Israel: The Shocking Truth

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May 15, 2007: Gaza is becoming more like Somalia, with multiple armed groups struggling like gangsters to control their turf. Into the mix has come Islamic fundamentalist groups, who want to control every aspect of peoples lives. Thus nearly a hundred businesses and organizations, believed to be "un-Islamic" have been attacked recently in Gaza. These include video stores, Internet cafes and schools that are not run by clerics. Some of the Gaza warlords have allied themselves with the Islamic radicals to increase their power. Like Somalia, Gaza faces invasion by a neighbor the Islamic militants have vowed to destroy. For Somalia, this was Christian Ethiopia. For Gaza, it's Israel. Somalia is considered a "failed State," a country that never worked. Sounds like the Palestinians as well.

The latest peace deal in Gaza has fallen apart. While Fatah controls security forces with 80,000 armed men, the 10,000 or so armed men loyal to Hamas are more aggressive and effective. The rest of the Arab world is dismayed at the continued Palestinian failure to run their own affairs.

In Lebanon, Hizbollah is increasingly criticized for getting into a war with Israel, that resulted in doing great damage to Lebanon, and Hizbollah, while actually making Israel stronger. Even Hizbollah's leader has openly admired how the Israelis learn from their mistakes, while such a thing is unknown in the Arab world.

May 1 4, 2007: After a weekend of violence, that left at least eight dead, Egypt has brokered a peace deal in Gaza. As part of the deal, Hamas and Fatah will exchange twenty hostages. The Palestinian Interior Minister resigned, as sign of the failure of this latest attempt to being peace to Gaza.

May 13, 2007: A senior Palestinian terrorist, affiliated with Fatah, was shot and killed in Gaza. Hamas was accused of this killing, and retribution was promised.

May 12, 2007: Palestinian leaders are much embarrassed by the attention one of their childrens TV shows is getting. A Mickey Mouse character is used to preach hatred of Israel to children. It wasn't the message that made the news in the West, but rather the use of the iconic Walt Disney creation to deliver it. What annoyed the Palestinians was that this incident made it pretty obvious that they were sending out two very different messages. To the West, the Palestinians preached peace and willingness to negotiate a peace deal with Israel. But to themselves, their children and the Arab world, they broadcast a call for the destruction of Israel, and no compromise on that point. This has long been the case, and the Western media has thoughtfully ignored it. The Mouse tirade probably won't change this.

May 11, 2007: Three more rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza. Although there was no damage, it was noted that the rockets used in the last few weeks appear to have more powerful warheads. Meanwhile, in Gaza, the attempt to restore law and order has led to more violence. The usual fighting between gangs continues, and added to that are battles with police.

May 10, 2007: For the first time, the Arab League sent a negotiating team to meet with Israelis and work out a deal to settle the Palestinian dispute. Since Israel was founded in 1948, the Arab League refused to recognize the existence of Israel. After more than half a century of noting that this has not worked, the Arab League is trying a different approach.

May 9, 2007: In yet another attempt at a truce in Gaza, 3,000 Palestinian police hit the streets, with the intention of directing traffic and patrolling lawless neighborhoods.

 

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