Purveyors of magic solutions

[bemildred]

Wait and see, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is promising the skeptics, who doubt the effectiveness of the military moves on which the security cabinet decided at its meeting on Wednesday. More than that, he cannot say. The operations on the ground will speak for themselves. It's his cabinet ministers who are driving him crazy. After voting in favor, they ran to political correspondents to criticize the decision.

Even in closed conversations, the post-Second-Lebanon-War Olmert is not harboring expectations like those he voiced in his Knesset statement at the outset of the war. He is still opposed to a large-scale incursion into Gaza. A senior minister who is a member of the security cabinet estimated this week that the price of such an operation would be more than 200 killed on the Israeli side.

We do not get up in the morning with a desire to shoot Palestinians, Olmert said this week at a public event. When we are shot at we respond, and if we are not shot at we will not have to respond. A prominent right-wing MK said this week that if it were up to him, he would reach a cease-fire agreement with Hamas. "Of course we will attack Olmert if he does just that," said the MK, who for obvious reasons did not want his name used, "but what will we say a day or two later, when people in Sderot and Ashkelon and the communities around Gaza can breathe a sigh of relief and start living like human beings? After all, we can attack only when missiles are falling."

Olmert made a strategic decision to continue the negotiations with the Palestinians as though there were no Hamas. He is scheduled to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as early as next week. In his view, the target of reaching understandings with the Palestinians by the end of the year remains as realistic as it was at the Annapolis conference last November. He did not expect an easy time of it even before the Grad rockets began slamming into Ashkelon.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/961723.html

[MaryCeleste]

1. The Grad rockets are going to be the key to the Israeli reponse

If more of them are launched, Gaza will be flattened until they stop

[Vegasaurus]

2. Gaza won't be flattened

worldwide opinion won't allow it. Instead, there will be "responses".

[MaryCeleste]

3. You do understand what the Grads are and why they change the entire scenario?

Hitting Ashkelon and Ashdod is unacceptable to Israel. Olmert will ahve no choice but to have the IDF stop it. Given their range, most of Gaza will have be rocket free for that to happen. So maybe the IDF won't pave it, but it will be close.

[pelsar]

6. just a note:

the grads now put in range Ashdods port:

electrical powerplant:
stored chemicals (large tanks of hazardous materials).

the potential danger is far beyond the warheads explosive capability.

[bemildred]

4. Then Gaza is going to get flattened.

Maybe even flattened over and over again. Bouncing the rubble.

[aranthus]

7. This may be what Hamas is hoping for

Not that they want to see Gaza flattened, but that they have been trying to provoke an Israeli overreaction that will outrge the Arab world and incite a general middle east war.

[azurnoir]

8. Perhaps Hamas is "hoping" for this

however as recent history shows the most that will happen is a lot hand wringing, oh the horror, but what about the children, and finger pointing, accusations, self righteous posturing on all sides.

Actual actions? nada Just like Lebanon.

[Violet_Crumble]

9. If Gaza is flattened do you think it's only the Arab world that will be outraged?

And do you think it'd be understandable?

[bemildred]

10. Sigh. People just don't read:

On Wednesday this week, in a meeting of the security cabinet, Ramon got an answer to the demand from Attorney General Menachem Mazuz: Israel does not fire into population concentrations - that is a war crime.

From the OP.

[Violet_Crumble]

11. I'm interested in what the poster I replied to said n/t

[bemildred]

12. Yeah, I know, but this whole "flattening Gaza" thing is a war crime.

And it won't stop the rockets either. But I won't butt in anymore. I wasn't trying to get after you.

[bemildred]

5. I was very taken with the retrospective discussion in this piece on 2005.

It is very illuminating both with regard to the trend of events and with regard to what passes for strategic planning in the Israeli government. It's around 40% of the way down.