Reports are coming in that Eliyahu Asheri, the 18-year-old high school boy, has been murdered by the PRC. Watch the difference in terminology in the stories. The non-Israeli media will call him a “settler,” but won’t use the word “youth” or “teen.” That’s reserved for dead or captured palestinians. Update: It’s confirmed. Bastards probably killed him straight off.

The IDF is rounding up Hamas legislators, and even got the Deputy Prime Minister in its net. This is the smartest damned thing that Israel has done in decades. NOW let’s talk trade.

Ilyka wrote a post about a topic that left me utterly speechless. Totally creeped out, but utterly speechless. Go over there and see for yourself what horrified me so much that I couldn’t write about it.

No, I’m not kidding.

Go. Read. Actually, much of her post is funny, so don’t be drinking. But go ahead. This is what good friends do for each other: They write the posts that the other can’t.

If I had a horror category, that’s what this post would go under.

And may I say, Ew. Ew to you, Dana Stevens. Just: Ew.

Update: And if you don’t click on the images at the bottom of the post, you will be missing the best part.

Hamas likes to lie about its “operations,” and the kidnapping of Cpl. Gilad Shalit is no exception. The interesting thing about this story in AP is that they actually admit that Hamas lies about responsibility—in the news article.

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Khaled Mashaal’s aides praised the capture of an Israeli soldier as a daring operation but claimed Wednesday that the Damascus-based Hamas leader played no role in it. Israel sees him as the brains behind the abduction and threatened to try to assassinate him.

[...] Hamas has adopted the same line after each suicide bombing and attack carried out in its name over the past decade. Key political leaders have always insisted Hamas’ military wing is an independent body they know nothing about and do not give orders to.

The 19-year-old Shalit’s capture is no exception. Hamas’ military wing was one of three groups that claimed responsibility, but Hamas officials have insisted they were not aware the operation was being planned.

“The military people, the resistance fighters and the mujahedeen are the decision-makers in everything that’s related to the prisoner,” said Abu Marzouk.

“It would be stupid for anyone to assume that anyone from outside … or inside the Gaza Strip can talk to the military people,” he added. “Their leadership is independent, their planning is independent, their decisions are independent.”

Still, the political wing of Hamas is believed to set the group’s general policies.

I’ll bet these paragraphs get elided in the update story about Hamas’ responsibility in the kidnapping. And there’s also this choice quote. Hamas utterly refuses to change a thing about themselves to end sanctions, so what do they say now? They’ll give back Cpl. Shalit if the world ends their boycott of Hamas.

The Damascus-based leadership clearly sees the benefits of the soldier’s abduction. Abu Marzouk said it would help push for an end to the international boycott on the Hamas-led government and for the release of Palestinians held by Israel.

“If they want calm, they have to break the sanctions,” he said.

“We don’t object to a political solution. But it’s up to Israel to accept the Egyptian mediation to talk about conditions for a deal regarding the Israeli prisoner.”

Yeah, that’s gonna happen.

The IAF did a bit of a flyover in Syria, giving Baby Assad a wakeup call:

Israel Air Force warplanes predawn Wednesday flew over the palace of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Mediterranean port city of Latakia in northwestern Syria.

Anti-aircraft guns opened fire long after the aircrafts left Syrian airspace.

Assad is believed to have been staying in the palace at the time of the flyover.

I wonder if the Dorktator wet the bed at the sound of the jets. Oh, okay, that’s mean. I wonder if the Dorktatorette wet the bed. No, I don’t mean his wife.

The BBC has suddenly discovered—hold onto your hat, here—that the prisoners’ document does not include Hamas recognition of Israel.

Rival Palestinian political factions Fatah and Hamas have reached agreement on a common political strategy to try to end a damaging power struggle.

However, Hamas negotiators have denied earlier reports that the deal meant the militants would implicitly recognise Israel - a major policy shift.

And there is much sadness at BBC headquarters today. The emperor has no clothes, and the loyal nobles of the BBC are feeling embarrassed.

The BBC’s James Reynolds in Gaza says that the central point of the joint manifesto is the creation of a Palestinian state on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Traditionally that is one half of a two-state solution, but the existing drafts of the deal make no mention of the second half of this solution - the state of Israel.

This omission is deliberate, our correspondent says.

While some have argued that this means Hamas tacitly accepts Israel’s right to exist, it is becoming clear that that is not how Hamas sees it.

