Here's an interesting one on the problems those Hamas fools have created for Gaza's future with their dreams of a tunnel city to launch attacks from.
$1:
For years before the latest hostilities, Hamas, the Palestinian political organization, complained that Israeli restrictions on cement imports into Gaza were preventing the population from constructing homes, schools, and hospitals. As it turns out, a large share of the cement that did reach Gaza went into building underground lairs and attack tunnels for fighters from Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimate that each of the three dozen underground passages that troops have found so far required 350 truckloads of building supplies.
Here’s the dilemma: Gaza is going to need major reconstruction. In addition to countless homes and a hospital that Hamas commandeered, the Israeli bombardment has destroyed 50 factories that produced food products, soft drinks, and textiles, among other goods, according to Ali Al-Hayek, vice president of the Palestinian Federation of Industries. But if cement imports resume, what’s to stop Hamas, which runs the enclave, from again taking or smuggling it to rebuild its underground military infrastructure? That strategy would doubtless provoke Israeli retaliation—and a likely repeat of the current conflict.
The Gisha–Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, an Israeli nonprofit, is already putting Israel’s government on notice that the cement should flow freely. “It’s impossible not to allow construction materials into Gaza. You cannot leave 1.7 million people without homes, schools, clinics, a working sewage system, and the 70,000 jobs that rely on the construction industry,” Sari Bashi, Gisha’s co-founder, said in an e-mail. Even before the latest conflict there was a shortfall of 75,000 housing units in Gaza, said Bashi.
Customs officials at southern Israel's Ashdod port discovered hundreds of ball-bearings and cement mixers in a Turkish shipment of "humanitarian aid" to Gaza on Wednesday, raising fears the cargo could have been used by Hamas to support its ongoing war against Israel, according to Channel Two.
While both items have civilian uses, both have played a central role building Hamas's rocket arsenal and its vast network of "terror tunnels" into Israel.
Just asking as all I heard was the threat of the tunnels. Yes they were, but no surprise. Israel dropped the ball big time.
I'm not sure what you mean by "dropped the ball big time". Do you mean that because they, like the rest of us knew of some tunnels. they should have therefore made greater efforts to discover the full extent? Very well, you're in charge. How do you do that?
I imagine Mossad was already on the case. How would they have discovered the plans for the Rosh Hassanah terror tunnel massacre under your leadership? What would you have them do that you don't think they did?
Last edited by N_Fiddledog on Sat Aug 02, 2014 6:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
N_Fiddledog
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 6:52 pm
Here's one that doesn't get enough media attention.
$1:
Then there are the tunnels and safe rooms built by Hamas’s leaders to protect themselves and their families from attacks.
So while they're forcing kids onto rooftops, firing from hospitals to attract return fire, and shackling disabled people to buildings to build up the body count they're hiding like fat rats in comfortable dens below the city with their own families and other possessions.
Or at least the ones who aren't fat catting it up in 5 star hotels in Qatar.
Hamas are the scum beneath scum.
N_Fiddledog
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 8:10 pm
Hamas Seen as More to Blame Than Israel for Current Violence
$1:
As fighting continues to rage in Gaza amid calls for a cease-fire, about twice as many Americans say Hamas (40%) as Israel (19%) is responsible for the current violence.
Just a quarter (25%) believe that Israel has gone too far in responding to the conflict; far more think Israel’s response has been about right (35%) or that it has not gone far enough (15%).
Well ain't that just spiffy, using edgy words like massacre for something that's hasn't actually happened, read some of the articles and they take it a step further by using buzz words like, of apocalyptic magnitude. And only info we have about it is from the IDF, which we know is full of bullshit.
And at the same time they hardly even acknowledged the 1200+ that have already been killed and thousands more injured. Such is their hypocrisy.
2Cdo
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 8:47 pm
desertdude desertdude:
And only info we have about it is from the IDF, which we know is full of bullshit.
But of course, meanwhile Hamas would never do anything wrong or lie about anything.
