Just what IS the aim of this invasion...?

[Humanity]

There is a lot of confusion over the true nature of the invasion of Gaza...

Opinion seems to be pretty much divided between destroying tunnels or destroying Hamas...

If the objective is to destroy the tunnels as is often quoted by media and Netanyahu then why not just seal the tunnel entrances in Israel and save a few million $$$ and lives?

If it is to destroy Hamas, well, an elected power that has different views to its neighbour should be defended by international law.

If there is another agenda then, and I believe that there is... Then Israel should stop now before things become really nasty

 

[fanger]

The Aim is more land for Israel, again

 

[Theotherguy]

I think the Israelis should flood every tunnel they find with raw sewage to the top.

 

[Phoenall]

The Aim is more land for Israel, again

BULL CRAP it is nothing to do with land grabs, that is what the muslims are doing all over the world. It is all about security and the safety of the Israelis from terrorist attacks using illegal under INTERNATIONAL LAW weapons targeting children.

 

[Moonglow]

not much land there...

 

[Delta4Embassy]

There is a lot of confusion over the true nature of the invasion of Gaza...

Opinion seems to be pretty much divided between destroying tunnels or destroying Hamas...

If the objective is to destroy the tunnels as is often quoted by media and Netanyahu then why not just seal the tunnel entrances in Israel and save a few million $$$ and lives?

If it is to destroy Hamas, well, an elected power that has different views to its neighbour should be defended by international law.

If there is another agenda then, and I believe that there is... Then Israel should stop now before things become really nasty

The aim?

"To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women."

 

[Phoenall]

I think the Israelis should flood every tunnel they find with raw sewage to the top.

The gazans are that used to living in shit they would not bat an eyelid. What should be used is the spent fuel rods from the Dimona power station, placed on the hamas side of the border

 

[Delta4Embassy]

I think the Israelis should flood every tunnel they find with raw sewage to the top.

The gazans are that used to living in shit they would not bat an eyelid. What should be used is the spent fuel rods from the Dimona power station, placed on the hamas side of the border

(winces)

Bad idea. Guess where plutonium comes from? Yes, fuel rods.

 

[eagle1462010]

Tunnels, and munitions.

The destruction of.............

 

[fanger]

Tunnels, and munitions.

The destruction of.............

Hospitals, Homes for the disabled, schools, Kids playing soccer on the beach, People shopping at the Market, Ambulances and medics Etc.

 

[MHunterB]

Tunnels, and munitions.

The destruction of.............

Hospitals, Homes for the disabled, schools, Kids playing soccer on the beach, People shopping at the Market, Ambulances and medics Etc.

And when any of those are next to/on top of/just outside weapons, ammo, equipment or troops of the enemy - they become legitimate targets according to the GC.

It's truly not as though the IDF are ignoring the GC: more like HAMAS are doing so in order to ensure a high body count.

If the IDF were reckless in their operations - the casualties would number in the tens of thousands. If the IDF were *deliberately* targeting civilians, the death toll would be in the hundreds of thousands.

And if HAMAS had enough rockets - four million Israelis would be dead.

 

[fanger]

The boys on the beach were "next to/on top of/just outside weapons, ammo, equipment or troops of the enemy"?

 

[polarbear]

There is a lot of confusion over the true nature of the invasion of Gaza...

Opinion seems to be pretty much divided between destroying tunnels or destroying Hamas...

If the objective is to destroy the tunnels as is often quoted by media and Netanyahu then why not just seal the tunnel entrances in Israel and save a few million $$$ and lives?

If it is to destroy Hamas, well, an elected power that has different views to its neighbour should be defended by international law.

If there is another agenda then, and I believe that there is... Then Israel should stop now before things become really nasty

These tunnels, the ones that go from Gaza into Israel, which the IDF is destroying are not the main problem.
All that is good for is to give the appearance that "protective edge" was a success.
According to this, which probably is not quite up to date there were 7 tunnels :
Operation Protective Edge: Map of Gaza Tunnels | Jewish Virtual Library

and how many Israeli foot soldiers who were there to do the job have been have been killed so far?
63 so far?...and climbing. Pretty soon that`ll be 10 IDF soldiers or more per tunnel !
If it keeps going that way then these tunnels were way more effective than the rockets Hamas has launched so far.
Israel`s real problem is that their main ally the US is loosing influence with Arab states that used to oppose Hamas.
Reuter`s had this today:
U.S. struggles in Middle East, with fewer allies and less influence | Reuters

U.S. struggles in Middle East, with fewer allies and less influence


"There is no question that U.S. influence has diminished" in
the Arab world, said Daniel Kurtzer, a former U.S. ambassador to
Israel and Egypt now at Princeton University.
U.S. credibility has also been undercut by its reluctance to intervene in Syria's civil war; Kerry's failed push for wider Israeli-Palestinian peace, which collapsed in April; and Iraq's instability despite a decade of massive U.S. intervention.
U.S. nuclear negotiations with Iran have also fanned Arab fears of a rapprochement between Tehran and Washington.
"It doesn’t convey a sense that the U.S. has a full grasp of
the complexities of the region," Kurtzer said, suggesting that a perception has begun to take hold among some countries in the region that they can defy Washington without paying a price.
In one telling incident, and a remarkable breach of protocol, Kerry and his top aides were briefly searched with metal-detecting equipment as they arrived for a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on July 22.
In Israel, hostile media reports, apparently fanned by Israeli officials, harshly attacked the U.S. secretary of state as he left the region.
.

