Les Blough, Editor. Axis of Logic, Jan 12, 2009, 19:00
Today we read in the BBC that Israeli militants, "are moving slowly into Gaza's most densely populated areas, reports say, as they continue air and ground attacks on Hamas militants". BBC reports, "Hamas's military machine was taking "serious punishment" and that Israel was "advancing towards the end game", according to Israeli spokesman Mark Regev. Perhaps.
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| Hamas fighters in prayer in Gaza |
In the article provided below, Israel's attack could make Hamas stronger, Sattor Kassem, states that Israel thought its motherless war on Gaza would only last 2-3 days. With this statement, he apparently assumes that in their "blueprint" for the war, planning of which began 18 months ago, they meant only to hit Hamas targets and wipe out their ability to fire Qassam rockets. Months ago, Barak's loyal deputy, Matan Vilnai promised that the people of Gaza would face a "shoah", the Hebrew word for holocaust. The developing picture shows that their original target was much broader than an attack on Hamas legitimate military. It would include:
- wiping out the democratically-elected government and military of Hamas,
- destroying what remains of Gaza's infrastructure,
- killing large numbers of civilians, including children, women, the elderly andother non-combatants. Their delusion was that the people who elected Hamas would be demoralised and turn against their own government,
- invading the entire Gaza Strip with ground troops and control what remains with a military junta under a puppet like the traitorous Mahmoud Abbas or someone like him.
Hamas fighter in Gaza
According to the BBC, Israeli shock troops are already "edging into urban Gaza". Perhaps the Israelis haven't learned a damn thing from the Zionist-spawned defeat that has been handed to the U.S. by the heroic urban guerilla resistance in Iraq. Perhaps they've learned nothing from the valiant Afghan guerillas who now control 72% of their country after 7 years of bombardment by US and NATO who are holed up in Kabul. Perhaps they haven't learned the lesson from the Vietnamese - an aggressor is never a match for those who fight to defend their land, loved ones, homes and culture. Perhaps they've learned nothing from the body bags that continue to arrive from Iraq and Afghanistan in Dover, Delaware or the flag-draped coffins buried in Arlington and in towns and countrysides throughout the United States. Perhaps the Israelis think they can do it "better". Perhaps they can. 
Kassem says Hamas is waiting
If they attempt a full-scale invasion and occupation of Gaza they may suffer troop losses in "unacceptable numbers". If they do not invade Gaza with ground troops, it will no doubt be due to their cowardice. Missile attacks from F-16s, Apache attack helicopters and high altitude cluster bombing is to be preferred. In that case, they didn't learn anything from the abject failure of Donald Rumsfeld's "shock and awe" campaign in which the Pentagon thought mass bombing of military and civilians would do the job. 
Israel's image, carefully coiffed by the Zionist-controlled mass media for 50 years, has already been destroyed, utterly. Relatively few in the world still believe the lies that continue to be feverishly pumped out by the corporate media, depicting Hamas as the aggressor and Israel, the victim. Even notable Zionists are already scrambling for cover, trying to distance themselves from the grisly slaughter just as Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz and their ilk have since crawled into the shadows following the obvious disaster for the U.S. in Iraq.
Perhaps Kassem's assessment of Hamas is wrong. Perhaps Israel will crush them and overrun Gaza. If so, they will have achieved occupation of a narrowstrip of land bordering the sea, with 1.5 million people who now hate them more than ever and worldwide opprobrium. But if the author of the following article, Sattor Kassem, is correct in his assessment of Hamas' weapons, their strategic and tactical military prowess and fighting strength - the Israelis may end up with losing more than their propaganda war. They may also end up with an ass-kicking that eclipses their defeat by Hizbullah during ther psychotic attack on Lebanon in 2006. So be it.
Kassem concludes his analysis with these words:
"I expect Hamas to remain intact, and it will grow more popular. Consequently, the Palestinian Authority will be a big loser, and its presence in the West bank will be challenged."
It's already clear that Hamas now enjoys an endorsement and support throughout the world as never before in its history. Israel on the other hand appears to be on the cusps of a failed state with its so-called "war" on the people of Gaza - a slaughter which no doubt, will go down in infamy. So be it.
©Copyright 2008 by AxisofLogic.com
This material is available for republication as long as reprints include verbatim copy of the article in its entirety, respecting its integrity. Reprints must cite the author and Axis of Logic as the original source including a "live link" to the article. Thank you!READ BIO AND ADDITIONAL ARTICLES BY LES BLOUGH
Israel's attack could make Hamas stronger
By Sattar kassem in Nablus Palestine
Hankyoreh, January 10, 2008
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Reasons for the war
Israel decided to attack for the following reasons: a) to destroy Hamas, remove it from governance and bring Gaza strip back to the negotiations process; b) to destroy Hamas rocketing ability, and to destroy its capability to manufacture weapons and ammunition; c) to destroy the tunnels that the Palestinians dug so as to smuggle goods, commodities, money and arms from Egypt. The Israeli prime minister summed up the reasons by saying that Israel is seeking to change the status quo in Gaza.
