I think I’m going to watch, read, and think before posting any more war news.

40,000 troops are waiting on the border? Send them in!

The ink on my post about the little Guardian hack has barely dried, and here comes another one.

First about the title: it is stolen from the once very popular song by Arik Einstein about the kind of dirty journalism that could give a fly, that peruses potential trophies on a soiled underwear, a bad name.

In this case, however, we are talking about a distinguished journalist, a Pulitzer winner. And the conditioned reflex that makes our ears prick up upon mention of a Pulitzer, makes our sense of smell duller at the same time. Even when the Pulitzer prize owner appears to be full of the stuff that the above mentioned fly is so attracted to.

Israel deliberately not destroying launchers,

says Tom Ricks. How do you like that? And more details:

Tom Ricks, military reporter for the Washington Post, accused Israel Tuesday of intentionally failing to destroy a number of rocket launchers in south Lebanon, to maintain a moral defense to its striking civilian of targets in Lebanon.

Yes - I am afraid that this one leaves Monbiot standing. But how does a journalist, even of so exalted standing, obtain information that is, in a case like this, if true, buried very deeply in a very few (and military to boot) brains of IAF generals? It is simple, my dear Watson:

Ricks noted than in an off-the-record conversation with a number of military analysts, two of them said they believed it was a clever strategy on the part of Israel to leave a few rocket launchers intact to aid Israel in sharpening public sentiment and give Israeli forces more freedom to operate.

Notice the “military analysts” and “they believed”. And more:

Later, however, Ricks attempted to distance himself from the statements. I have heard from a number of very knowledgeable and intelligent people that while such a strategy could be logical and even morally defensible, Ricks said, of course the Israeli public would never accept it.

Notice “such a strategy could be logical”. In short, a wild conjecture born in a feverish brain of a “military analyst” becomes an established fact - when it reaches a star journalist (or a scoop-hungry amoral hack, in other words).

You know - I prefer the fly. At least it is attracted to shit for perfectly natural reasons and is not made of it.

Cross-posted on SimplyJews

First, the guy is screaming for all Israelis to leave Lebanon.

Then, he’s screaming “We will turn our precious southern land into a graveyard for the invading Zionists.”

So which is it… leave Lebanon or remain in Lebanon in the graveyard?

And then there’s the tradition of putting up headstones, putting rocks on the grave, occasional visits with flowers. Not to mention the upkeep of the cemeteries.

What guarantees will Nasrallah give that the cemetery grounds will be maintained properly and access to the graves for religious purposes will be allowed? Oh, wait… Arab Muslims have a lousy track record with that, considering the 1948-1967 Jordanian “stewardship” of Jerusalem.

I’m thinking he wants the graveyards just so his minions would just spraypaint gravemarkers with swastikas like they do in Belarus, Estonia, Germany, Rome…

But get this - after all of that, he’s also telling Haifa Arabs to bolt town:

“I have a special message to the Arabs of Haifa, to your martyrs and to your wounded. I call you to leave this city. I hope you do this. … Please leave so we don’t shed your blood, which is our blood.”

Does Hezbollah have a stake in Arab moving companies or something?

You know, the last time Arabs in Israeli territory were told by outside “leaders” to pull up stakes and split for a few weeks, they wound up as permanent refugees, pathetic puppets of the Arab League, and terrorist recruiting fodder for 58 year-

Ahhhhh… now it’s starting to make sense.

You know, Pat Robertson is most often an incredible jerk, but you gotta hand it to him: He has the courage of his convictions.

Wearing white and trusting that God will watch over him in a war zone, the American Christian Evangelical leader Pat Robertson is visiting Israel this week to offer his support for a country whose very existence he believes is threatened by Hizbullah in Lebanon.

Arriving on Monday for a three-day visit, he has since traveled up to the northern boarder where, in spite of the warning sirens and the constant thud of rocket explosions, he televised a segment of his evangelical TV show The 700 Club, which is produced five days a week and broadcast around the world.

“We are praying for Israel during this time of crisis,” he told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday over coffee and tea before he left for the northern border.

“The Evangelical community is standing with this nation,” said the founder and chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network, who has received a number of awards recognizing his long time friendship to Israel. The strong US support for Israel in general is partially due to the Evangelical community, he told The Jerusalem Post.

And here’s where the jerk part comes in.

Robertson added that he plans to express this support to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert when he meets with him on Wednesday. But in spite of the warm friendship he feels for Olmert, he will also tell him, diplomatically, that the Evangelical community is opposed to any plans to give up land and that it would be a mistake for Olmert to link his realignment plan to withdraw from areas of the West Bank with the fight against Hizbullah in Lebanon.

