Gaza Situation Report

STRATFOR  ... "From a purely military standpoint, the issue has been Hamas's search for a deterrent to Israeli operations against Gaza. Operation Cast Lead in late 2008 and early 2009 disrupted Gaza deeply, and Hamas found itself without any options beyond attempts to impose high casualties on Israeli forces. But the size of the casualties in Cast Lead did not prove a deterrent. 

"Hamas augmented its short-range rocket arsenal with much longer-range rockets. The latest generation of rockets it has acquired can reach the population center of Israel: the triangle of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa. However, these are rockets, not missiles. That means they have no guidance system, and their point of impact once launched is a matter of chance. Given these limits, Hamas hoped having a large number of rockets of different ranges would create the risk of substantial Israeli civilian casualties, and that that risk would deter Israel from action against Gaza.

"The threat posed by the rockets was in fact substantial. According to senior Israeli Air Force officers quoted on the subject, Israel lacked intelligence on precisely where the rockets were stored and all the sites from which they might be launched. Gaza is honeycombed with a complex of tunnels, many quite deep. This limits intelligence. It also limits the ability of Israeli airborne munitions from penetrating to their storage area and destroying them. " ...Read more: Gaza Situation Report | Stratfor
 

"Gaza Situation Report is republished with permission of Stratfor."

Yes, I know the fear and the panic, but I also know that while I was scared for a while in Israel, I am frightened in Sweden, all the time.

Fear not, Israel; take comfort in knowing that millions of Muslims and peace groups around the world are demonstrating against the murderous attacks on Israeli families being done in the name of Islam.

Jerusalem Post

Bomb shelter in Beersheba

 

... " '15 seconds," I said. "15 seconds to make sure that you and the people you love are safe. Imagine the terror, imagine the fear, and imagine not knowing the outcome.' "...

 

... "We run into the street and I see hordes of people running in the same direction. A group of men from the shul down the street, an old woman carrying a pink bag, heavy with vegetables, a small family just coming back from a day at the beach. They disappear into the building across the street, so I grab the kids by the hand and I follow them. The room is cool, or maybe it’s just me, shaking with chills. Children are sitting on the floor, a young man is on the phone with his mother, my own children are quiet, and the oldest is fighting back tears- watching my face as to see how scared he is supposed to be. I am just about to try and tell them something when I hear the boom. It’s so much louder than I had expected. I feel it in the floor, the impact traveling through my entire body." ...

 

Annika Hernroth-Rothstein is a political adviser, writer and activist. An alumni of the Young Jewish diplomatic seminar (organized by the Mizrad Hahutz) and Tikvah seminars in NYC. She lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with her two children.

Parade Float Insults Obama, Department of Justice Initiates Investigation

American Thinker  

"The DoJ has determined that the greatest potential threat to the Constitution, our national security and personal freedoms is... a parade float that pokes fun at President Obama.  The threatening float consisted of an outhouse labeled “Obama Presidential Library”.  Omaha.com reports:

The U.S. Department of Justice has joined the discussions over a controversial float in the Norfolk Independence Day parade.

 

The department sent a member of its Community Relations Service team, which gets involved in discrimination disputes, to a Thursday meeting about the issue.

"There are only a finite number of resources at Eric Holder’s Department of Justice, so there's no time or manpower available to look into trivial matters such as NSA spying on Americans, IRS targeting political enemies, or the Veterans Administration allegedly killing thousands of vets and covering it up.

"What kind of paranoid, insecure presidential administration reacts to an insult to their honor with a federal investigation, particularly when there are so many urgent critical threats to Americans that they have refused to investigate?  Even Nixon wasn't this Nixonian.  This is Kim Jong-un territory.

"Thomas Lifson adds: The DoJ Community Relations Service played a shameful role in ginning up racial animus surrounding the trial of George Zimmerman, as documented by Jack Cashill in his book, If I Had a Son. It is best thought of as an agitprop organization with prosecutorial powers.  Andrew Thomas

Think that's bad? See what the Germans did:

 

Investigate THIS:

 

Obama: Dancing Barefoot on the Embers

American Thinker  "I can remember several times when Obama just started to laugh in public at various disasters triggered by his policies.

