07-21-2014, 06:37 PM
The Palestinians creating tunnels to enter Israel and kidnap Israelis is not something that can be ignored. That's a more serious threat than the rockets Hamas fires off at Israel which are intercepted by the Iron Domes.
If the allegations are true that Hamas kidnapped the two Israeli teens last month and killed them, I think Hamas knew that military retaliation would be coming, no matter how any world leaders advised Netanyahu to handle it. He was gonna do it no matter what. And, I don't doubt that Hamas will put civilians in harms way to rally international support against the Israelis.
I don't think Israel's hands are clean in the history of this fight, nor have they been rooting for the success of the Palestinians in Gaza -- that's just my opinion formed over the years. But, in terms of what's going on now, I do believe that Netanyahu is motivated to end the fighting on the strip for the time being.
Hamas refused an Egyptian-brokered cease fire to which Netanyahu agreed. Why? Because Hamas wanted Turkey or Qatar, both with ties to the Islamic Brotherhood, to negotiate the deal.
So, today, US Sec of State John Kerry is in the region to address the issue. UN Chief Ban-kim Moon is on the case too. Obama and Kerry stress Israel's right to defend itself, but both seem to think it's getting too heavy handed in doing so.
Two Americans fighting with the Israelis were killed in the latest clashes. Reports over the weekend claimed that Hamas captured an Israeli soldier and the Palestinian civilians in Gaza were celebrating. It's seen as a huge gain for Hamas. Last time an Israeli soldier was captured, he was held for 5 years and eventually exchanged for the release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. And some think the Bergadhl swap was lopsided.
When the Israeli, Shalit, was released in 2011, this was the cover of the NY Times.
![[Image: nytimesshalit.jpg]](http://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/files/2014/07/nytimesshalit.jpg)
Israel is denying that Hamas captured one of its soldiers and claiming that they made up the story to rally the worn out Palestinians in Gaza. Who knows?
Anyway, it never ends. So, with Israel, Palestine, Egypt, the US, Qatar, Turkey, and the UN all having their hands in the pot at this point, can at least a temporary cease fire be negotiated on the Gaza Strip, yet again? I think so. Time for both sides to regroup, until next time.
If the allegations are true that Hamas kidnapped the two Israeli teens last month and killed them, I think Hamas knew that military retaliation would be coming, no matter how any world leaders advised Netanyahu to handle it. He was gonna do it no matter what. And, I don't doubt that Hamas will put civilians in harms way to rally international support against the Israelis.
I don't think Israel's hands are clean in the history of this fight, nor have they been rooting for the success of the Palestinians in Gaza -- that's just my opinion formed over the years. But, in terms of what's going on now, I do believe that Netanyahu is motivated to end the fighting on the strip for the time being.
Hamas refused an Egyptian-brokered cease fire to which Netanyahu agreed. Why? Because Hamas wanted Turkey or Qatar, both with ties to the Islamic Brotherhood, to negotiate the deal.
So, today, US Sec of State John Kerry is in the region to address the issue. UN Chief Ban-kim Moon is on the case too. Obama and Kerry stress Israel's right to defend itself, but both seem to think it's getting too heavy handed in doing so.
Two Americans fighting with the Israelis were killed in the latest clashes. Reports over the weekend claimed that Hamas captured an Israeli soldier and the Palestinian civilians in Gaza were celebrating. It's seen as a huge gain for Hamas. Last time an Israeli soldier was captured, he was held for 5 years and eventually exchanged for the release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. And some think the Bergadhl swap was lopsided.
When the Israeli, Shalit, was released in 2011, this was the cover of the NY Times.
Israel is denying that Hamas captured one of its soldiers and claiming that they made up the story to rally the worn out Palestinians in Gaza. Who knows?
Anyway, it never ends. So, with Israel, Palestine, Egypt, the US, Qatar, Turkey, and the UN all having their hands in the pot at this point, can at least a temporary cease fire be negotiated on the Gaza Strip, yet again? I think so. Time for both sides to regroup, until next time.