Delwin
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 8:50 pm
That's true, Israel does have way better bullshit manufacturers though, you have to admit that much.
Thanos
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 9:01 pm
Not that I agree with DD on much of anything but the polling of American couch potatoes for their opinion in all of this is really stupid and pointless. 99% of the US electorate could be opposed to Israeli actions and Netanyahu would still be blasting the shit out of Gaza.
There was a better question on Real Time last night anyway. Israel is about the 50th wealthiest country in the world. They have one of the largest militaries in the world, and probably are in possession of anywhere from 150 to 500 nuclear weapons (depending on whose estimate you choose to believe). Their annual GDP is now around $250 billion a year, which means that they're more than capable of financing their military activities on their own. So why exactly, other than the Israel lobby in Washington DC has had every Congress critter and every President for the last fifty years terrified of losing Jewish-American political support, is the American taxpayer still funding them with $3 billion a year when they're more than able to buy as much American-made weaponry as they need with their own money?
Not anti-semetic in the slightest to expect the Israelis to do their heavy lifting by themselves, especially when they're clearly more than capable of doing it. Putting a bit more daylight between American money and Israeli military actions certainly wouldn't do any harm to the United States. There is no "tiny, helpless Israel" anymore. There hasn't been since at least 1967, or the late 1980's at the latest. This is something that should be more openly acknowledged, even if the corporate media and Likud-owned American politicians are doing otherwise.
xerxes
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 10:15 pm
It's just the way it is now. The Israel lobby says "jump" and congres says "how high?"
Voting against Israel is as guaranteed a political death sentence as voting against anything the NRA wants
PublicAnimalNo9
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 10:51 pm
desertdude desertdude:
Well ain't that just spiffy, using edgy words like massacre for something that's hasn't actually happened.
Kind'a like when the other side uses terms like "genocide"? Despite the fact that ethnic born Palestinians have been one of the fastest growing demographics over the last 2 decades.
Freakinoldguy
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 11:04 pm
Thanos Thanos:
Not that I agree with DD on much of anything but the polling of American couch potatoes for their opinion in all of this is really stupid and pointless. 99% of the US electorate could be opposed to Israeli actions and Netanyahu would still be blasting the shit out of Gaza.
There was a better question on Real Time last night anyway. Israel is about the 50th wealthiest country in the world. They have one of the largest militaries in the world, and probably are in possession of anywhere from 150 to 500 nuclear weapons (depending on whose estimate you choose to believe). Their annual GDP is now around $250 billion a year, which means that they're more than capable of financing their military activities on their own. So why exactly, other than the Israel lobby in Washington DC has had every Congress critter and every President for the last fifty years terrified of losing Jewish-American political support, is the American taxpayer still funding them with $3 billion a year when they're more than able to buy as much American-made weaponry as they need with their own money?
Not anti-semetic in the slightest to expect the Israelis to do their heavy lifting by themselves, especially when they're clearly more than capable of doing it. Putting a bit more daylight between American money and Israeli military actions certainly wouldn't do any harm to the United States. There is no "tiny, helpless Israel" anymore. There hasn't been since at least 1967, or the late 1980's at the latest. This is something that should be more openly acknowledged, even if the corporate media and Likud-owned American politicians are doing otherwise.
Military size wise Israel is #10 but, if you look at who is directly above them you'll discover that one of those Countries wants Israel destroyed and the other two would probably like that but, just haven't been rude enough to come right out and say it, yet.
Then, when you add in the Armies of every other Muslim country in the region the size of Israel's military pales in comparison to the combined size of the militaries of it's not so friendly neighbours.
For example here's available manpower for Israel and a few of their neighbours who have displayed a bit of animosity towards them in the past.
Israel has: 1,517,510 males age 16-49 available for Military service whereas Iran has: 20,149,222 males age 16-49 , Syria: 5,889,837 males age 16-49, Jordan: 1,439,192 males age 16-49 and I could go on for every country in the region.
