is not. The government knows full well that Canadians are not remotely partial or biased in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; exactly so, it is choosing to manipulate and deceive the public by giving the impression we have some sort of military obligation to Israel: we don’t, and this is a cowardly lie on the part of Canada’s federal government.

I beg all Christians to remember that Gaza has NO MILITARY. The pathetic begging on the part of our leaders in the West to ‘restraint’ cannot possibly or realistically be aimed at the people of Gaza-- THEY HAVE NO ARMY TO RESTRAIN ANYTHING. It is, in fact, a pathetic begging on the part of our governments for the IDF not to kill too many innocent civilians, which is an implicit admission that they know for a fact that this action on the part of the IDF will inevitably result in the death of innocents.

haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/live-blog-idf-prepares-for-ground-invasion-as-gaza-offensive-enters-fourth-day-1.478505



Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen

Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

 

[Bill_Martin]

The Canadian government, which once had an excellent reputation for neutrality and brokering peace deals, is right now lying to the Canadian people by telling us we have an alliance with the State of Israel.

We do not.

This weekend, Canada is hosting an International Forum on Security in Halifax, Nova Scotia, lead by (on Canada’s part) none other than Defense Minister MacKay, the one who is **lying **to Canadians by making the public think we have an alliance with Israel.

This is a deplorable, under-handed and viciously anti-democratic tactic on the part of Canada’s present federal government, which aims to deceive Canadians into thinking that there is (or ever has been) anything like an official alliance between Canada and Israel.

Canada’s useful, pragmatic and diplomatic neutrality has been destroyed by a government that - rather than having a public debate about the issue - chooses rather to deceive the Canadian population into thinking that Israel is a member of either NORAD or NATO. Israel is not. The government knows full well that Canadians are not remotely partial or biased in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; exactly so, it is choosing to manipulate and deceive the public by giving the impression we have some sort of military obligation to Israel: we don’t, and this is a cowardly lie on the part of Canada’s federal government.

I beg all Christians to remember that Gaza has NO MILITARY. The pathetic begging on the part of our leaders in the West to ‘restraint’ cannot possibly or realistically be aimed at the people of Gaza-- THEY HAVE NO ARMY TO RESTRAIN ANYTHING. It is, in fact, a pathetic begging on the part of our governments for the IDF not to kill too many innocent civilians, which is an implicit admission that they know for a fact that this action on the part of the IDF will inevitably result in the death of innocents.

Then who has been firing the rockets?