Israel willing to use military force during Gaza

[Gunny]

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel will launch a massive ground operation if Palestinian militants fire on Israeli soldiers and settlers during next month's Gaza pullout, the deputy defense minister said Sunday.

At a crossing between Israel and the northen Gaza strip, a Palestinian security officer waves behind a sign on a police car saying "from the Israeli army with love."
By Karel Prinsloo, AP

In such a scenario, the evacuation of settlers would be halted for 10-14 days while Israeli forces occupy Palestinian towns near the Jewish settlements, Zeev Boim said.

Israel is set to evacuate all 21 Gaza Strip settlements and four more in the West Bank in mid-August. The pullout is set to last four weeks.

Boim told Israel Radio the ground operation would be massive, on the scale of the Defensive Shield offensive of 2002, in which Israel reoccupied West Bank towns after a series of suicide bombings.

Israeli leaders have warned repeatedly in recent days that the military would respond harshly to Palestinian fire during the withdrawal. However, Boim's comments marked the first time the scope of a military offensive was outlined.

If the militants attack, "we would stop the withdrawal, we would deliver a harsh strike, a large-scale operation," Boim told the radio.

Such an operation would be "about the size of Defensive Shield, meaning about 10 days to two weeks of a heavy strike against terror, to uproot it," Boim said.

The focus of the strike, by a force of about 12,000-15,000 troops, probably would be the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, which lies next to the main bloc of settlements, Boim said.

Israel is coordinating the security aspect of the pullout with the Palestinians, hoping Palestinian security will be able to prevent militants from firing on the thousands of soldiers and settlers who will be involved in the pullout.

But the Palestinians have warned that their forces are woefully ill-equipped in all major areas, including arms, ammunition, transportation and communications.

Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres said Sunday that Israel should consider giving the Palestinian police arms and ammunition to fight militant groups and ensure quiet during the withdrawal.

"If we tell the Palestinians to combat Hamas, we have to hear what their needs are," Peres told Israel Radio.

Israel fears the weapons will fall into the hands of the militant groups and be used to attack Israelis.

Also Sunday, in a sign of the approaching withdrawal, several families from the northern Gaza settlement of Nissanit received keys for temporary housing after the evacuation.

The government has set up a camp of 164 mobile homes at the community of Nitzan in southern Israel for those who will be evacuated.

But settlers complained that the mobile homes, which look like regular houses with red-tile roofs and are surrounded by newly planted grass, are too small for their needs.

"We are five people who have to live here. There is no room," said Maria Halfon, standing outside her new home.

The settlers are to live in the mobile homes for two years until permanent housing is built.

"It's going to be like a refugee camp," Halfon said.

The government has been trying to encourage setters to leave before the pullout. However, many have vowed to stay and resist the move.

Housing Minister Isaac Herzog said the government expects half of the 9,000 settlers to leave before the day of the pullout.

"Our working assumption is that about half of the residents will still be holed up on the morning of the evacuation," Herzog told Israel Army Radio.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-07-31-gaza-pullout_x.htm

This is stupid. I wouldn't give those Arabs jack shit until they started acting like members of the human race. Israel is GIVING them land so they can reestablish their pointless-ass little do-nothing Nation. In repsonse, these dipshit Arabs are STILL taking potshots at the Israelis.

If Israel honestly believes this is going to bring any kind of peace, they need to wake up. This is just giving a bunch of Arabs legitimacy and allowing them a base of operations to continue their genocidal doings.

 

[Annie]

Israel is much like the US. We try to demonstrate why other civilized countries should back us, why we feel we are misunderstood.

We are the ones that misunderstand, those that we consider our allies, are often our enemies in sheep's clothing.

 

[dilloduck]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-07-31-gaza-pullout_x.htm

This is stupid. I wouldn't give those Arabs jack shit until they started acting like members of the human race. Israel is GIVING them land so they can reestablish their pointless-ass little do-nothing Nation. In repsonse, these dipshit Arabs are STILL taking potshots at the Israelis.

If Israel honestly believes this is going to bring any kind of peace, they need to wake up. This is just giving a bunch of Arabs legitimacy and allowing them a base of operations to continue their genocidal doings.

It may be a brilliant strategy. Israel says and has made credible plans to leave Gaza IF the new Palastinian leadership can control the Arab radicals. It also knows full well that the Palestinian leadership is not well enough equipped
to fulfill it's side of the agreement as evidenced by Peres' statement. If or more likely when the Israelis come under fire---end of agreement and massive counter measures to attack terror nests in Gaza. Israel will always "OWN" Gaza and will never allow terror to live there with any false impression of safety.

 

[Gunny]

It will be interesting to see how it plays out. On the surface anyway, it appears Israel is succumbing to international political pressure.

