Hamas Launching Dozens Of Rockets From Palestinian Neighborhoods, Attacking Israeli Troops (Plus: US Announces $14 Million In New Aid)
Fatah-Hamas reunification is off again this afternoon, although wait a few hours and they'll go back to this. There's no real fundamental holdup: Hamas is officially at war with Israel, the PLO is officially at war with Israel. This is just Hamas trying to figure out whether they can get more through a formal unity government, a formal takeover, or a violent takeover. They spent the weekend laying explosives and firing anti-tank rockets at IDF forces across the Gaza border. Plus this:
Also on Saturday evening, the air force fired on a rocket launcher loaded with rockets and ready for use in the Beit Hanun area of northern Gaza. The launcher was struck, the IDF said, adding that it was unaware of any gunmen in the area who had been hit.
Beit Hanun - a densely-packed Palestinian town from which Palestinians routinely fire rockets at Israeli civilians - was the location of that epic clusterfuck in 2006. Palestinian soldiers fired rockets at Israeli civilians, the IDF fired back, and Palestinian civilians got caught in the crossfire. Cue a month of parading around dead babies and hysterical threatening to commit genocide. And international media outlets were of course only too eager to "display" the "rage" of the Palestinian street.
So Hamas has spent the last couple years trying to stage a repeat while the IDF has held off from defending Israeli civilians for fear of same. Looks like Israel might be reaching a limit though:
Defense Minister Ehud Barak called on the government on Sunday to examine ways of approving IDF action against residential areas in Gaza from which rockets are fired at Israel. Speaking during the weekly cabinet meeting, Barak said many rockets were fired from the vicinity of residential homes and schools, precluding an Israeli response due to fear of harming civilians. Around 60 rockets and an unknown number of mortars have fallen on western Negev communities since last Tuesday evening, when the IDF raided a tunnel 250 meters inside Gaza that the army said was about to be used to kidnap troops.
More than a dozen of the rockets were just from this weekend, after which Secretary Rice announced $14 million more in US aid to the Palestinians. Because being the world's largest per capita recipient of aid has already done the Palestinians - and the Middle East - so much good. She made the announcement while visiting Jenin, making her the first US Secretary of State to ever legitimize that terrorist nest with a visit - but certainly not the last.
References:
* Mubarak 'feels betrayed' by Hamas [JPost]
* Abbas To Lead Fatah-Hamas Unity Govt Through 2010 (Plus: Zero Agreement On Any Peace Process Issue)
* Hamas: Of Course We'll Never Stop Attacking "Zionist Enemies Of God" [MR]
* PLO Acknowledges: Still at War with Israel [NetWMD]
* IDF unit comes under anti-tank fire [JPost]
* Beit Hanoun Meme Watch [MR]
* Beit Hanoun Meme Watch - (2) "The Palestinians Are Really Pissed Off" - And The NYT Will Publish Death Porn To Prove It [MR]
* Beit Hanoun Meme Watch - (1) "Rage and Tears" - Apparently Theats Of Genocide Are OK If You're Really Upset [MR]
* Barak seeks OK to hit residential areas [JPost]
* 13 Qassams fired at Negev over weekend [Ha'aretz]
* Rice Visits West Bank City; U.S. Announces Aid - NYTimes.com [NYT]
* Islamic Jihad defines Terrorism, Threatens to Kill Civilians in Response to Israeli Military Action. Irony Goes Unnoticed [MR]
* MSM Startled That "Post-Partisan" "No-Drama" Candidate Choose Well-Noted Partisan Attack Dog As Chief Of Staff (Plus: Emanuel's Pro-Israel Influence Somewhat Underwhelming) [MR]
Previously:
* Hamas: If Israel Frees Kidnapped Soldier Then We'll Kidnap More Soldiers (Plus: Prisoner Release Will Bring Down Abbas?)
* Saudi Arabia: Hey, Remember Our "Peace Plan" Where Israel Gets Overrun And Destroyed? How About It?
* Bush: Actually, Not So Much With The Peace Process Thing This Year