Hamas negotiators have told the BBC that the entire state of Israel has been built on occupied Palestinian land.

They believe that a Palestinian state on the West Bank and Gaza is a first step - not a final step.

They believe that future generations of Palestinians will reclaim all their historic homeland. And that, in the end, there will be no room for what is now the Jewish state of Israel, our correspondent says.

Gee, I could have told them that. Oh, wait. I did. And did. And did. And did. And did. And there are probably more posts, but I’m too tired to link any more.

But cheer up, BBCers! You can always start lying about IDF war crimes in Gaza during Operation Summer Rains.

The United Nations has a new member, and it’s not some cesspool of terrorism using a batch of Jordanian flags they forgot to put the star on:

The UN General Assembly unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday admitting the newly independent Republic of Montenegro as the 192nd member of the United Nations.

General Assembly President Jan Eliasson called for approval of the resolution by acclamation and when there was no objection he banged the gaval and said: “I declare the Republic of Montenegro admitted to membership in the United Nations.” Diplomats from many of the 191 other UN members seated in the General Assembly hall then burst into applause.

Um… many of?

Who wouldn’t applaud?

The Hamas government has finally torn off the mask and is calling for a prisoner exchange, which tells you all you need to know about their concern for the captured Israeli:

The Hamas-led Palestinian government on Wednesday called for a prisoner swap with Israel, saying Israel’s invasion of Gaza would not secure the release of a captured soldier.

[...] In a statement, the Palestinian Information Ministry said it is “natural logic” to carry out an exchange. “This has been exercised by previous Israeli governments with Hezbollah and the PLO, and this is what other countries do in conflict situations,” the statement said.

The EU has, wait, let me put this into UN-speak: Called on both parties to show restraint, and calls on the palestinians to release Cpl. Shalit and on the Israelis to stop, uh, shelling stuff.

Austria, the current president of the EU, also called for the IDF soldier’s “immediate and unconditional release.”

Austria urged “the Palestinian leadership to undertake all necessary efforts in this regard” and called on all parties to show restraint and to “avoid further escalation.”

And speaking of Cpl. Shalit, listen to what his father wants:

“The emphasis here is on an intelligent, rather than impassioned, operation,” Shalit said. “We would like no additional injuries, not among IDF troops and certainly not among innocent civilians on both sides, Israeli and Palestinian. This is of the utmost importance to us.”

That’s the difference between us and them. No calls to “open the gates of hell” or “make the earth shake” in vengeance. A call that neither side will suffer harm. Mr. Shalit is a mensch.

In Ynet, an article that says there is more to Operation Summer Rains than just finding the captives.

While the Israel Defense Forces’ Operation Summer Rains continued, Southern Command Chief Major-General Yoav Galant said that other concealed operations are also being carried out as part of the effort to return kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.

“This operation has hidden and known aspects, which is characteristic of such events,” Galant said upon arriving Wednesday afternoon at an area near Kibbutz Mefalsim, where the Israel Defense Forces gathered ahead of entering the Strip as part of the operation.

[...] “It also enables us to control the Rafah crossing and what is happening in it, as well as carry out other operations. This is only one dimension of our overall effort,” he said.

This is why I don’t think Cpl. Shalit will be released:

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) - Many Palestinians think a captured Israeli soldier should not be released without major concessions from Israel - despite an Israeli ground and air assault on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday meant to recover him.

[...] “Even if they slaughter 100,000 Palestinians, this is a chance that can’t be lost. It’s the only way the prisoners will be able to get out,” said Bassem al Khoudry, 35, owner of a fast food stand in Gaza City. “If they release him with nothing in return, they would betray their nation, their prisoners.”

Aussie Dave is blogging from Israel. His latest post is here. Vital Perspective is also keeping track of things.

These words became an integral part of who we are. They were shouted by an unnamed commando 30 years ago in the terminal of Entebbe.

And this man is forever to remain an integral part of who we are.

And what happened to the terrorists is a lesson to all the wannabe martyrs.

The Gaza operation continues. In snark and brief:

Hamas stands pat on its blackmail: Free prisoners or you don’t get Cpl. Gilad. I should like to point out that Hamas isn’t even trying to hide its participation in the attack against Israel. That’s right, folks, the government of the palestinians sent its “military wing” into Israel to kill and kidnap soldiers, and yet, the world is still insisting that Hamas is ready for a two-state solution.

IAF hits terrorist training camp in Rafah: Too bad they didn’t get a few dozen terrorists while they were at it.