So, when you say they've got one of the larges militaries in the world it's misleading because unless you compare it to the every other country in the region that has in the past by their actions or words attacked Israel it's gives a false impression about Israel's military prowess.
The only thing Israel has over most of it's neighbours is like you said, the Atomic Bomb and that fact is along with the threat of American intervention likely the only reasons they still exist today as a country.
N_Fiddledog
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 12:09 am
PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:
desertdude desertdude:
Well ain't that just spiffy, using edgy words like massacre for something that's hasn't actually happened.
Kind'a like when the other side uses terms like "genocide"? Despite the fact that ethnic born Palestinians have been one of the fastest growing demographics over the last 2 decades.
Or "apartheid" or any of a dozen or so other loaded expressions. Every once in awhile I like to fire one back with a smile on my face, because I know the perpetual victims will be sobbing about how they are being disadvantaged by loaded language.
But moving on...the reaction to Hamas breaking the latest ceasefire has been interesting. Sounds like Bibi is pissed with Barrack'll Bombya and his horse face lackey for pressuring Israel into the ceasefire.
$1:
Sources familiar with conversations between Netanyahu and senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry, say the Israeli leader advised the Obama administration “not to ever second guess me again” on the matter. The officials also said Netanyahu said he should be “trusted” on the issue and about the unwillingness of Hamas to enter into and follow through on cease-fire talks.
Obama and Kerry seem pissed with Hamas for making them look like monkey clowns (which let's face it, it gets easier every day).
$1:
The Obama administration on Friday condemned “outrageous” violations of an internationally brokered Gaza cease-fire by Palestinian militants and called the apparent abduction of an Israeli soldier a “barbaric” action.
Hamas can't seem to decide what the truth is concerning their hostage.
$1:
Yesterday, Hamas denied that any Israeli soldier was captured, but that doesn’t match up with their own claims:
PJ Media’s The Grid notes that Hamas initially bragged about capturing the IDF soldier to Turkish media — and then began changing their story four different times after getting almost universal condemnation for the collapse of the cease fire. By the time of the CNN interview above, Hamas had gone from bragging about the operation to claiming it was a false-flag provocation by Israel to end the cease fire.
And only info we have about it is from the IDF, which we know is full of bullshit.
But of course, meanwhile Hamas would never do anything wrong or lie about anything.
I don't think he actually said that. So no criticism of IDF bullshit because Hamas does it too? Does that work in reverse?
andyt
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 12:28 am
Thanos Thanos:
Not that I agree with DD on much of anything but the polling of American couch potatoes for their opinion in all of this is really stupid and pointless. 99% of the US electorate could be opposed to Israeli actions and Netanyahu would still be blasting the shit out of Gaza.
There was a better question on Real Time last night anyway. Israel is about the 50th wealthiest country in the world. They have one of the largest militaries in the world, and probably are in possession of anywhere from 150 to 500 nuclear weapons (depending on whose estimate you choose to believe). Their annual GDP is now around $250 billion a year, which means that they're more than capable of financing their military activities on their own. So why exactly, other than the Israel lobby in Washington DC has had every Congress critter and every President for the last fifty years terrified of losing Jewish-American political support, is the American taxpayer still funding them with $3 billion a year when they're more than able to buy as much American-made weaponry as they need with their own money?
Not anti-semetic in the slightest to expect the Israelis to do their heavy lifting by themselves, especially when they're clearly more than capable of doing it. Putting a bit more daylight between American money and Israeli military actions certainly wouldn't do any harm to the United States. There is no "tiny, helpless Israel" anymore. There hasn't been since at least 1967, or the late 1980's at the latest. This is something that should be more openly acknowledged, even if the corporate media and Likud-owned American politicians are doing otherwise.
Wow, well put. I don't mind the US supporting Israel, lots of reasons to do so. But then cut the bullshit about how the US is an honest broker and supports a 2 state solution, when Israel clearly doesn't. IF the US is going to get wagged by Israel no matter what the Israelis do, at least pull a Harper and firmly say so.
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