Fertile Crescent Diary - 20 July 2014

"On Sunday, 13 Israeli soldiers were killed in a series of attacks in the Gaza Strip, where the death toll is believed to have climbed beyond 400."  abc news

"Israel's defence force have not yet confirmed if any of its soldiers are among the dead, but it is understood 44 wounded soldiers are in Ashkelon Hospital with more in other hospitals.  It comes amid unconfirmed reports that the military wing of Hamas destroyed an Israeli tank in a suicide bombing. Israelis are yet to comment on the reports."  abc news

"On Israel's side, two civilians have been killed by cross-border fire and 18 soldiers have died in fighting. More than 50 Israeli troops have been wounded, hospital officials said."  abc news

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As sad as it is to say, the main effects of this round of fighting in Gaza will be found; 1- in the worldwide political damage done to Israel for the callous massacre of civilians and 2- the impact on Israeli and more importantly American popular opinion of a high Israeli military body count.  Throughout previous Israeli operations intended to "mow the grass," in Gaza, the IDF has operated with impunity, able to continue from day to day without major fear of the likelihood of its own casualties in dead and wounded.  If these present reports are correct, that has changed.  The American people have many admirable characteristics but their inability to see virtue in "losers" is not one of them.   An ability on the part of the Hamas/IJ fighters to inflict casualties on the IDF would raise the public image of the Palestinians in America.  According to the Israel FB page, Hamas now says that it will equip large numbers of Gazan youth with grenades and send them against IDF forces in suicide attacks.  The Israelis do not seem to understand how potent a weapon that would be.  pl 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-20/gaza-death-toll-soars-beyond-400/5610270

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/20/us-palestinians-israel-idUSKBN0FP00U20140720

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"... residents are proud that their sons both fiercely resisted U.S. invaders and then joined forces with their former adversaries as part of the so-called Awakening movement, in which the U.S. military paid ex-insurgents and others to fight Al Qaeda-style hard-liners. Hatem, 36, a father of four, was one of hundreds of Sunnis in Adhamiya who signed up.

But the residents of Adhamiya and other mostly Sunni areas are now facing a more entrenched foe: the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and its heavy-handed security forces.

In interviews here, Adhamiya residents complained of a pattern of harassment, random arrests and illegal imprisonment: the kinds of grievances that helped detonate the uprising raging in Sunni-dominated provinces to the north and west.

Those interviewed said they empathized with Sunni fighters who have seized large swaths of Iraqi territory, but insisted that they did not back the Islamic State, the Al Qaeda breakaway faction leading the uprising. Whether their professed antipathy for the militants was authentic or meant for Western consumption was not clear." LA Times

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The inhabitants of the Sunni parts of western Baghdad are a potential fifth column likely to assist IS coalition forces in penetration of Baghdad between BIA and the US Embassy.  pl  

http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-iraq-adhamiya-20140720-story.html 

Comments

[Charles I]

So just looking ahead one wonders what the loss of the Green Zone could signify, justify and lead to.

[turcopolier]

Charles I

1- It will unmistakably mark the final collapse of the original neocon policy of adventurism in Iraq and hopefully of the adoption of a new, realist policy there and 2 - It will probably be impossible to conduct an organized NEO after that. pl

[Lysander]

Why is it "sad" that the true nature of the Israeli occupation forces (and society) have been revealed?

[turcopolier]

Lysander

I grieve for humanity. pl

[jr786]

For years people have wondered when people with little left to live for started acting accordingly. I admit myself surprised at the Palestinian resistance, or rather, Hamas' part in any of it. Years of observing, and a little bit of experience, led me to think there'd be the usually posturing, followed by the usual cooperation with the Israelis, and inevitable distribution of some cash.

This time, however, it seems that Palestinians want to fight, unlike Hamas and/or the PLO who always seem to wait for another day.

The Israelis and their American fifth columnists are desperate to make it the forces of light versus Hamas. A committed resistance to occupation by a people pushed to the brink by years of oppression and abuse should have some appeal to Americans.

Up the rebels.

