Latest from The Zen of Bass
A list of Jews saved by Oskar Schindler that inspired the Oscar-winning film “Schindler’s List” has been discovered in a Sydney library…The 13-page document was found between research notes and German newspaper clippings library , said co-curator Olwen Pryke. She described the 13-page list as “one of the most powerful documents of the 20th Century” and was surprised to find it in the library’s collection
Source: AFP/Yahoo News
Stating that Israel had crippled Hamas, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert just announced an end to the 3-week Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. He said the army would remain in Gaza while Egypt mediates a long-term truce with Hamas.
According to DEBKAfile Israeli forces will hold to their positions in the Gaza Strip for a trial period to test Hamas’ response. Meanwhile, Hamas promises to keep on fighting and shooting rockets, while neither Washington nor Cairo guarantee action to end the flow of weapons to Gaza. As the Israeli security cabinet voted on the unilateral cease fire, Hamas blasted rockets against Ashdod and Ashkelon.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Office reiterated that the IDF began Operation Cast Lead following an extended period of restraint as Hamas continued to terrorize the residents of southern Israel with daily rocket barrages. According to the IDF “Hamas alone is responsible for creating the situation in Gaza and is accountable for its consequences.”
The IDF will redeploy forces within the Gaza Strip in accordance with security assessments. Air, naval, ground and intelligence forces will remain on alert .
Sources: AP (photo); LA Times, DEBKAFile, IDF Spokesperson
Samuel “Joe” Wurzelbacher , the Ohio man who became famous during the U.S. presidential campaign after asking Barack Obama about his tax plan, is heading to Israel as a war correspondent for Pajamas TV Gaza Update.
“Joe” was held up by the McCain campaign as an example of an American worker who would be hurt economically by Obama’s election.
Wurzelbacher will spend 10 days covering the fighting and explaining why Israeli forces are mounting attacks against Hamas. He tells WNWO-TV in Toledo that he wants “go over there and let their ‘Average Joes’ share their story.”
Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin
According to IDF reports, Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) were discovered in the Gaza Strip by the Combat Engineering Corps and the Paratrooper Brigade Forces. One was found within a booby-trapped dummy dressed as a Hamas operative.
Source: IDF Spokesperson
David Saranga of the Israeli Consulate in New York, posted an informative backgrounder today on the story behind the June “cease fire” between Israel and Hamas. His article points out that while rocket and mortar fire from Gaza slowed during the “lull,” it never fully stopped. David goes on to say that rather than use the “state of calm” to promote peace and to build a civilian infrastructure in Gaza, Hamas took advantage of the situation to expand its terrorist capabilities. For more information go to David’s site.
Source: Israel Consulate via IsraelPolitik
Hamas has been fighting an increasingly more high tech ground war utilizing more advanced rocket power, according to analysts at globalsecurity.org and Jane’s Information Group. Popular Science (PopSci) reveales that over time, Hamas has been beefing up its arsenal of new rockets with expanded range. With the latest in rocket power, they are becoming better equipped to strike cities such as Tel Aviv with improved accuracy.
In its recent article, PopSci reports that recently, Hamas imported factory manufactured rockets from China and Iran. Based on a family of Soviet rockets dating back to World War II, these rockets have the range to hit more Israeli cities, and their introduction help propel the current conflict.
The Iranian rocket, called a Grad, has a range of about 12 miles, long enough to hit the Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Sderot. The Chinese rocket, called the WS-1-E (pictured above, courtesy of globalsecurity.org) has an even greater range of up to 27 miles, and better accuracy than the Grad.
It is believed that Hamas possesses Iranian Fajr-4 rockets, which have a range long enough to hit Tel Aviv.
Sources: Popular Science, Jane’s Information Group, globalsecurity.org
IDF Spokesperson, the press site of the IDF, just posted new videos of air and ground strikes on Hamas targets. In the video clip below, the Israel Air Force (IAF) assists IDF ground forces in striking Hamas targets, including gunman posts and launchers—some of which were located in populated areas. The IAF neutralized the sources of gunfire and destroys the terrorists stash of weapons.
The IDF notes that “Hamas deliberately uses the Palestinian people, with whom Israel continues to seek peaceful coexistence, as human shields.”
The Intellectual Redneck 7:02 am on January 18, 2009 Permalink |
Israel unilaterally declared a ceasefire yesterday. Of course it quickly vanished when Hamas fired five rockets into Israel. Hamas does not want to cease fire unless it is on their therms. They are concerned about looking defeated in the eyes of the Arab world. In truth, they have been defeated from a military standpoint. The vanishing Israeli cease fire