Egypt is a key player and they do play well.
On the surface they give the appearance that Egyptian forces are preventing Hamas from getting better weapons but this just isn`t so according to leaked secret cables:
Leaked Cable: IDF: U.S. and Egyptian Assistance Critical to Slow Hamas Weapons Smuggling (February 2009) | Jewish Virtual Library

4. (S) In response to a query on Egyptian seriousness in stopping smuggling, Harel stated that Egyptian support was split. On the Intelligence side under Suleiman cooperation was good. On the military side, however, Field Marshall Tantawi was dragging his feet. Harel also explained that the issue was more than just a technical issue, or an ideal number of Egyptians troops along the Philadelphi; it was more about willpower. 5. (S) Harel said that fighting the problem from the last 1000 meters before the Philadelphi border is useless and we should instead address the source of weapons, which come from well-known routes beginning along the Sudanese-Egyptian border. The majority of weapons smuggling comes from the Sudan border and makes its way by land across Egypt and into the Sinai, according to Harel. A small portion comes through Yemen, and some from Lebanon, but the Israeli sea blockade forces vessels to off-load in Egypt before goods can move towards Gaza. Once in the Sinai, according to Harel, there are only four major paved roads, and Egypt could easily interdict these routes with road blocks. Harel reiterated Egypt must close the border with Sudan, control the four roads in the Sinai, and change its Bedouin Policy.

Some of these weapons will give Hamas a lot more fire power:

5. (S) In response to a query on the sophistication of HAMAS weapons, Harel stated that HAMAS had Chinese and Iranian made 122mm rockets with a range out to 30 kilometers. The Iranian version of the 122mm was designed specifically for HAMAS, as it came in four pieces that could fit through narrow tunnels and be reassembled in Gaza. Harel also stated that sophisticated anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) were found in Gaza, to include the Russian made KONKOURS system. HAMAS also had SA-7 surface-to-air missiles and sophisticated improvised explosive devices of all varieties. Lastly, Harel said that Israel has sensitive intelligence that Iran is constructing an additional HAMAS-specific missile, based on the Fajr, that will have a range beyond 40 kilometers.

I wonder what the newspapers in Israel would have to say after "Operation Protective Edge" is declared a success and a few day later Hamas takes out a few IDF tanks or maybe an F16 with a guided missile made in Russia or China.
Neither of these 2 countries would mind to find out how effective any of that stuff is in a real conflict and not just on a firing test range.
Then what?
Does Israel start bombing Egypt which allowed these weapons through?
And after that start bombing Iran?...why stop there?
Instead of negotiating with Hamas they might as well keep going and bomb Russia and China who make and supply the better equalizers which could take out Israeli tanks and jets.
Any of the above countries will just find another proxy to test their weapons if Israel wipes out every human being in Gaza, especially so after the US withdrew from all the other war-zones where they tested their bargain basement armaments for guerrilla warfare against western military hardware.

 

[member]

There is a lot of confusion over the true nature of the invasion of Gaza...

Opinion seems to be pretty much divided between destroying tunnels or destroying Hamas...

If the objective is to destroy the tunnels as is often quoted by media and Netanyahu then why not just seal the tunnel entrances in Israel and save a few million $$$ and lives?

If it is to destroy Hamas, well, an elected power that has different views to its neighbour should be defended by international law.

If there is another agenda then, and I believe that there is... Then Israel should stop now before things become really nasty

"Hamas, well, an elected power"

 

[fanger]

The aim?

"To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women."

That quote is from Cohen the Librarian right?

 

[aris2chat]

Tunnel destruction should be finished and the whole operation seems to be winding down.
Hamas should have depleted their rocket supply by more than half.
seems there is some confirmation that at least 45% of the casualties in gaza are of fighters, sadly civilians were put in harms way by launching rockets from roofs, yards and streets next to shelters.
Hamas need to think of the people and accept a ceasefire so people can not just resupply but begin the rebuilding process, of homes not tunnels. Work on restoring water and electricity services. Clean up the rubble, possibly crush it and lay it across the no go zone between Israel and gaza.
Crush the old cinder blocks and cement to use as fill for rebuilding, to fill craters and in laying new roads.

 

[SherriMunnerlyn]

The aim is genocide.

 

[Mojo2]

There is a lot of confusion over the true nature of the invasion of Gaza...

Opinion seems to be pretty much divided between destroying tunnels or destroying Hamas...

If the objective is to destroy the tunnels as is often quoted by media and Netanyahu then why not just seal the tunnel entrances in Israel and save a few million $$$ and lives?

If it is to destroy Hamas, well, an elected power that has different views to its neighbour should be defended by international law.

If there is another agenda then, and I believe that there is... Then Israel should stop now before things become really nasty

The Hamas Charter PROHIBITS peace from being negotiated.

The ONLY way this can culminate in a way that won't guarantee Palestinian opposition is with Israel being dominated by the forces of radical Islam.

And that COULD mean the Jews being wiped off the map or being driven into the sea.

Do you recognize this likelihood?

 

[Mojo2]

The aim is genocide.

So, why did Israel just relinquish Gaza to Hamas even when it didn't have to?

Why do Israeli Arab Muslims have more freedoms as Israelis than any other Arabs in any other Arab state?

 

[Indofred]

There is a lot of confusion over the true nature of the invasion of Gaza...

Opinion seems to be pretty much divided between destroying tunnels or destroying Hamas...

If the objective is to destroy the tunnels as is often quoted by media and Netanyahu then why not just seal the tunnel entrances in Israel and save a few million $$$ and lives?

If it is to destroy Hamas, well, an elected power that has different views to its neighbour should be defended by international law.

If there is another agenda then, and I believe that there is... Then Israel should stop now before things become really nasty

The fuckers want the Gaza gas field.