"Happy laughter now seems to be the official White House reaction to domestic and international chaos and human suffering. You could call it leading with Obama’s big strength --  a great smile on TV -- while avoiding the worst of his weaknesses -- his inability to actually solve anything."  Read more...
...
"Abe Lincoln’s last, best hope of mankind is failing, and the ancient tyrannies of the world are smelling blood. Two and a half more years of Obama, in a world where terrorists now have nuclear materials, and Washington tells us to put on a happy face. Richard Cheney was right, and our political leadership is sailing the ship of state straight onto the rocks."   James Lewis.

Jewellery Blog

‘I,’ ‘Me,’ ‘My’—Obama Uses First Person Singular 199 Times in Speech Vowing Unilateral Action    "By contrast, President Abraham Lincoln’s [Gettysburg] Address was only 272 words--and did not include any form of the first person singular.

"In President Obama’s speech, he used a first person singular, on average, every 12 seconds. At that rate, had Obama spoken for just 15 more minutes, he would have used the first person singular more than 272 times in one speech—exceeding all the words in the Gettysburg Address." ...

UPDATE:

Hamas Military Song Calls on ‘Palestinian” Muslims to “Exterminate” the Jews

Supporters and enablers of these savages will be found among the ranks of Obama supporters and in the Democrat Party as a whole.
You know; the "War is not the answer" crowd.   TD

Pamela Geller    "Songs of extermination — only jihad could produce such anti-human abominations.

"Obama is strong-arming Israel to stop defending herself while Hamas sings military songs of extermination. That’s what America represents under this jihadaphile.

"Had Obama not sanctioned Hamas and said he would work with the Hamas government, this would not be happening.

Hamas ‘Scare Song’ Vows Genocide on Israel

‘Traditional’ song by Hamas ‘military wing’ against Israel calls on Palestinian Arabs to ‘exterminate’ Israeli ‘cockroaches.’

By AFP and Tova Dvorin, July 11, 2014

Hamas terrorists have released a Hebrew version of yet another propaganda ‘scare video,’ AFP reports Friday, translating the lyrics to a popular Hamas battle song calling to ‘exterminate’ Jews and Israel.

The original Arabic version of “Shake Israel’s Security” has long been a popular anthem of Hamas’s “military wing,” the Ezzedine
al-Qassam Brigades. 

 

"Now the Hebrew translation is on the brigades’ YouTube site, proclaiming to a dramatic orchestral accompaniment: “Wipe out all the Zionists…burn soldiers and their bases.”
 
“ 'Exterminate the cockroach nest, expel all the Zionists,” it exhorts.
 
“ 'They are startled by death and hide behind walls and protection,” the brigades’ song jibes. “Rain upon them many rockets. Make their world into a horror.”
 
"Earlier this week, Hamas released two additional “scare videos” targeting Be’er Sheva and Judea-Samaria residents.
 
"The clips feature footage of rockets being launched from a multiple rocket launcher, and bodies being placed in an Israeli ambulance."

 

Oh, The Bear is Loose in America Alright…

American Glob    "Have you heard about this stupid, completely manufactured attempt by the White House to nickname Obama the bear?

"Valerie Jarrett tweeted this today…

 

Valerie Jarrett        ✔ @vj44 Follow

I guess bears drink coffee too. Pres Obama at Magnolia Cafe in Austin #TheBearIsLoose

Do we laugh or cry over this border issue?

http://www.comicallyincorrect.com/

 

Send Them Home    "President Obama has asked Congress for billions of dollars to address a crisis that is in part the product of his own policies — policies he would like to expand, in fact.

