It was hard for me to imagine what the IDF meant when they said that Gaza civilians were allowing tunnels into their homes for Hamas.

Now I understand precisely:

THIS is exactly why Israel has banned journalists from the Gaza war zone. Thank you, TimesOnline for ruining a great first-person war dispatch and turning it into douche-baggery:

In truth, the dogs, and the near-kidnapping of Roi, represent the failure of the Israeli military operation in Gaza. After 14 days, the biggest military machine in the Middle East has achieved little. Despite more than 1,000 Israeli air sorties, this weekend Hamas continued to launch rockets and even increased their number.

About 800 Palestinians have been killed, many of them civilians, and more than 3,000 injured, but the main fighting force of Hamas was unhurt and lay in wait for the Israelis in Gaza City and the refugee camps in the north and south of the Gaza Strip.

Read the complete article here.

It used to be that we thought of Pakistan as a relatively good ‘Stan.  Afghanistan was the more difficult ‘Stan, though once they were our buddies too, of course, we were busy with them “damned commies” at the time…  Enemy of my enemy and all that you know.  Anyway, India is saying that Pakistan is trying to hype everyone up for war following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Last November’s Mumbai attack must have had support from some official agencies in Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said.

Mr Singh also accused Pakistan of “whipping up the war hysteria”.

On Monday, India said it had handed to Islamabad evidence that linked the attacks to “elements” in Pakistan.

(T)he Pakistani government have denied any involvement.

Relations between India and Pakistan have plummeted to a new low since the attacks with an escalating war of words between the two neighbours.

There have been reports that Pakistan has moved troops from its western border – where the military is involved in action against the Taleban and al-Qaeda militants – to the eastern border with India.

“Today even as Pakistan engages in whipping up war hysteria, our nation remains steadfastly united and if anything the process of national consolidation is becoming stronger,” Mr Singh told a meeting of state chief ministers in capital Delhi.

“There is enough evidence to show that given the sophistication and military precision of the attack it must have had the support of some official agencies in Pakistan,” Mr Singh added.

The evidence was given to Pakistan’s gov’twho are currently reviewing it, but so far seem to be saying they see nothing conclusive and are not making any actions.  As long as Pakistan is moving it’s troops towards India, that now opens up more potential for trouble on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Already a trouble spot given that many of the terrorists we’ve been fighting in Afghanistan have been hiding out in the hills just over the border.  Of course, the Afghans have a little something on their minds other than dealing with us and/or the Taliban and/or Al Qaeda.  They’re showing their strong support of the Palestinians who are caught up in the battle between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The modest white Miladul Nabi mosque is almost hidden beneath a massive poster that depicts a red fist raised to the heavens surrounded by slogans expressing sympathy for the Palestinian people, support for what it calls their jihad against Israel and hatred of the “blood-sucking” American government.

Last weekend, the mosque sponsored a protest rally against the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip. On Monday, half a dozen young men with cellphones worked in its library, organizing a drive to collect money, blood plasma and volunteers to fight alongside the Palestinians. Sitting among them was the mosque’s imam, Ehsan Habibullah.

“Afghanistan is the land of holy warriors. We feel the pain of the innocent Palestinians, and we will stand with them to the end,” Habibullah said. “Israel is a terrorist state, and the Americans are supporting it, so how can they claim to be against terrorism? In Afghanistan, they are bombing civilians and setting dogs against women and children. They are not killing al-Qaeda — they are killing us.”

Well, you know how we were looking like we were going to have a groundswell of Muslim support around the world once Obama, who is known for showing a more open mind than our current Prez when it comes to world relations, takes office?  Yeah, forget about that, as Obama stands pretty much silent behind Bush and Co’s very wide open show of support for Israel saying little more than “There’s only one President at a time”, the world’s Muslims who feel the pain of Palestine view that as little other than a silent endorsement, even while most suspect that the reason for Israel initiating their attacks at this time is because they were not as certain that Obama would support them, but knew that Bush was all about blowing shit up, regardless of who it is.  So disregarding the question as to whether or not the Israelis are right in their current bombardment of the Gaza Strip, it’s still gonna wind up likely fucking us in the end as we’re having enough troubles in Afghanistan, and this is not going to win us any favor in the general public.  So whoo hoo for that.

