Honour Paramount
The horrible consequences for the Palestinians in Gaza of Hamas's ongoing provocations over the border into Israel, resulting in the IDF offensive to finally attempt to cleanse the Gaza Strip of the terror militants and their resolve to inflict death and damage to Israeli citizens, is enough to make the hardest heart weep.The death and destruction now being imposed on Gaza is a reflection of a deliberate Hamas intent to expose Gazans to the misery of war.
And it is more than evident that Hamas, as a Islamist jihad-dedicated militia, true to its allegiance with Syria and Iran in its dedication to emulating Hezbollah's framework of reference, unhesitatingly made that decision to sacrifice innocent civilians. By the very deliberate act of settling themselves deep within the confines of crowded urban centres, and installing their munitions depots and rocket launching sites among civilians, the message is clear.
Opposing and terrorizing and promising to annihilate Israel and its inhabitants possesses far more importance to the Iranian-inspired Hamas agenda than the well-being of Palestinians. Those Palestinians who had elected Hamas, in good faith, in the belief that they would undertake the responsibility to govern the territories for the purpose of furthering the interests of the population and in the process prepare them for nationhood, have instead been presented as sacrifices to the greater glory of Islam.
And while, at this juncture, local Hamas leaders may be listening to their troops who may very well be expressing the unheard-of opinion that they should sue for peace, from the deeply protected refuge where the head of Hamas hides secure in Syria, surrender is unthinkable. The leader of Hamas in Gaza, himself hiding comfortably far from danger is wed to the proposition that Hamas cannot fail.
"We are approaching victory" claims Prime Minister Ismail Haniya. "I tell you that after 17 days of this foolish war, Gaza has not been broken and Gaza will not fall." The "blood of children" that he and his terror militia willingly sacrificed for the greater triumph of recovering all of the land that Israel occupies to be transformed into a greater Palestine, would become a "curse which will come back to haunt", not Hamas, but Israel and the U.S.
Israel is already haunted by their perceived need to pursue Hamas in the nooks and corners, corridors and alleys of heavily-occupied towns and cities, where all the best intentions in the world could not prevent the incidental deaths of too many civilians, in their search for Hamas fighters. Those elusive, suddenly non-confrontational Hamas fighters, whose uniforms have been transformed from fighters' gear to civilian clothing.
The United Nations's Ban Ki-moon insists that a truce must be observed. And so it should, but exactly by whom? Unilaterally, by Israel alone? Without having accomplished its set aim to disarm Hamas and ensure that the hundreds of arms and munitions-smuggling tunnels be destroyed? Without extracting that prime concession of recognition and a vow to abide by a peace treaty?
Egypt's strenuous efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas cannot be sufficiently commended. Its lack of attention to its obligation to restrain Hamas terrorists from digging tunnels and smuggling arms provisions through to Gaza, rather less so. But a cessation of the onslaught is inevitable in the short term and it will soon become reality.
After which, precisely what? Another opportunity for Hamas fighters to restock their arms, rest and recruit?
Labels: Israel, Middle East, Terrorism
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, January 14, 2009
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