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Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA (Independent Media Research and Analysis) hits the nail on the head warning that Israeli sanctions are a lame substitute for doing what needs to be done — destroying, eradicating the PA terror army and their cache of weapons, explosives and ammunition from Egypt. This author expands on Lerner’s position — that if the PA terror army is to be destroyed, the cache of weapons eliminated must extend to that supplied by the US, the very weaponry which would have come into play had the alleged PA guards’ assassination plot on prime minister Olmert actually been attempted.
Further, as much as we’d like to see sanctions taken utilizing Israeli utilities and services supplied to Gaza, and as much as we’d like to see complete, 100% sanctions taken, any sanctions will result in the predictable international cry of racism and collective punishment against the “poor Palestinian civilian population” — the same population which provides human-shield protection for terrorists who Kassam attack and mortar southern Israel attempting to kill and maim as many Jews as possible. And as predictable as the international cry will be regarding these sanctions, the weak-willed, spineless, anti-Torah Israeli Olmert regime response will be equally predictable — an embarrassing back-off followed by pictures like this;
But then again, Israel would inevitably face a similar, predictable international cry regarding actions aimed at destroying and decimating the PA terror army as was faced when the IDF encircled the Egyptian Third Army near the conclusion of the Yom Kippur War and which has been faced at everytime since when Israel defended herself against terrorism and missile attacks.
In short, the evil Olmert, Barak, Ramon regime fears more for International pressure than it fears for the defense and welfare of the nation it governs. These evil little men are a World-Class embarrassment, a Chillul Hashem. MB
Weekly Commentary: Dim Gaza’s lights? Destroy the Gaza Army, Dr. Aaron Lerner (IMRA)
Full Text;
There’s no question about it: the situation in the Gaza Strip is absolutely intolerable.
And it is getting worse by the day.
And something must be done to address the clear and present danger that the ever strengthening Gaza terror-army represents both in terms of its daily assaults on Israeli targets and its potential to cause catastrophic damage in the very near future in action either alone or in coordination with other enemies of the Jewish State.
One can argue that marginally reducing energy supplies to the Gaza Strip may somehow turn rank and file Palestinians against the Qassam launchers.
But if these sanctions are imposed and then rolled back in response to international pressure the move will be counter productive.
I sincerely hope that the people behind this tactic have gone to the trouble to think through the possible scenarios. Not just the first 24 hours or even the first week – but how this could play through November, the Annapolis conference, and beyond.
What is, though, the purpose of the exercise?
Is Israel’s goal simply a temporary halt to rocket fire – as implied by those who link the sanctions to the Kassam and mortar fire imply?
It shouldn’t be.
It cannot be.
Again. We are talking about a Palestinian army being flooded with weapons, explosives and ammunition from Egypt that is building up and training day in and day out in the Gaza Strip.
The very existence of this army is a clear and present danger.
This Palestinian army has to be destroyed.
That’s destroyed.
Not given a timeout to grow even more dangerous.
If dimming the lights in Gaza somehow leads to a temporary halt in the rocket attacks that’s great.
But either way, the Palestinian terror army must be destroyed.
And it is going to take a lot more than sanctions to do that.
Barak Approves Limiting Israel’s Gaza Power Supply, by Hanan Greenberg (Reuters, Ynet)
Excerpts;
Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave the green light on Thursday to reduce Israel’s power supplies to the Gaza Strip in response to Palestinian rocket attacks from the Hamas-controlled territory.
Shortly after the decision was made, a Qassam rocket landed near the southern town of Sderot.
Israeli political sources said Barak’s decision cleared the way for electricity cuts to begin immediately, although it was not immediately clear exactly when power would be reduced to the area, where 1.5 million Palestinians live.
The transfer of goods into the Gaza Strip will also be reduced… to pressure the Hamas government.
The United Nations has told Israel it must not inflict collective punishment by denying Palestinians in the Gaza Strip vital supplies and services.
Barak’s approval was the final step needed before any reduction of electrical supplies could be implemented following an Israeli security cabinet decision last month to declare the Gaza Strip an “enemy entity” and impose sanctions.
Erekat Calls for International Intervention Against Gaza Electricity Cuts, by Yaakov Katz, Herb Keinon (Jerusalem Post)
Excerpts;
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat appealed for international intervention and called the Israeli decision to cut off electricity to Gaza after each Kassam rocket “particularly provocative given that Palestinians and Israelis are meeting to negotiate an agreement on the core issues for ending the conflict between them.”
Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s approval earlier Thursday of an IDF plan to impose sanctions on the Gaza Strip in wake of the escalation in Kassam rocket attacks was the first step… towards a “complete disengagement” including the gradual reduction in Palestinian dependency on Israel for gas and electricity.
During his weekly security meeting on Thursday Barak approved the plan … in line with the recent cabinet decision that defined Gaza as a “hostile entity.”
According to the plan, one of the power lines connecting Israel and Gaza will be shut down at first for 15 minutes after a rocket attack, gradually increasing the cutoff length if the barrages continue, up to a two-hour limit. In addition, Israel will begin reducing the amount of gasoline it allows into the Gaza Strip.
Defense officials stressed that the fairly-limited sanctions were not capable of creating a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and were being imposed with the eventual goal – of the defense establishment – to completely cut off Palestinian dependency on Israel. The cuts to electricity will not affect Gaza-based hospitals, defense officials said.
Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Israel had no choice but to take punitive measures. “Should we tell them to continue firing rockets at the same power station that provides them with electricity and continue to bomb the water system that provides them with water?” he asked.
Defense officials stressed that the cuts to electricity and gas were not being taken to “punish” the Palestinians but to instead gradually begin the final disengagement from the Gaza Strip, which was started in 2005 when Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Palestinian territory.
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