Originally posted by zeeblebotYou asked why the Germans and Japanese didn't go guerilla. But guerillas only crop up when there is a national feeling of being unjustly invaded. The Germans and Japanese obviously didn't feel that way.
never heard such rosy nostalgia re the immediately post-war status of german and japan ... where does it come from? ...
It's sort of like roulette -- nobody likes to lose, but if you do, you don't necessarily feel cheated.
Originally posted by zeeblebotThe Israeli reaction proves that FINALLY Hamas has a decent bargaining chip: "Open the borders or we will launch those rockets you hate so much."
it sounds like israel IS taking them seriously ... just not the way Hamas would like ...
After the initial shock, I imagine Hamas is quite pleased by the outcome.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/realclearpolitics/20081230/cm_rcp/what_the_israeli_government_sh
What the Israeli Government Should Do
Ed Koch Ed Koch – Tue Dec 30, 5:30 am ET
According to the December 28th New York Times, Hamas "is officially committed to Israel's destruction, and after it took over Gaza in 2007, it said it would not recognize Israel, honor previous Palestinian Authority commitments to it or end its violence against Israelis."
In the middle of June of this year, Egypt brokered a truce between Hamas and Israel. Ha'aretz, a leading Israeli newspaper, reported on December 16, that "Hamas' leadership on Monday adopted a united stance: This cease-fire with Israel, which expires this Friday, will not be extended."
Israelis have no illusions about Hamas. They understand that this terror organization is determined to destroy them. Therefore they will not sit still and see the lives of tens of thousands of Israeli citizens in southern Israel disrupted by the near daily firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip. Initially these rockets could only reach Sderot, a town close to the Gaza border, but now they reach Ashkelon, 20 kilometers to the north.
To put a stop to this rocket bombardment, Israel has now taken the offensive. The Wall Street Journal in its editorial of December 29, summed up the facts: "The chronology of this latest violence is important to understand. Israel withdrew both its soldiers and all of its settlers from Gaza in August 2005. Hamas won its internal power struggle with Mr. Abbas' Fatah organization to control Gaza in 2006. Since 2005, Hamas has fired some 6,300 rockets at Israeli civilians from Gaza, killing 10 and wounding more than 780." More than 200 rockets have been fired into Israel since the ceasefire ended.
The Israelis, according to The New York Times of December 28, have responded to Hamas provocations with "waves of Israeli air strikes destroyed Hamas security facilities in Gaza on Saturday in a crushing response to the group's rocket fire, killing more than 225." The same Times article reported that, "Palestinian officials said that most of the dead were security officers for Hamas including two senior commanders, and that at least 600 people had been wounded in the attacks." Palestinians in Gaza have it within their power to end the rule of Hamas, or at least change its stance, by engaging in public demonstrations demanding that the Hamas government they elected end all violence against Israel. They know if Israel is not attacked, it will not attack them.
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Originally posted by spruce112358if Hamas loses a declared war with Israel, they have only themselves to blame for declaring it and starting it. if Israel doesn't pacify Hamas, it has only itself to blame for not pursuing the war to its conclusion.
You are assuming that 'lightly' and 'harshly' are the only two options.
Try 'fairly' and see what happens.