FresnoZionism.org — ציונות פרסנו

AITA ESH SHAAB, Lebanon (AFP) – Shiite militants of Hezbollah erected a large photograph of two Israeli soldiers it is holding on Lebanon’s border with the Jewish state Thursday…

The photograph was a montage of old pictures already circulated in Israel of the two men in civilian clothes before their capture [on July 12, 2006]…

In the last few months, Hezbollah has raised flags, banners and pictures of its “martyrs” in an apparent show of defiance along the border with Israel.

Israel has still not received any confirmation that Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev are alive. This in itself means little, because the terrorists consider any information a valuable commodity, and provide it only in return for something.

Israel should sue Hezbollah in the International Court of Justice, demanding the return of the hostages held illegally, as well as payment of compensation for the incident. It’s hard to see how the court could find a way to make Israel the guilty party, insofar as Hezbollah terrorists crossed the border under cover of rocket fire, kidnapped the two and killed eight others. Seems open and shut to me.

Technorati Tags: Israel, Hezbollah, Goldwasser, Regev, ICJ

From YNet:

The army was aware from the onset of last summer’s war in Lebanon that a military operation against Hizbullah would not secure the release of two soldiers kidnapped in a cross-border attack, a senior general said Wednesday, contradicting past claims by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, who was the head of the Operations Directorate during the war, said that the army presented the government with a plan to weaken Hizbullah and never suggested that the soldiers could be freed…

Eizenkot also revealed that the army’s plan outlined a 6-day operation aimed at destroying Hizbullah’s posts in south Lebanon and partially damaging Lebanon’s infrastructure to pressure the Lebanese government to deploy the army in the south.

Such a limited operation would not have been capable of rescuing the hostages, who were likely out of southern Lebanon within a few hours of their kidnapping.

The plan to weaken Hizbullah by pressuring Lebanon was particularly ill-conceived. Although I am obviously speaking from hindsight, it seems to me that the relative weakness of the Lebanese government in relation to Hizbullah and Syria should have been understood, as well as the significant amount of sympathy for Hizbullah in the Lebanese army (some 30% of which is Shiite). I also think that the disastrous consequences for Israel’s public relations from attacking Lebanese infrastructure should have been foreseen.

The alternatives would have been to do little or nothing after the initial pursuit, or to have gone full-bore after Hizbullah, with intent to damage the organization as severely as possible. This would have been a much larger operation than the one that took place, and would have risked confrontation with Syria. And of course there is never a guarantee that hostages can be freed safely.

However (and now I am really speaking from hindsight), this is exactly what should have been done. By failing to act more aggressively, Israel allowed herself to go from the frying pan into the fire. In my estimation Syria and Hizbullah are preparing to attack Israel in the near future. # Hizbullah has fully resupplied. But in contrast to the situation last summer their position has improved:

• They may have the advantage of a suprise attack.

• Syria’s missile and other forces have been considerably beefed up in the period since the war.

• Hamas will be able to open a much more significant southern front than before.

• The increased UN presence in and around Lebanon will make it harder for Israel to respond.

• The outcome of the last war has given Israel’s enemies a psychological advantage.

Of course, the IDF has learned a few things as well. For its part, the political leadership needs to build up home front defenses, make sure that the army is fully supplied for the serious and extensive conflict that is expected, and understand that restraint is not always a virtue.

Technorati Tags: Israel, Hizbullah, IDF, Syria

The Jerusalem Post reports:

The IDF plans to ask Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday for permission to carry out “pinpoint” operations against Gaza-based Hamas terrorist chiefs and infrastructure, in response to an attempt by the Islamist group to kidnap soldiers near the Gaza Strip…

Olmert is scheduled to meet with security chiefs Wednesday morning to discuss the escalation in Gaza and expectations were that the IDF would be given the green light for “pinpoint” operations against Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the Strip.

Not that this doesn’t sound like a good idea, but why is this information given to the press and the entire world? Just do it (or don’t). Nothing is gained by including you and me in this discussion.

The article also notes:

The security situation was apparently discussed in a telephone call on Tuesday between Olmert and US President George W. Bush.

The implication, I suppose, is that the green light comes from Washington, if it comes. Just how ‘micro’ is the management here?

Technorati Tags: Israel, Hamas, IDF

YNet reports:

IDF officials have affirmed that Hamas had planned Tuesday morning to kidnap a soldier while the Qassam rockets and mortar shells were being launched from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel.

Army intelligence and ground forces in the area were able to prevent the attack, they said.

It’s not enough to just stop such attempts. They have to be made unproductive, which can be done by adhering to three principles:

• No prisoner exchanges

• A death penalty for terrorist murders

• Disproportionate retaliation

Technorati Tags: Israel, Hamas, IDF