Why are the ‘Stans so angry? Because it’s pretty much in their countries natures to be angry.  These are countries that have been warring with someone here, there, or elsewhere for more years than we’ve even given thought to them.

Over the past two years, the Afghan populace’s initially welcoming attitude toward U.S. troops has soured, in part because the international coalition forces here have failed to quell rising criminal and insurgent violence and in part because of civilian casualties during bombing raids and alleged violations of Afghan traditions by U.S. ground troops in conflict zones.

Now, the Israeli attack on Gaza, widely seen here as an act of aggression enabled by the United States, has become conflated in the minds of some Afghans with U.S. motives and actions in Afghanistan. Taliban propaganda and sermons by conservative clerics have contributed to a notion of the United States as an occupying power that seeks to subjugate the Muslim world.

“We have cable TV, and we know what the Americans are doing,” said Mehrabuddin Ali, a baker in a working-class Kabul district. “First they attacked Iraq. They didn’t find any nuclear weapons, but they killed a lot of Muslims. Now they are supporting Israel in killing innocent Palestinians. If they have come here to help us, we will welcome them. But if they come to destroy us, we will drive them out like we drove out the Russians. Real Muslims only need the protection of God.”

Well isn’t that cheery?  Boy I can only hope that all our various countries’ leaders and top military minds really know what they’re doing, because we’re aiming for a massive conflagration of animosity and violence the likes of which I don’t even want to think about.

Say it ain’t so….

Officials with the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication estimated the crowd at 4,000 people, many of whom first gathered in Pioneer Plaza near Tribune Tower at about 2 p.m. chanting slogans, waving Palestinian flags and carrying signs that read, “Stop U.S. Aid to Israel Now.”

Photo:  Their protest sign is apparently recycled from the Presidential election.  Glad to see their creativity over floweth.  At least it wasn’t this sign.

As we look into the next year, here’s a few topics to kick off the new year here, and around the world…

As Israel continues it’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the succeed in the taking out of one of the only high level members of Hamas to not flee to the underground.  Nizar Rayan and 11 others, 6 of whom were family members died in the bombing of a 4 story building in which his apartment was located.  It’s the first high level target to be hit during the 6 day assault.

Cuba is celebrating it’s 50 year anniversary of the revolution that placed Communist leader Fidel Castro in charge of the country.  Raul Castro became President in February after his brother fell ill and it is hoped that as the new year progresses President Elect Barack Obama and Castro will be able to open talks to continue to improve relations with the country, and end many of the restrictions on travel and trade currently in place.

The UK has handed over the Basra Airport to the country of Iraq in a continuing of the drawing down of international forces and increased control over the country being placed in the hands of it’s own government and public.  It is said that the UK will have all troops withdrawn from the country by July of this year.

At the same time Iraq is taking control of the Green Zone as U.S. forces continue handing over the of the country to local police and military.  Soldiers will remain in place to continue assisting with security patrols in the area for at least the next 90 days at which point the next step will be decided by leaders of U.S. and Iraqi security forces.

So there you have it, just a small portion of the happenings in our world as we kick off 2009.  Here’s to it being better than 2008!

The IDF has started a YouTube channel to post videos of their on-going actions again Gaza.  Personally, I feel their decision to neutralize the Gaza threat is long overdue and justified.   Launching rockets into ANY country for no apparent reason is call for action.  Period.  While I agree there are some people who need help understanding why Israel is fighting Hamas,  I’m not sure that YouTube is the way to do it.

What I’m confused about is why the IDF felt a need to post YouTube videos that look like standard guided missile footage from an aircrafts cockpit.  While they’re really bad ass and cool, I don’t particularly see any PR value in them.  I  mean, as far as I can tell, they could be from any battle or country.   I’m no target analysis expert nor do I think most of the civilian population are.

Can anyone actually identify a “weapons smuggling tunnel” or “terror targets” or “weapons stores” in these videos?

[video]

Case in point, now watch a British Tornado in Iraq:

[video]

Can you tell the difference? Neither can I.

The purpose of the IDF YouTube channel is to help people understand Israel’s mission and to prove they’re only targeting legitimate military targets. But who’s to say if it’s true unless you’re an expert at analyzing these things?

From Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak when asked to accept a cease-fire with Hamas after obliterating major military targets in Gaza with air strikes today:

“For us to be asked to have a cease-fire with Hamas is like asking you [the United States] to have a cease-fire with Al-Qaida. It’s something we cannot really accept.”