Maybe this will make reporters think differently:

Five minutes after the press conference, a Kassam rocket landed a few hundred meters from where reporters were standing.

Nah. They’d just blame Israel for not protecting them from the kassam hit.

THis, however, is an utter waste of time and resources:

At around 2 p.m. Wednesday, Israeli fighter jets struck the northern Gaza Strip, firing missiles at open areas. The strike is part of the army’s “pressure pot” tactic, meant to turn up pressure on Gaza by placement of troops and weapons fire with a minimum of casualties.

And gee, it’s working. Because the PRC presented the ID card of the missing Israeli teen, and threatened to kill him if the IDF does not withdraw from Gaza. Why does Israel think that not killing terrorists is the way to cow them, when they have already seen the result of killing terrorists when they gutted the Hamas ranks two years ago?

Let’s listen to the impotent president of the Palestinian Authority speak:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the operation as a crime. “This is an attack against our infrastructure and civilian targets,” he said.

Abbas said the operation is an act of collective punishment, but made it clear that the Palestinian Authority is doing all it can to convince the kidnappers to free Shalit.

“We were surprised by the violent Israeli escalation, which doesn’t serve a purpose but to destroy Palestinian lives,” he said.

Abu Merang, methinks you need a shot of Viagra. Go talk to Rush about getting some.

Say, this isn’t a biased headline at all: Israeli Forces Attack Gaza Power Station. What did that poor, defenseless power station do to the Israelis?

Quick, put on the Groucho nose and glasses! Khaled Meshal, the leader of Hamas currently hiding in Damascus, has been declared a target by the Israeli Justice Minister.

And that’s all for now. More later.

In an amazingly forthright interview with the Jerusalem Post, President Moshe Katsav blasts previous and current Israeli administrations for making enormous concessions and receiving nothing in return.

In a startling departure from his usual resolute non-intervention in the internal governance of Israel, President Moshe Katsav has launched a scathing attack on a series of Israel’s recent prime ministers and governments for failing to “get anything in return” for the historic concessions they made in signing the Oslo accords, endorsing the notion of independent Palestinian statehood, and pulling out of the Gaza Strip. Because of this cardinal error, he said, Israel was today further from peace with the Palestinians than it would otherwise likely have been.

Speaking exclusively to The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday, Katsav ascribed the record of incompetence to a consistent failure to carry out appropriate preparatory work ahead of major diplomatic moves, and to the abiding absence of an agreed “map of vital Israeli national and security interests” to guide policymakers.

Whoa. There’s going to be a storm when people wake up and read these comments this morning:

Failure to first agree on a blueprint for Israel’s vital interests, and then to carry out orderly staffwork, said the president, had led to “three big mistakes” in the past 13 years.

“We didn’t get anything in return for the Oslo accords,” he said, stressing that he was not saying he opposed the accords per se. Similarly, with the Road Map, “the Knesset and government declared that we support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. That is a major, historic concession and we didn’t get anything for it. And I’m not opposed to the road map.”

Finally, as regards last summer’s disengagement, which again he stressed he did not oppose in principle, “here too, there was a big mistake. We took the army out of Gaza, we evacuated 25 Jewish settlements and we got nothing in return.”

And he is right. Israel got nothing. The world is as quick as ever to blame Israel for anything that goes wrong, completely ignores the daily rocket attacks on Israel by palestinians from Gaza, insists that Hamas is moderating when Hamas states quite clearly that they want nothing less than the removal of the Jewish state and its replacement with an Islamic caliphate.

Here’s what Katsav thought should have been done:

Offering a particularly detailed critique of the preparation for disengagement, Katsav said that the pullout should have been coordinated with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). Had this been done, “the problems in the Philadelphi corridor could have been avoided. The political crisis would not have occurred - the collapse of the [Israeli] government. Hamas might not have been victorious. The confrontation with the settlers would have been less intense.” The “massive arms smuggling” that went on “in the two or three weeks between the army’s departure and the entry of the Egyptians and the international force [might have been prevented]. Al Qaida might not have got into Gaza.”

Definitely worth the full read.

Actually, the article by Simon Tisdall is titled Shouting not talking. Its general drift is that talking is better than shouting. Unfortunately, while the idea itself is excellent, the article is less so.