[Ryan]

Yesterday, ISIS detonated five car bombs (one account says six) in Baghdad killing and wounding roughly 100 people.

http://news.yahoo.com/series-car-bombs-baghdad-kill-22-police-medics-103705010.html;_ylt=A0LEV0j5c8pT_loAGtxXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzaGg5ZHFwBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMgRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDI5M18x

ISIS opened its offensive against Mosul in a similar manner.

In Gaza, the IDF was attacked by a donkey of death according to Ynet.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4546392,00.html

Or would this be a jackass of jihad?

[A Facebook User]

Having trouble posting this link: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n15/mouin-rabbani/israel-mows-the-lawn
Very much worth reading.

[Anon1]

The 13 IDF troops killed were from the Golani Brigade. I can imagine the hot reception that awaited them. If they were expecting a cakewalk, they were mistaken.

[Andrew]

...the enemies of humanity for all to see!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/joegaza/14699776802/in/photostream/

[Jack]

The US senate passed a resolution supporting Israel with not a single vote against. One of the bipartisan co-sponsor of the resolution was Sen. Rand Paul.

When there is one senator that votes against an obsequious Israeli resolution then we will know the tide has possibly started to recede. Many Americans are so conditioned that Hamas equals terrorists that all the carnage in Gaza will be attributed to them.

Time will tell how far American public opinion has shifted from Zionism uber alles.

[Jack]

Sir

Wouldn't humanity just build new delusions?

[turcopolier]

Jack

maybe you need to find another species to live with. pl

[turcopolier]

All

The latest stupidity is the description on CNN of the capture of a Golani grunt in battle as "kidnapping." pl

[FB Ali]

This matches the statement of Jodi Rudoren, NYT bureau chief in Jerusalem, when asked by Hari Sreenivasan on PBS yesterday what the latest was. She replied:

" Well, the latest thing that happened was this morning Palestinian militants again invaded Israel through a tunnel..."

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/gaza-invasion-whats-latest-ground-offensive-israel/

[WP]

Congress will always vote with AIPAC and the Zionists. That does not necessarily mean that the Congress persons and, more importantly, their staffs, believe in the rightness of the votes. My guess is that there is a mounting silent disgust on Capital Hill, but the upcoming election bribes the mouths shut. In a few weeks-months-years when Israel loses the voters and suffers mightily as a result, AIPAC will be one of the primary causes.

AIPAC cannot see the suicidal behavior any more than does Bibi and the Likud.

Many in the American Jewry are already on the cusp of outrage. Their posts are all over the internet. For example, http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/192351/david-harris-gershon-disinvited-by-washington-jcc/ Even American Jews are beginning to see the light.

The true "friends of Israel" see the videos. Many are very good people. As time goes on, good people will slowly develop the language tools to make this thing turn around; hopefully, before Armageddon. It will take some time. However, I am very discouraged after watching the idiot talking heads on TV this morning.

It will never be fixed from within Israel. Outside forces must do it.

Also, there are some sly remarks of disgust against network policy beginning to slip into the network broadcasts. Maybe, some of the language invention will come from the grunt journalists.

As I have said before, right now, the only person who has the immediate power is Obama with a "Go-to-China" moment. He probably does not have the courage and is surrounded by Likudnik minders who are blindly hell-bent on national suicide.

The continuing festering of the Israeli-Palestinian problem is a real threat to our national security. Right now, Obama remains lost when he could take some actions that could make things greatly better. Bibi has him in a corner. He has gushed too effusively in support of "Israel defending itself" while ignoring the massive difference in relative power between the Israeli Elephant and the Palestinian mouse. He would have to admit his policy has been a disaster and he is too timid to do what he really needs to do to fix it. The U.S. cannot deal with the new ME boundary situation while we remain linked at the hip with the Likud Party. Our Israeli-Palestinian policy is an anchor around our neck and crippling American ability to do good. We are tainted by company we keep.

[Castellio]

There are many years filled with Israeli attacks and numerous civilian deaths: 1948, 1967, 1973, 1978, 1982, 2006, 2009 (those that immediately pop into mind)...

I'm having trouble understanding why 2014 is the watershed moment.

Canada's Prime Minister Harper says that, and I quote, "we support Israel because we share its values as it faces the Dark Forces." Literally, "dark forces".

