Comments on: The Egyptian truce: Hamas wins http://www.yourish.com/2009/01/15/6046 Cutting straight to the point Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:14:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: joelr http://www.yourish.com/2009/01/15/6046/comment-page-1#comment-35754 joelr Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:40:31 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/?p=6046#comment-35754 Eric, you'd have a point if the goal of the IDF were merely to keep shooting at the Arabs. It isn't; if it were, there would have been (minimum) tens of thousands of dead Arabs within the first minutes of OCL, not around a thousand, the majority terrorists, after three weeks. At this point, just about the only Hamasholes who are popping out of the bunkers are the cannon fodder, and they're easily replaced; those of the senior Hamasholes willing to risk their necks are already fly food. If <i>a</i> goal of OCL was to inflict enough damage on the Hamas political and Gaza physical infrastructure to wise up the people of Gaza, that was a fool's errand; they can counter that simply by choosing to remain stupid. But . . . from this (distant) remove, it looks like there were a bunch of military goals, some of which have been met, and some legitimate political ones, all of which have failed. The key to solving the problem of Gaza -- for Israel; for the Gazans, it's insoluble, and they've screwed themselves -- is to close down the Philadelphi corridor, at least medium-term. And that's not going to happen under what looks like the present plan -- it's going to take somebody looking beyond next month's election (read: Bibi) to create facts on the ground that make it impossible for the Hamasholes to resupply. Eric, you’d have a point if the goal of the IDF were merely to keep shooting at the Arabs. It isn’t; if it were, there would have been (minimum) tens of thousands of dead Arabs within the first minutes of OCL, not around a thousand, the majority terrorists, after three weeks. At this point, just about the only Hamasholes who are popping out of the bunkers are the cannon fodder, and they’re easily replaced; those of the senior Hamasholes willing to risk their necks are already fly food.

If a goal of OCL was to inflict enough damage on the Hamas political and Gaza physical infrastructure to wise up the people of Gaza, that was a fool’s errand; they can counter that simply by choosing to remain stupid.

But . . . from this (distant) remove, it looks like there were a bunch of military goals, some of which have been met, and some legitimate political ones, all of which have failed. The key to solving the problem of Gaza — for Israel; for the Gazans, it’s insoluble, and they’ve screwed themselves — is to close down the Philadelphi corridor, at least medium-term. And that’s not going to happen under what looks like the present plan — it’s going to take somebody looking beyond next month’s election (read: Bibi) to create facts on the ground that make it impossible for the Hamasholes to resupply.

]]> By: Eric J http://www.yourish.com/2009/01/15/6046/comment-page-1#comment-35753 Eric J Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:03:10 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/?p=6046#comment-35753 Given the fact that nothing has actually come of this yet, and Hamas keeps rejecting truce offers, perhaps there's a deeper and smarter diplomatic game being played here by Israel. If they can keep the truce perpetually 72 hours away, it continues to give them cover for operations and continues to give Egypt the cover they need to remain neutral-to-Israel leaning. While I'm unhappy about the way Gilad Shalit is being handled in these truce offers, my hope is that Israel intends to keep negotiating right up until the point when they can dictate. Given the fact that nothing has actually come of this yet, and Hamas keeps rejecting truce offers, perhaps there’s a deeper and smarter diplomatic game being played here by Israel. If they can keep the truce perpetually 72 hours away, it continues to give them cover for operations and continues to give Egypt the cover they need to remain neutral-to-Israel leaning.

While I’m unhappy about the way Gilad Shalit is being handled in these truce offers, my hope is that Israel intends to keep negotiating right up until the point when they can dictate.

]]> By: joelr http://www.yourish.com/2009/01/15/6046/comment-page-1#comment-35752 joelr Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:06:24 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/?p=6046#comment-35752 I really, really wish I could disagree. The Philadelphi corridor is the center of mass of this; putting Hamas (and, perhaps, some compliant French or Turks) in charge of it is a huge defeat. Hope Bibi wins. I really, really wish I could disagree. The Philadelphi corridor is the center of mass of this; putting Hamas (and, perhaps, some compliant French or Turks) in charge of it is a huge defeat.

Hope Bibi wins.

]]> By: long_rifle http://www.yourish.com/2009/01/15/6046/comment-page-1#comment-35748 long_rifle Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:13:43 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/?p=6046#comment-35748 This can't be true... After weeks of war and refusing to budge to just rollover and give in would be sickening. Suicide bombings will become common place in Israel again. And eventually rockets will start falling in Israel again, sadly they will probably have Iranian nuclear "gifts" attached. This can’t be true…

After weeks of war and refusing to budge to just rollover and give in would be sickening.

Suicide bombings will become common place in Israel again. And eventually rockets will start falling in Israel again, sadly they will probably have Iranian nuclear “gifts” attached.

]]> By: Alan Furman http://www.yourish.com/2009/01/15/6046/comment-page-1#comment-35747 Alan Furman Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:27:54 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/?p=6046#comment-35747 <blockquote>Israel is defeated.</blockquote> If so, it could well be only temporary. A capitulation means that Bibi will be running the show come march, and then we shall see.

Israel is defeated.

If so, it could well be only temporary.

A capitulation means that Bibi will be running the show come march, and then we shall see.

]]> By: Vaultenblogger http://www.yourish.com/2009/01/15/6046/comment-page-1#comment-35746 Vaultenblogger Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:21:38 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/?p=6046#comment-35746 I hope so too. Tell me they wouldn't make the same mistake they did after the 2006 war. Surely they learned something. I hope so too. Tell me they wouldn’t make the same mistake they did after the 2006 war. Surely they learned something.

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