The article, with its unforgettable imagery (that “sending barbed words crashing like unguided artillery shells” will be pretty hard to get rid off, I swear), says some thing that are easy to agree with, like:

Palestinian violence against Israelis, including rocket attacks launched from Gaza, is not and cannot be justified. It must cease - because it is wrong and because it hinders the realisation of Palestinian aspirations.

And:

The story is depressingly familiar: many deaths, disproportionately on the Palestinian side, both military and civilian; more destruction, more traumatised children, more ruined schools and broken homes; thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of refugees pushing across the border into Egypt; and, in all likelihood, the death of the very soldier Mr Olmert wants to save.

Otherwise, it is the usual mealy-mouthed jumble of platitudes and, yes, barbed words. True, they do not crash like artillery shells, but still… To start with the sentence that is chosen as a subtitle:

Israel is in danger not of obliteration by ‘Islamic extremists’ but of delegitimisation by its own polices and actions.

That’s one brilliant start of an article on peace and war. Do we need or ask for a confirmation of our legitimacy (even if it is to appear in Guardian)? I doubt, but Mr Tindall knows better how to start talking. And when started, he does not care much for logic or common sense:

But all the angry adjectives in the world cannot hide the fact that Mr Olmert also carries heavy responsibility for the latest mayhem, as well as the plight of Cpl Shalit.

To make it clear - this “latest mayhem” is the IDF incursion in Gaza that started today. Granted, it is Olmert’s ultimate responsibility. But how Olmert is framed as guilty for an attack on a border post inside the Israeli territory and the resulting killing and kidnapping - it is a mystery that only a Guardian scribe could possibly clear.

It is his policy that keeps Gaza under siege and almost constant bombardment.

Yep, and the steady rain of Qassams that already took 12 lives is also instigated by this pesky Olmert, of course. In Guardian book there is no chicken, only an egg…

And more and more of the same. So it is better to finish by this quote:

Mr Olmert should stop shouting and start talking.

Mr Olmert has decided that it is time to stop both shouting and talking. Cannot say I am happy with this decision, but I suspect that nobody is. Nobody is happy about a war.

Apparently Mr Olmert realized, unlike Mr Tisdall, that talk is cheap. Which the quoted article proves to my full satisfaction.

Cross-posted on SimplyJews

There hasn’t been much news since the tanks rolled in. As usual, the terrorists won’t put up much of a fight when it comes to having to fight, you know, actual soldiers—from the front, not the rear (which is how they took out the IDF post two days ago).

An IDF spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post that there was little Palestinian resistance to the incursion. He denied a report claiming that the Erez crossing had been opened in preparation for entry of troops into the northern Gaza Strip.

The PRC says if the IDF operation doesn’t stop, they’ll kill Eliyahu Asheri, the 18-year-old missing from Itamar, who the IDF thinks was kidnapped. There’s no proof the PRC has him, but it’s possible. And there’s no chance in hell the operation will stop due to this threat.

From Ynet news flashes:

PIJ says the IDF is going to find “many surprises” waiting for them in Gaza. They’re also threatening suicide attacks. Once again, the model is: We get to kill Israelis, but the second you try to stop us, we’re going to kill more Israelis and blame it on you. Watch for the news media to pick up this mantra and run with it, as always.

Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. says the operation will stop if Cpl. Shalit is released. Nice try, Danny, but a waste of breath.

Hamas spokesman says Cpl. Shalit may be killed because of the IDF operation. Gee, what a shock to hear that.

The IDF has control of the Gaza airport, even though it hasn’t been operational in years. Yeah, I seem to recall it being destroyed in the spring offensive in 2002, after the daily suicide bombings that culminated in the Netanya Passover Massacre.

Pictures from the BBC, courtesy of AFP, which I think means “Assholes in the French Press.” Whoops. Did I type that out loud?

Ha’aretz says the operation’s aim is to surround the kidnappers. Ha’aretz also says that Cpl. Gilad is being held in Khan Yunis. They also say he may be moved to Jabalya. That would mean any rescue operation will involve having to move through civilians. Lovely.

And last, but not least, let’s start a count. How many different news services will be using the words “humanitarian crisis” to describe the results of the operation in Gaza? First up: The AP.

The attack raised the specter of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as water pumps in the strip are powered by electricity. Some power in Gaza City was restored by tapping into electricity supplied by Israel in northern Gaza.

I love how they point out that the power outage may cause a humanitarian crisis in one sentence, and in the very next, say that power is being restored. This must be kinda like Saddam Hussein’s “hunger strike,” where he, ah, missed lunch.