29 July 2014 - OPE Day 22/Ground War Day 12: According to more recent info, PM Netanyahu has not yet issued an order for the IDF to go all out in the destruction HAMAS, the PIJ and other terrorist groups in Gaza. That's why the above image is so appropriate - it is an IDF Merkava MBT (Main Battle Tank) in a freeze frame of full maneuver warfare action in Gaza. The Times of Israel today has another Op-Ed by David Horovitz on why PM Netanyahu doesn't want to "go all the way" even though he has a full understanding of the danger posed the the Gaza terrorists and the costs that will be borne by Israel and, primarily, the IDF if and when that order is given.
My opinion is that Netanyahu's reluctance is playing right into the hands of the Gaza terrorists and their allies in Iran, Syria and Lebanon who perceive such reluctance as an acute weakness in Israel's Prime Minister that begs to be exploited at a time and place of their choosing. Hence, the rapidity, frequency and willingness of HAMAS to ignore their own ceasefire offers. They are playing PM Netanyahu for the fool. In the minds of many, both in Israel and the US, this begs the question of whether or not Netanyahu is the right PM for Israel at this time.
War fighting is not operated as if it were a light switch: on-off, on-off, on-off. War is not an intermittent engagement. War is engaged in until objectives are achieved, the enemy vanquished and his war making capability thoroughly destroyed. This is known in any army as being "mission complete." This is where Netanyahu should issue an execute order and have the IDF go until the mission is completed. In point of fact, the ONLY reason that HAMAS and the other terrorists are still in Gaza firing rockets and mortars into Israel on the 22nd day of Operation Protective Edge is because PM Bibi Netanyahu has thus far refused to order the IDF to complete its mission. Period.
Final Update - OPE Day 22: Israel has no option, that is to say, PM Netanyahu and his security cabinet have no options when it comes to the destruction of HAMAS in the current war. The current Israeli intelligence assessment holds that HAMAS understood before firing its first rocket in July that it could not win militarily against the IDF, but that it merely needed to withstand the IDFs onslaught. Then when the next "hudna" or temporary ceasefire occurred it would simply rebuild again with new vigor and a buffed-up credibility in the Islamic world for having gone toe-to-toe with Israel. The difference is that after this war HAMAS would not only rebuild in Gaza, but it would create very similar warfighting capabilities within PA-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria (i.e. the so-called West Bank). Therefore, Israel has no choice in the matter, HAMAS cannot survive this war intact.
30 July 2014 - OPE Day 23/ Ground War Day 13: HAMAS nominal chief of jihad against Israel, the limbless Mohammed Deif, said last night, just prior to the start of OPE Day 23, that his soldiers are "eager for death." The question to be posed to Israel's PM Netanyahu is, Do you require a more formal invitation than this to accept Mohammed Deif's offer? This is without question an Islamic call to jihad and all that such a purely Quranic** declaration implies.
**NOTE: For those who do not understand this critical issue, here is a link to a .pdf in which the subject The Quranic Concept of War, a rare book by Pakistani Brigadier General S.K. Malik that is reviewed in an essay by LTC (US Army Ret.) Joseph C. Meyers in the 2006-07 issue of Parameters, the quarterly US Army War College Professional Journal. This is important for us to understand, but at the moment it is an absolute imperative for PM Netanyahu and the security cabinet to understand and act accordingly following their ongoing meeting and debate on Wednesday, 30 June.
Most Americans, by a wide margin in fact, are solidly on Israel's side in this war against Islamic terrorists. The same cannot be said for our President and his administration whose views are diametrically opposed to those of the majority of the American people regarding this war. Proof of this came in the form of a leaked audio recording by an American source to Israel's Channel One TV station of the Sunday night telephone call between PM Netanyahu and Barack Hussein Obama.. The transcript of that conversation, translated from Hebrew to English, was published today by Channel One. Here is an excerpt of that transcript that was posted by Israel National News (Arutz Sheva) a short time ago:
War fighting is not operated as if it were a light switch: on-off, on-off, on-off. War is not an intermittent engagement. War is engaged in until objectives are achieved, the enemy vanquished and his war making capability thoroughly destroyed. This is known in any army as being "mission complete." This is where Netanyahu should issue an execute order and have the IDF go until the mission is completed. In point of fact, the ONLY reason that HAMAS and the other terrorists are still in Gaza firing rockets and mortars into Israel on the 22nd day of Operation Protective Edge is because PM Bibi Netanyahu has thus far refused to order the IDF to complete its mission. Period.
Final Update - OPE Day 22: Israel has no option, that is to say, PM Netanyahu and his security cabinet have no options when it comes to the destruction of HAMAS in the current war. The current Israeli intelligence assessment holds that HAMAS understood before firing its first rocket in July that it could not win militarily against the IDF, but that it merely needed to withstand the IDFs onslaught. Then when the next "hudna" or temporary ceasefire occurred it would simply rebuild again with new vigor and a buffed-up credibility in the Islamic world for having gone toe-to-toe with Israel. The difference is that after this war HAMAS would not only rebuild in Gaza, but it would create very similar warfighting capabilities within PA-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria (i.e. the so-called West Bank). Therefore, Israel has no choice in the matter, HAMAS cannot survive this war intact.