The Palestinians say that Israel and some Arab states together with the US failed in bringing Hamas to its knees through the siege, and the military expedition is their second choice.
Where are the Arab states?
So many Arab states are thought by the Palestinian resistance to be encouraging and inciting the Israelis to wage the attack because Hamas has not been obedient and refusing to recognize Israel. These states such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are the patrons of normalizing relations with Israel, and feel that Hamas has ruined their marsh toward solving the Palestinian question when it took over Gaza and ended the presence of the Palestinian authority which is an ally of these states.
Apparently, these states thought that Israel would finish the job quickly, and took their time until they made an attempt toward the Security Council so as to order a cease-fire.
Fighting modes
Israel stated the war with heavy and tireless air bombings. On the first strike, it used 66 planes to bomb Palestinian police and security targets. This was the shock and horror strike which was meant to pull down the morale of the Palestinians. Around 300 Palestinians most of them policemen were killed in this strike. But that did not lead to the Israeli desirable results. The air strikes are still going on.
On the 8th day of air strikes, Israel decided to go for the ground battle hoping to easily sweep the Palestinian cities. Because of the fierce resistance, Israel hasn't achieved any significant gains so far, and its tanks could only enter empty areas where resistance is absent. Israel then tried to make incursions on the edges of Gaza city and Jabalia refugee camp, but suffered heavy losses and pulled back.
The main problem Israel is facing is the lack of information about the kinds of weapons that the Palestinians have. The Israelis are puzzled, and they discovered in the first three days that the Palestinian resistance is much stronger than what was thought, and there is a high possibility that it owns very destructive anti tank instruments. That is why the Israelis have been hesitant in occupying the Palestinin cities.
For the Palestinians, they are very patient, and unwilling to use their arsenal until Israel wages a major attack against the cities. So far, they have uncovered the 42 km range missile, and still promising real military surprises.
The civilians
Both the Palestinians and the Israelis have hit civil targets. The Palestinians have been firing missiles at Israeli towns killing three Israelis and injuring others, and the Israelis have been committing genocide in Gaza. So far, more than 700 Palestinians are killed, 46% of them are children and women. The Israelis have been targeting the civilians, and bombing houses on the heads of the inhabitants, and lately they bombed a school that is supervised by the United Nations killing 43 people and injuring others. Some Palestinian families have been wiped out such as the Rayyan family: all 15 family members have been killed. Another family of 11 people disappeared, while another family was buried underneath with one girl surviving.
So many nations have been expressing concern about the killing of Palestinian civilians, but Israel hasn't being paying much attention.
The Palestinians have been under siege for almost 18 months, and they havent been receiving the needed food and medicine. Now, they don't have electricity or food or medicine or clean water, there is real and grave human crisis in Gaza.
General evaluation
Israel, the US and some Arab states gave been dismayed with the poor performance of the Israeli army. The results so far haven't been up to the expectations at all. As the war goes on, all parties interested in dismantling the Palestinian resistance including the Arab states become under increasing pressure from the mass media, the international community and the peoples of the Arab Islamic area. The Arab regimes have been facing pressure from demonstrators all over the world, and the Israeli mass media started to question the abilities of the Israeli army.
Israel is very hesitant in entering the Palestinian population centers due to its hard experience in Lebanon in 2006. The Israelis suffered a setback and failed in achieving any of their objectives. For this new war, I don't think that the Israelis will win the war. The Palestinian fighters are will prepared for the war and well equipped. They are dug deep under ground and they have evaded the effects of the air strikes. Israel will continue its air strikes for few more days, but as long as it is incapable of making a major offensive that would paralyze the resistance, none of its objectives will be realized, and it will settle for something insignificant such as measures to prevent smuggling from Egypt.
I expect Hamas to remain in tact, and it will grow more popular. Consequently, the Palestinian Authority will be a big loser, and its presence in the West bank will be challenged.
Contact Sattar Kassem at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Original Source: Hankyoreh
About Les Blough
Les Blough is founding editor of Axis of Logic. He has been writing political essays for many years and poetry since his youth. He earned an B.A. in psychology at the University of Tennessee and an M.S. in counseling psychology at Penn State University. During his 8 years of college and graduate school, he worked at the Tennessee State Prison (Nashville, TN) and at Rockview State Penitentiary (Bellefonte, PA.). More about Les can be found here
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