And why do you give Obama this unrealized "intent". What is the reason to believe his intent is substantially different than his actions?

Are we really nearing a resolution, or are we hunkering down for a totally unnecessary – but for some desired – religious war?

(I do realize I am stating my fears.)

[Ryan]

Interesting story put out by Shannon Faulkner of Fox News. She claimed that two of those 13 IDF who were killed earlier today were US citizens. I found this story from a Zionist source:

"Of the 13 soldiers, two were U.S. citizens; Sean Carmeli with dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship of South Padre Island, Texas and Max Steinberg of Los Angeles, California. The two were part of a team of seven Israeli soldiers, who were all killed when an explosive device reportedly detonated on their armored vehicle according to the official IDF blog.

http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/07/20/two-lone-soldiers-from-u-s-among-the-13-israelis-who-fell-in-gaza/

As best as I can tell neither one served in combat arms with the Marine Corps or the US Army. I reckon America's own armed forces weren't good enough for them, but with Israel, well, that's different!

More on these two:

blog."http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/US-Jewish-community-mourns-Texas-born-Sgt-Sean-Carmeli-363620

http://www.jewishjournal.com/los_angeles/article/max_steinberg_l.a._native_and_idf_volunteer_killed_in_gaza

While I admire those who are willing to put their asses on line I don't have any admiration for these two. "Dual citizenship" (or really, in this case there is nothing dual about it) is something I have no use for.

At least when all this is over they won't be back over here in America causing problems like trying to further involve America in more of Israel's numerous and all too often, self inflicted problems.

[Cee]

I read this years ago when that state was starting to lose my support. I actually used the phrase " mow the grass" today in an Israeli forum. I was accused of lying. Ignorance knows no borders.

[Ishmael Zechariah]

WP,

In support of your analysis in the first paragraph:

-John Kerry caught sarcastically mocking Israeli ground offensive in Gaza as a 'Helluva pinpoint operation'-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2699412/Secretary-State-John-Kerry-caught-camera-sarcastically-mocking-Israeli-militarys-ground-offensive-Gaza.html

Wonder when and how he will apologize?

Ishmael Zechariah

[Cee]

The latest is that Hamas has a IDF POW, not a kidnap victim as the media is reporting.
Also, Kerry was caught making a sarcastic remark about the pinpoint strikes in Gaza.

[Andrew]

http://www.jewishjournal.com/los_angeles/article/max_steinberg_l.a._native_and_idf_volunteer_killed_in_gaza

Another example of the Baby killers amongst us!

[Anon1]

I'm reading multiple Twitter posts from Palestinian sources that say Ghassan Alyan, the Druze Golani Brigade commander, has been killed. Cannot get confirmation from other sources.

[shanks]

Sir,

>hopefully of the adoption of a new, realist policy there

That I think is unlikely; too many bridges have been burnt, too proferred international handshakes disdainewd(russia, Iran, India) for this to be forgotten easily.

Maybe the purpose WAS to reignite the cold war again(pardon the bad metaphor), maybe it was power preening, maybe it was domestic compulsions,maybe they want a fractured Europe, I don't know but the damage is done. People are urging Russia to pay back in kind.

http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/2014/07/20/putin-its-your-payback-time/

When I last went to Munich, I had an interesting and matter-of-fact conversation with the boutique hotel owner over the cold war and such. He said, as a kid, he used to spend time near the American base near its landfill, waiting for the American garbage trucks to empty out. Stale bread and stale rations were quickly rummaged and taken home for food. It was that bad even into the 50s he said.

He said, he didn't want that kind of situation EVER to Europe. I fear, the current situation is likely to return a fractured, hair trigger EU with even nastier consequences wrought by the economic crises on top of the Russian/Iran/ME issues.

It's 'havoc, and let slip the dogs of war' time.

[Poul]

All

If Hamas has captured an Israeli soldier would the best course of action be to keep him as a POW until there is a signed peace treaty?

[turcopolier]

All

We should all remember that jdledell's nephew is a captain in the Golani Brigade. Soldiers do not initiate wars. They implement their government's policy. The Golani Brigade has taken a lot of casualties, probably more than have been announced. I, for one, hope that this officer is unharmed and that his luck continues. pl