30 July 2014 - OPE Day 23/ Ground War Day 13: HAMAS nominal chief of jihad against Israel, the limbless Mohammed Deif, said last night, just prior to the start of OPE Day 23, that his soldiers are "eager for death." The question to be posed to Israel's PM Netanyahu is, Do you require a more formal invitation than this to accept Mohammed Deif's offer? This is without question an Islamic call to jihad and all that such a purely Quranic** declaration implies.
**NOTE: For those who do not understand this critical issue, here is a link to a .pdf in which the subject The Quranic Concept of War, a rare book by Pakistani Brigadier General S.K. Malik that is reviewed in an essay by LTC (US Army Ret.) Joseph C. Meyers in the 2006-07 issue of Parameters, the quarterly US Army War College Professional Journal. This is important for us to understand, but at the moment it is an absolute imperative for PM Netanyahu and the security cabinet to understand and act accordingly following their ongoing meeting and debate on Wednesday, 30 June.
Most Americans, by a wide margin in fact, are solidly on Israel's side in this war against Islamic terrorists. The same cannot be said for our President and his administration whose views are diametrically opposed to those of the majority of the American people regarding this war. Proof of this came in the form of a leaked audio recording by an American source to Israel's Channel One TV station of the Sunday night telephone call between PM Netanyahu and Barack Hussein Obama.. The transcript of that conversation, translated from Hebrew to English, was published today by Channel One. Here is an excerpt of that transcript that was posted by Israel National News (Arutz Sheva) a short time ago:
"Obama: I demand that Israel agrees to an immediate, unilateral ceasefire and halt all offensive activities - particularly airstrikes.
Netanyahu: What will Israel receive in return for a ceasefire?
Obama: I believe that Hamas will stop firing rockets - silence will be met with silence.
Netanyahu: Hamas violated all five previous ceasefires, it is a terrorist organization which is dedicated to the destruction of Israel.
Obama: I repeat and expect Israel to unilaterally stop all its military activity. The pictures of destruction from Gaza distance the world from Israel's position.
Netanyahu: Kerry's proposal was completely unrealistic and gives Hamas the military and diplomatic advantage.
Obama: Within a week of the end of Israel's military activities, Qatar and Turkey will begin negotiations with Hamas on the basis of the 2012 understanding [following the end of Operation Pillar of Defense - ed.], including Israel's commitment to removing the siege and restrictions on Gaza,
Netanyahu: Qatar and Turkey are the biggest supporters of Hamas. It is impossible to rely on them to be fair mediators.
Obama: I trust Qatar and Turkey, and Israel is in no position to choose its mediators.
Netanyahu: I object, because Hamas is able to continue and to fire rockets and to use tunnels for terror attacks...
Obama - interrupts Netanyahu mid-sentence: The ball is in Israel's court - it is obligated to end all military activities."
This transcript proves the points I made in my posts of 27 and 28 July regarding "clearly something larger at play." That statement was followed in a subsequent update in the details in the Final Update for OPE Day 20 as well as the initial post of OPE Day 21 to the effect that Barack Hussein Obama was attempting to dictate to PM Netanyahu specific conditions which were, and always will be, inherently suicidal for the State of Israel in the face of Islamic jihadism. President Obama has clearly shown himself to be on the side of the Muslim Brotherhood terrorists of HAMAS in this war. My next question for PM Netanyahu: What more do you need to know about the current American President to convince you that he is no ally; that he is no friend of the State of Israel?
First Update - OPE Day 23: As we wait for word from the Israeli security cabinet meeting, the latest information (via JNS) is that HAMAS has publicly requested Hezbollah to open up a second front in northern Israel. Details at the embedded link.
Final Update - OPE Day 23: Israel's security cabinet has announced its decision to continue with the expanded Operation Protective Edge mission objectives, continuing an overwhelming offensive against Hamas, PIJ, PFLP-GC, Fatah and other terrorist groups in Gaza and to complete the destruction of all tunnels. There may be occasional local ceasefires declared so long that that they do not endanger IDF forces in the relieving certain conditions of civilians in acute distress or medical emergencies. In continuing this authorized battle rhythm there will come a point at which the survival or existence of HAMAS becomes apparent if not a real-world fact. This also makes the potential for external intervention by Iran and its other proxies that much more likely.
First Update - OPE Day 23: As we wait for word from the Israeli security cabinet meeting, the latest information (via JNS) is that HAMAS has publicly requested Hezbollah to open up a second front in northern Israel. Details at the embedded link.
Final Update - OPE Day 23: Israel's security cabinet has announced its decision to continue with the expanded Operation Protective Edge mission objectives, continuing an overwhelming offensive against Hamas, PIJ, PFLP-GC, Fatah and other terrorist groups in Gaza and to complete the destruction of all tunnels. There may be occasional local ceasefires declared so long that that they do not endanger IDF forces in the relieving certain conditions of civilians in acute distress or medical emergencies. In continuing this authorized battle rhythm there will come a point at which the survival or existence of HAMAS becomes apparent if not a real-world fact. This also makes the potential for external intervention by Iran and its other proxies that much more likely.
