The world is scared

There seems to be fear if not panic as to the danger posed by the Islamic State.
This new very dangerous group has both instilled fear on the hearts of the worlds leaders and made constant progress in its conquest of territory.
The UK has raised its alert status to its highest and the US is very nervous that something may happen soon. They have spooked the world and will likely strike soon
Nobody knows where.
Just the way the terrorists would like it.
Expect bad things...

The Lull before the storm

Israel has very many enemies. Lets list just a few.
Hamas, Jihad Islami, Hizbullah, Al quida, ISIS, and the list goes on.
These enemies are on all of Israels borders.
The Hamas and Jihad Islami on the southern border. The Hizbullah on the northern border.
ISIS after it takes over Jordan ( which may happen soon ) will face Israel on its eastern border.
When and if this happens Israel will literally be surrounded by its enemies with its back to the sea.
This temporary lull is very misleading to those who really understand what Israel is up against.
Some of these groups hate each other and would stop them from attacking Israel together, for now at least.
In the Arab world treaties are made very quickly when it comes to attacking Israel.
Nonetheless the danger that lurks on all the borders is real and imminent.
Israel is readying itself for worst case scenario.
That would be war on all fronts at the same time.
That would necessitate the entire call up of reserves and possibly even emergency call up of those already let go of army service.
Sadly Israels military is not as feared as it once was.
For the first time troops from the US will be involved as vital American interests will be at stake.
The storm is brewing...
It won't be pretty.

WW 3- Radical Islam

It is here, it is real, it is brutal.
Radical Islam with its varied branches is threatening the world.
Al Qieda, Boko Aram, Jihad islami, Hamas and more.
different names that mean the same thing.
Forcible conversion to Islam or painful death.
These groups are a mixture of a modern day crusade mixed in with extreme Fascism.
This is real and now.
The United States is extremely concerned that the seemingly craziest of the group ISIS is planning to attack the United States.
They will make Al Qida look like a boy scout chapter.
They are worried about Local supporters who will independently attempt mass terrorism.
How difficult would it be to smuggle explosives onto a train or bus or public sporting event.
These are acts waiting to happen and the FBI has little clue how to stop it.
It is very ironic indeed that Europe which has castigated Israel by and large in its fight with radical Islam now is faced with the same problem.
There will be terrorist attacks in Europe and the United States, it is just a matter of time.
Hold on to your hats ladies and gentleman...

Cease fire

Its as official as it gets here in the middle east.
There is a cease fire, for the mean time at least.
The Prime minister in his usual smooth public appearance explained why Israel won this war and why Hamas lost.
The Head of the army looked haggard and shell shocked.
He did not look like a winning general in a war.
He was trying to explain why Israel won this war.
When there is a decisive victory explanations are unnecessary.
Douglass Macarthur did not need to explain why the US defeated Japan in WW2 not did Israel after the six day war.
No one really believes Israel won this conflict.
The way things go here in the middle east is that when Israel does not win decisively that means she has lost.
The Arab world had grown accustomed to massive defeats at the hands of Israel and in the last few conflicts improved greatly.
The Prime minister clearly hinted that negotiations in another month on outstanding issues would go no where.
Israel may not need to wait too long for a new conflict to develop.
This ongoing conflict is like a tinderbox, ready to ignite at any time. All side are preparing for what is next.
It will only get worse.
There is no other way other than retaking the strip and reestablishing Israeli control there.
Leaving the strip unilaterally was the ultimate mistake that has fostered all the bloodshed.
Let no one be fooled by the Israeli government. This conflict is not the end.
It is not even the beginning of the end, at best it is the end of the beginning.