"Yes, there are fundamental forces pushing Central Americans, including a startling number of unaccompanied children, to try to cross our borders illegally. But Obama’s non-enforcement of our immigration laws, his amnesty for illegal-alien children, and his vigorous push for immigration reform with a much broader amnesty as its central element have played a big role in creating our current crisis." ...By the editors of NRO

 

http://www.comicallyincorrect.com/

 

 

Obama the problem creator    ..."Everything Obama does is about politics. If he weren't endlessly raising money for his hyper-partisan Democratic Party, he wouldn't have even bothered to fly to Texas in the first place. His entire approach to the immigration issue is to fast-track as many illegals as he can, with the long-term goal of turning the country permanently blue, which happens to be a political, not humanitarian, motivation. Obama is so thoroughly political that commentators can't even discuss Obama without focusing on the "optics." Would it be that hard for them to assess, just once, whether he's doing the right thing?" ... David Limbaugh

 

 

Charles Krauthammer: The immigration no-brainer

 ..."One thing is certain. When the first convoys begin rolling from town to town across Central America, the influx will stop."When he began taking heat for his laxness and indecisiveness, Obama said he would seek statutory authority for eliminating the Central American loophole. Yet when he presented his $3.7 billion emergency package on Tuesday, it included no such proposal."

 

 

 

Obama Talks to Netanyahu—Did Bibi Tell Barry to Stuff It?

Roger L. Simon   From the JPost:

The United States is prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, US President Barack Obama told Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu by phone today.
In the call, Obama “reiterated the United States’ strong condemnation of continuing rocket fire into Israel by Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza and reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against these attacks,” the White House said in a readout of the conversation.
But Netanyahu has ruled out a ceasefire with Hamas in the short-term. On the contrary, the Israeli leader has vowed a series of additional stages to Operation Protective Edge—his government’s response to continued rocket fire on Israeli towns and cities, after Hamas, a terrorist organization, stockpiled tens of thousands of rockets in the coastal territory over the last several years.
A ceasefire is “not even on the agenda,” Netanyahu told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, just hours before his call with the US leader.

...
"I’m confused. Weren’t “progressives” supposed to be for religious freedom and opposed to misogyny,  homophobia and theocracy? Oh, well.  Maybe I was misinformed.
Enough already.  Bibi, it’s up to you.  Western civilization’s last stand.

"We should all be encouraging Netanyahu now, lining up behind him, no matter what our smaller biases. He needs friends at home and abroad.  So do the Israeli soldiers. Even though I am not religious, I will be praying for them."

Rocket Strikes Sderot Day Care Center, No One Hurt

 

From Israel Hayom:  This US President seems to be, um, under-respected by America's allies who are threatened by evil factions

 

Meanwhile, at Obama's base of voters:    ... "In the United States, so-called “peace groups” continue to advocated boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Israel and blame Israel for the current conflict. No BDS effort is directed toward Gaza; to the contrary, they demand that the obviously insufficient blockade intended to keep weapons out of Gaza be lifted." ...Jennifer Rubin

UPDATED: Netanyahu Not Interested In Obama’s Offer To Negotiate Cease-Fire, Says Deal With Hamas “Not Even On The Agenda”…

Weasel Zippers  ... "But Netanyahu has ruled out a ceasefire with Hamas in the short-term. On the contrary, the Israeli leader has vowed a series of additional stages to Operation Protective Edge— his government’s response to continued rocket fire on Israeli towns and cities, after Hamas, a terrorist organization, stockpiled tens of thousands of rockets in the coastal territory over the last several years.

"A ceasefire is “not even on the agenda,” Netanyahu told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, just hours before his call with the US leader."

UPDATE: Bibi says 'no thanks' to Obama offer to broker cease fire with Hamas
[Caroline Glick] believes that Hamas is encouraged to keep up the attacks because of rhetoric like this and it's hard to argue with her. The president and State Department offer soothing words of support to shore up their Jewish base while savaging Israel in international forums in order to placate Muslims. This is why Bibi hates Obama and considers him a feckless ally.

History Repeating Itself: Obama has Sold out Israel Just Like Chamberlain Sold out Czechoslovakia    "A Decisive Chamberlain-Obama “Appeasement” Moment 

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”   Winston Churchill

"Just as Chamberlain fed Czechoslovakia to the hungry Nazi alligator to appease it, isn’t that what Obama has done–fed Israel to the hungry Islamist alligator, Iran?" 

Q: When is Obama going to take responsibility for something? A: When ….

Legal Insurrection   ... A. When it’s about getting bin Laden, otherwise it’s Bush’s fault.
 

Where Is Obama’s Border Policy? A serious president would push to eliminate the Central American loophole in our immigration laws.