Was it my decision, I wouldn't give up a damned thing. By surrendering the land and borders being established, Palestine will be a legitimate nation. Want to take bets they go crying to the UN first time the Israeli's come in and wax some terrorist butt?

 

[Annie]

It will be interesting to see how it plays out. On the surface anyway, it appears Israel is succumbing to international political pressure.

Was it my decision, I wouldn't give up a damned thing. By surrendering the land and borders being established, Palestine will be a legitimate nation. Want to take bets they go crying to the UN first time the Israeli's come in and wax some terrorist butt?

I might be reading history wrong, but Israel to my way of understanding hasn't a history of these kind of mistakes. If the Palis are able to somehow breach the gaps in wall, security; Israel will address the problem.

 

[Gunny]

I might be reading history wrong, but Israel to my way of understanding hasn't a history of these kind of mistakes. If the Palis are able to somehow breach the gaps in wall, security; Israel will address the problem.

You could very-well be right; however, consider this:

The generations that had to fight for their very existence are dying off. When they were in control, there was no screwing around. They lit up even potential threats.

While subsequent generations DO live with terrorism, they are not Holocaust survivors, nor survivors of Israel's early struggles to remain in existence. What they know they read from books. IMO, they appear to be more into appeasement these days.

 

[Annie]

You could very-well be right; however, consider this:

The generations that had to fight for their very existence are dying off. When they were in control, there was no screwing around. They lit up even potential threats.

While subsequent generations DO live with terrorism, they are not Holocaust survivors, nor survivors of Israel's early struggles to remain in existence. What they know they read from books. IMO, they appear to be more into appeasement these days.

Yes and no. Sorry, can't be helped. Terror has hit Israel in ways not seen here even after 9/11, Madrid, and UK bombings. It's an everyday occurance. Don't have to go back 60 years.

Truth is, the new generation faces, and I think they know so, more immediate threats than in the past.

 

[dilloduck]

It will be interesting to see how it plays out. On the surface anyway, it appears Israel is succumbing to international political pressure.

Was it my decision, I wouldn't give up a damned thing. By surrendering the land and borders being established, Palestine will be a legitimate nation. Want to take bets they go crying to the UN first time the Israeli's come in and wax some terrorist butt?

The UN ?? :rotflmao:

 

[Gunny]

The UN ?? :rotflmao:

I didn't say anything was going to happen. The UN and actual forward motion are opposing concepts.

 

[dmp]

Thread cleaned - keep things on-topic please.

 

[Zhukov]

By surrendering the land and borders being established, Palestine will be a legitimate nation.

Exactly, and what does one nation do when it's attacked by another? The two nations go to war.

The only positive thing that comes out of this is that the Palestinians will finaly have their own state.

When the attacks continue anyways, what will their excuse be then?

When their standard of living actually drops, what will their excuse be then?

And best of all, when rockets come out of the once 'occupied' territory and the Israelis respond by blowing the holy hell out of the whole area from which it was launched, they don't have to rebuild shit anymore. It's no longer their problem.

There isn't much else good that will come of this for the Israelis, and only time will tell if it was a good idea in the long run, but what else can they do?

 

[HorhayAtAMD]

It may be a brilliant strategy. Israel says and has made credible plans to leave Gaza IF the new Palastinian leadership can control the Arab radicals. It also knows full well that the Palestinian leadership is not well enough equipped
to fulfill it's side of the agreement as evidenced by Peres' statement. If or more likely when the Israelis come under fire---end of agreement and massive counter measures to attack terror nests in Gaza. Israel will always "OWN" Gaza and will never allow terror to live there with any false impression of safety.

One of 2 things will happen here:
1. lasting peace in which case Israel gets kudos for making the first step. I agree with you though that this is extremely unlikely.
2. an increase in terrorist attacks on Israel which will hopefully put an end to this theory that palestinians (and extremist muslims in general) can be appeased. The fact that the world is experiencing, for the first time, what the Israelis have faced for 60 years can only help. I think the world has shown an unexplainable amount of patience with the palestinians, considering their behaviour, and it is about time that the palestinians either earn it, or lose it.

 

[Gunny]

Exactly, and what does one nation do when it's attacked by another? The two nations go to war.

The only positive thing that comes out of this is that the Palestinians will finaly have their own state.

When the attacks continue anyways, what will their excuse be then?

When their standard of living actually drops, what will their excuse be then?

And best of all, when rockets come out of the once 'occupied' territory and the Israelis respond by blowing the holy hell out of the whole area from which it was launched, they don't have to rebuild shit anymore. It's no longer their problem.

There isn't much else good that will come of this for the Israelis, and only time will tell if it was a good idea in the long run, but what else can they do?

All good points to consider.