It isn’t “diplomatically” that Robertson is opposed to the plan. He’s an End-Timer, which is one of the reasons why I steer clear of him. Actually, there are, like, a hundred reasons why I can’t stand the man.

But I will give him props for showing up in Israel, and traveling to the north. That’s more than most will do.

Up to the Litani? The IDF asked the Israeli cabinet to allow them to go to the Litani River after all, in spite of reports that they would not.

The national security cabinet is expected to decide on Wednesday morning whether to expand the military operation in Lebanon to the Litani River, following the UN Security Council’s attempt to reach a ceasefire.

The defense establishment plans to present the political-security cabinet with a proposal to operate against Katyusha launchers in all of southern Lebanon, aiming to locate and destroy rocket launchers directed at the north.

The ground operations will take place in the entire south of Lebanon, up to the Litani River. The aerial, naval and artillery actions are expected to take place also north of the Litani. Defense Minister Amir Peretz supports the Israel Defense Forces’ plan.

And it’s a go. The cabinet thinks it’s going to take about 30 days. Well, that’s their story, and they’re sticking to it, anyway.

So can the doomsayers please shut up and let the IDF do its job before crying to the world that Israel is losing the war? I’m sorry, but Sunday afternoon quarterbacking should be left to the people who are, you know, actually doing the quarterbacking.

And hey, way to go, world. Time to tie Israel’s hands behind her back again so the bad guys can get away? Not this time. This time, I’m pretty sure Israel is going to go after the bad guys until they’re mostly dead.

A quick look at the cable news tells me what I already knew: Israeli troops are massing at (and crossing) the border.

Diplomatic officials said that Israel had not come under any US pressure to shelve plans for an expanded operation as various drafts of a US-French cease-fire resolution were being considered in the UN.

[...] This position would only change, they said, once the UN cease-fire resolution has been voted upon. This is not expected until Thursday at the earliest.

Defense officials said that the IDF could be ready to push further into southern Lebanon within hours of the security cabinet decision.

Time to quote from Yalla Ya Nasrallah: They’re coming for you, Hassan.

Heavy fighting ongoing:

IDF and Hizbullah forces were engaged in heavy clashes in the Lebanese villages of Ayta al-Shaab, Dbil, and Ataybeh in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

Battles ensued involving anti-tank missiles, as well as light weapons.

Several soldiers were wounded in the fighting. Army forces killed at least 30 Hizbullah gunmen.

The good news: Got a bigwig. And lots of little ones.

During IDF operations in the village of Rajmin, reserve forces killed nine Hizbullah guerrillas and wounded two.

Earlier, a Golani soldier was moderately wounded in an exchange of gunfire with the Hizbullah in Bint Jbail.

The IAF targeted Hizbullah headquarters in the city, killing 10 guerrillas. Later on, IDF troops killed another eight guerillas in the same town.

Meanwhile, a top Hizbullah official, Hassan A-Sader, and an additional four people were killed by an IAF airstrike on Wednesday morning in the Lebanese city of Masjara.

Here’s a thought: Tell Iran that if Hezbullah scores a hit on Tel Aviv, the IAF will score a hit on Iran and Syria. Because they’re trying.

Hizbullah fires Syrian-made 302-mm Khaibar-1 missile fired toward Zichron Yaacov-Hadera, lands in Haifa; two people suffer from shock. Earlier four long-range rockets fired at Beit Shean Valley region; rockets land near communities situated between Beit Shean and Afula; no injuries reported. Sources say five rockets aimed at Afula land in Palestinian village of fakua, near Jenin; no injuries reported

Speaking of Jenin, got two PIJ terrorists.

Ow, that’s going to hurt: Cesar Chavez—no, wait, he’s dead, it’s the Chavez-in-charge over in Venezuela—says he’s going to cut ties with Israel. Hm, let’s see. Virulently anti-Israel leader, anti-American, and bordering on anti-Semitic—oh, yeah, Israel needs to be pals with Venezuela. Not.

Hey, PETA people! Look, more dead animals as the result of Hezbullah missiles! C’mon, where’s the outrage? Where are the calls for cease-fire from Hezbullah?

Yeah, yeah, I know. The outrage is only for the Israeli side.

Well, that’s it for now.

I really would love to hear Dan Gillerman sing just the chorus. That’s all. Just the chorus.

I am so fixed on this idea that I have a very hard time listening to him seriously. C’mon, Dan. One little request. One little line, at least. Just the “Thank Heaven for little girls” bit.

Yeah, yeah, I know. But I can’t help it. I love his voice.