Indeed.

[source: Haaretz]

Yeah, yeah. We get it. You hate America:

America’s current economic turmoil is “divine punishment” for Washington’s treatment of the Palestinian people, a Hamas leader said during a Friday sermon.

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip said God was penalizing the US for supporting an Israeli-led blockade of the Strip. Haniyeh said God’s punishment would also extend to America’s allies.

“This is divine punishment, because of America’s embargo of the Palestinian people,” said Haniyeh, who devoted much of his 45-minute sermon in a Gaza City mosque to attacking the US.

But excuse me, Prime Minister Haniyeh. How exactly is the Palestinian economy faring?

As of December 2006, unemployment has risen from 23% in 2005[1] to over 50%. Two-thirds of Palestinians are living below the poverty line. In the last four months, approximately 10,000 have emigrated from the territories, and approximately 50,000 have applied to do so. For the past nine months, the 160,000 civil service workers, who are the primary breadwinners for a third of households, have not received their full salaries due to the cuts in foreign aid.[2] As a result of the Israeli blockade on the territory, 85 percent of factories are shut or operating at less than 20 percent capacity. Israel estimates that its own businesses are losing $2 million a day from the closing, but Gaza is losing $1 million a day, an amount it is less able to afford.[3]

That’s what I thought. Insert foot in mouth whenever you’re ready, Haniyeh.

….and apparently it isn’t because they think he’s Muslim.

I guess that phone call I got the other night from Gaza wasn’t a death threat after all.  Instead it was the ever delusional organizer of the “All This for Peace” organization (and I use the word organization very loosely), Abu Jayyeb, a 23-year old student from Gaza.

Give us more details, Abu-baboo:

[He] relies on his colleagues and friends to make the actual phone calls because he feels his own command of English is not up to the task. His knowledge of technology, however, very much is. Utilizing Voip and Skype, Ibrahim has crafted a system of politicking that runs on almost no cost in dollars (or shekels), but requires a great deal of patience and persistence. According to Ibrahim, 19 out every 20 calls his group makes ends with an unceremonious “hang-up.”

What amazing technological prowess this guy has. I can’t believe he knows how to click the “Download” button for a fucking free P2P communications program like Skype. He’s a genius!

Right, so, the guy knows how to download a program and dial an American phone number. How much damage is he doing?

Ibrahim told The Media Line that during the past seven months his group has reached between 5,000 and 6,000 Americans. If his assertion of 1-out-of-20 completed calls is accurate, 120,000 calls have been placed. Asked how he could weather such mass rejection, he replied, “It’s worth it.”

Seven months multiplied by 30 days divided by 6,000 calls =  14.3 phones calls per day.

Wow.  Look out America.  Another drop of unwanted solicitation is just a ring away.

It’s like trying to resuscitate an already vegetative corps:

The cash-strapped Palestinian Authority will receive a financial boost from Saudi Arabia to help Prime Minister Salam Fayyad pay public sector salaries, Palestinian officials said on Saturday.

“The Saudi finance minister told the Palestinian Authority that the decision was made to transfer $100 million,” said Palestinian Information Minister Riyad al-Malki.

Malki said the money was part of pledges made to the Palestinian Authority at a donors conference in Paris in December and expected the transfer to arrive in the coming days.

Fayyad has struggled in recent months to pay government workers because many Arab donors have not met their financial commitments.

Maybe because the Arab donors are smart enough not to actually donate money to the palsyated Hamas government.  Pledging money is one thing (It’s great for public relations.  Arab brotherhood and all), but actually GIVING them the money??

Speaking of Arab support of Palestine, the ever dubious DEBKA file “military source” suggests a mainly Egyptian military force of 3,000 will be pledged to “assist” the impoverished Palestine:

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that a new 11-point scheme, just developed by Saudi King Abdullah and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, provides for the bulk of the 3,000-strong force to be Egyptian. The plan would effectively restore Egypt’s pre-1967 domination of the Gaza Strip.

It will be presented to Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak when he visits Mubarak’s summer palace in Alexandria, Tuesday, Aug. 26.

In 1967, (The Six Day War as dubbed by Israel) Egypt had complete control over the Gaza strip during it’s war with Israel.  Are they suggesting a “softer” occupation in conjunction with Israeli and Saudi support?