 Charles Krauthammer   ... "There is no logic. Just a quirk of the law — a 2008 law intended to deter sex trafficking. It mandates that Central American kids receive temporary relocation, extensive assistance and elaborate immigration/deportation proceedings, which many simply evade.

"This leniency was designed for a small number of sex-trafficked youth. It was never intended for today’s mass migration aimed at establishing a family foothold in America.

"Stopping this wave is not complicated. A serious president would go to Congress tomorrow proposing a change in the law, simply mandating that Central American kids get the same treatment as Mexican kids, i.e., be subject to immediate repatriation.

"Then do so under the most humane conditions. Buses with every amenity. Kids accompanied by nurses and social workers and interpreters and everything they need on board. But going home.

"One thing is certain. When the first convoys begin rolling from town to town across Central America, the influx will stop." ...   More at NRO

 

Texas Gov. Rick Perry wanted to discuss the issue with America's president   And how'd that work out?

... "He did, however, reluctantly agree to a hastily-arranged meeting with Texas Governor Rick Perry to talk about the growing emergency. Well, not actually talk, but listen. Okay, he didn't listen either - but at least he was in the room - giggling - long enough to get a picture taken..." 

"Things you can do at #hobbylobby #keepyourrosariesoffmyovaries #prochoice."

Althouse    More at "Crafty activists are trolling Hobby Lobby by rearranging in-store craft displays to spell ‘pro-choice’" in The Washington Post.

Shea’s fans — actress Wendi McLendon-Covey and columnist Dan Savage among them — have lauded the stunt as a clever, light-hearted way to draw attention to women’s health and the Hobby Lobby case. Her critics, meanwhile, have dismissed it as childish and misguided, less sticking it to “the man” and more inconveniencing a bunch of frazzled, innocent store employees....

 

In either case, what Shea terms a “protest” or a “prank” is almost indistinguishable from trolling — provoking annoyance and fury, merely to infuriate and annoy. That’s not a criticism, but it’s certainly an intriguing commentary on the state of political discourse these days. We have reached a point where the end-game, perhaps necessarily, isn’t to convert hearts and minds — it’s just to make some noise.

 "1.  "Pro-choice" is the wrong word in the context where the business owners resisted being denied the choice about covering birth control and where that resistance is premised on their religion which they have the right to choose. Those who don't like the choices the business owners have made have the choice to shop elsewhere.

"2. The pranksters are taunting those who have taken a strong stand based on religion. Are we really going to taunt people about religion? If you're inclined to say yes, do you really mean it, across the board for all religions, or is this a special willingness to taunt Christians? If it's special for Christians, why is that? Is it because you think it's okay to taunt what you think is the dominant group? If Christians like the ones your protesting against really were dominant, we shouldn't, in a democracy, end up with laws forcing them to do things against their conscience, so I'd say, the existence of the birth control mandate is evidence that they are not the dominant group, in which case, you're harassing a minority. Why would you do that? Is it that you feel safe picking on Christians?"

Some comments to this story:
  "Uh... because Christians don't tend to kill you when you prank them? 

..."Such HL protests by the post-Marxist Left are not about presenting a rational discourse for the public to mull over & hopefully, support. They seek not to refute, but to make opposing viewpoints "un-thinkable' " ...

..."Everyone feels safe picking on Christians because there are no consequences for doing so. You won't find a similar relish for picking on Muslims, because there is a distinct tendency to riots and slit throats when the "prophet" is maligned (or even depicted). That is certainly an interesting set of incentives to be pushing, isn't it? "

...Michael said (I hasten to add) :

 "There are an uncommon number of fat, tattooed women with a cause. As they degrade their bodies there seems to be a collateral degradation of brain cells. They are very unattractive. Their ideas are sophomoric. Stunts like this are asinine. She is not a customer of the store and making fun, as she is, of both the company and its customers is not a smart or winning strategy.

"She should save her "creativity" for new tattoo ideas. "  

I did a search of "pictures pro choice protests at muslim stores". What do you think came up?  Bupkis

Same for this search: "pictures pro choice protests at islamic centers". One link was to the protest against the Muslim victory mosque at Ground Zero, but not a pro-choice activist anywhere. I'm sure the pro-choice crowd thought that Ground Zero issue was due to intolerance.