Terrorists from Hamas-controlled Gaza attacked Israel again Wednesday afternoon and evening with more than half a dozen missiles and mortars, promoting the usual tit-for-tat “proportional response” that is exactly what the terrorists expect.
Rocket attacks have escalated sharply since the kidnappings and murders of three Israeli teenagers, whose bodies were found Monday and who were buried Tuesday, but the drama of the kidnap-murders kept the missile attacks out of the major headlines.
One missile hit a factory in Sderot, but most of the explosions have been in open areas, making the news less important to the “government of Tel Aviv,” which only gets excited about the traumatized lives of Israelis in the south when terrorists “succeed” in killing someone.
Otherwise, it’s business as usual, with the IDF releasing its traditional statement, “We have repeatedly addressed the consequences facing those who seek to endanger the lives of innocent civilians. The Iron dome missile defense system’s success does not change the absurd fact that Israelis have been living under continuous rocket threat for multiple years. We shall persist with our determination to combat terror elements and eliminate the pending threat to Israeli lives.”
That was stated this past Saturday.
Here is another statement: The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm the citizens of Israel, and holds Hamas as solely responsible for maintaining peace and quiet in the Gaza Strip.”
That was stated on March 20, 2010, and that is not a typo.
For the past decade, every government of Israel and the IDF have said hundreds of time they hold Hamas responsible for the attacks and will not “tolerate” them.
Strong stuff, something like the United States saying that Israel has the right to defend itself, thank you very much, but must show “restraint.”
For the record, attacks the past two weeks have included more than 30 missiles and mortars as well as bombs planted along the security fence and detonated to blow up IDF vehicles.
The Iron Dome system Wednesday night again intercepted a rocket on its way to hit the southern Ashkelon Coastal area, south of the port city that includes strategic sites that supply oil, gas and electricity to Israel.
Air Force jets struck Wednesday evening, and the IDF confirmed a “direct hit” on a site from where mortars were fired.
The IDF spokesman tweeted, “We will continue to act against #Hamas, its operatives & its infrastructure throughout Judea & Samaria.”
Israel’s “retaliation” routinely consists of striking ”terror sites,” which usually means a tunnel or two of the hundreds of “weapons storage” facilities that the IDF knows exist and apparently wants to leave untouched. Maybe the military is saving them for a rainy day, when missiles rein on Tel Aviv.
As usual, the United Nations and the United States demand a “proportional response,” the meaning of which is not exactly clear but in the end is aimed at keeping Israel at the mercy of terrorists.
Apparently, if missiles from Gaza explode in “open areas,” it is a diplomatic no-no to eliminate the source of the fire, which might come from an empty field but also might come from near a school, hospital or homes that terrorists use as shields.
The term “proportionate response” does not have anything to do with who gets killed. It has to do with where the missiles explode.
A “proportionate response” means hitting the enemy exactly where it expects, eliminating any element of surprise or harm beyond what is anticipated.
The minute that Hamas unleashes medium-range missiles on Tel Aviv., even if they land in the Mediterranean Sea, Hamas will expect what Israel refuses to do protect the lives of those in southern Israel.