Big mistake

It is astounding that the man who made it his mission to defeat terrorism has basically capitulated to the Hamas terrorist organization by agreeing to ta cease fire.
He will say that there is no real other viable option and few would want to risk the lives of so many soldiers but very many here in Israel feel frustrated at the results.
In essence if this cease fire holds up,none have up till now.
The Hamas will be able to start to terrorize once again Israel when it chooses.
This should be a unacceptable situation but it is not.
The Gaza strip as it is called is a biblical part of Israel, Jews have lived there for centuries there is even a famous Rabbi buried in the Jewish cemetery there.
Leaving the area 9 years ago was wrong and has caused so much heartache to so many.
Israel must and eventually will have to retake the strip and settle there Jews once again.
It will happen after mush more bloodshed on both sides.
There are those that still believe it is possible with good will to reach an understanding with the Hamas or the Palestinians.
Many understand that this is impossible.
There are those who wish to relinquish more territory but they are in the minority.
The right wing politicians have gathered strength and will dominate the next elections.
When ever that may happen.
The next war is just a matter of time.

When will this stop

Can Israel allow itself to not sending tens of thousands of students to school in a few days?

Is the strategy of this Ping pong war working?

No one understands what the prime minister is doing or what he is thinking.

This could go on for months...

No end in sight

There does not seem to be any real solution to the current war between Israel ans Islamic extremists in the Gaza strip.
They persist in demanding a sea port and airport that will have no scrutiny whatsoever and release of very dangerous prisoners from Israeli jails.
Israel is reluctant to enter the strip and maybe is hoping that the new Islamic republic will destroy the Hamas from within or that Hamas will run out of ammunition.
What seems to be clear is that a strange sort of routine has developed in this conflict.
Hamas sends rockets mostly to southern cities and occasionally to other places in Israel.
The IDF kills commanders it can locate and then everyone starts all over again.
It is hard to see any real resolution to the current crisis.
The Israel prime minister is seemingly " waiting it out " in some bizarre hope that the crisis will die down by itself.
This may take a while...

The new war of attrition

This is what Israel wanted to avoid almost at all cost. A war of attrition in the Gaza strip.
No one seems to know the real strategy of the Prime Minister Benjiman Netanyahu.
He claims that his objective is to create a long term cease fire of sorts with the Hamas in the Gaza strip.
It is very unclear how this might be done without destroying the Hamas ability to shoot rockets.
That would mean having the IDF reconquer the Gaza strip, something Netanyahu is loath to do.
That being the case the situation has become a war of attrition, with both sides bombing each other.
The school year is about to start with hundreds of thousands of students within firing range.
This is unprecedented ...

The cease fire and what lies ahead

Israel is in a difficult position.
It is being attacked by the Hamas and when trying to defend itself is being attacked by many in the world.
A difficult situation indeed! Many civilians in the Gaza strip have been killed in this war as a result of the usage of human shields in Gaza.
Soldiers that are fired upon from anywhere will fire back even if that fire come from a kindergarten or hospital.
No one can expect a soldier to risk his life to comply with unclear ruling of combat in such difficult situations.
Indeed a commission has been set up to check about the alleged atrocities committed by the Israeli army.
There is a zero chance of this commission being objective in its findings and Israel is likely not going to participate in the proceeding.
In a paradoxical way those who think they are saving future victims by threatening the IDF and thereby discouraging it from firing in questionable situations have it all wrong.
They are in fact endangering future non combatants as the Hamas and other terrorist organizations will continue to use human shields as tactics of war.
A loss of life is tragic whether civilian or military.
Children of war seem to be the greatest of victims.
The true criminals would be those seeking to destroy Israel using any means at their disposal.
Those children who are taught hate and death are truly being abused.
That is the ultimate war crime.

War and Peace in the middle east

Israel has been at war off and on for the last 100 years. The riots of 1921 may have been the start of this war that continues to this very day. There have been mini-wars in this period that have brought some respite for a few years. The independence war and the six-day war gave 8 and 7 years of relative calm. But even during those periods there were constant terrorist threats and attacks. The current war is not fundamentally different than the others. It is different as it seems some of the players have more important things on their agenda then destroying Israel. Egypt for one.It is not different as its purpose is to annihilate the Jewish state. There are those in Israel and elsewhere that attempt and still believe in some sort of compromise that will end the wars and bloodshed. The fact remains that with the exception of Egypt and Jordan we are still at war with the Arab world. The fact that Egypt despises some of Israels enemies more than Israel does is nothing short of miraculous. There is no clear solution to this conflict and it will continue to fester for a long time.
Crazy middle east.