Rolling MENA 2014 (Middle East)

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As someone said on the radio this morning, if this Iron Dome were not in place, and if Israelis were not hiding in shelters, then yeah, you would have Israeli casualties

The NPR radio report I heard said that Iron Dome was only blocking a very small percent of the incoming rockets

i heard something like 80-90% success rate? but they only target rockets that are on trajectory to hit residential areas so of the whole quantity of rockets it might be a much smaller percentage

"Iron Dome racks up 90% success rate so far"

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.604039

here's the important bit:

The Iron Dome missile defense system has achieved a nearly 90 percent success rate since Monday night, an improvement over its performance during Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012.

The defense system is activated only when the rockets fired by Palestinian militants at Israel appear likely to hit populated areas.

It has been activated to intercept about 27 percent of the approximately 180 rockets fired between Monday night and midday Wednesday. Of the times when Iron Dome was activated, it successfully intercepted the rockets nearly 90 percent of the time, and there have been few rocket hits or serious injuries.

The success of the defense system marks an improvement over the 84 percent success rate during Operation Pillar of Defense.

As my dad used to say, they only have to lose once.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-21751766

I heard an interview with the MIT guy quoted in this article who is the one naysayer re the success rate. The MIT guy apparently interprets success as destroying the incoming rocket completely, while others count making contact with it

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsNxStWIMAE6eHM.jpg

Yes, despite saying I wouldn't be back, here I am. And I am truly sorry, Mordy, if I have been unfair to you - which I have been, in regards to 'how do you sleep at night'.

The above image sums up the sad state of affairs though. Do you still think this is an "appropriate response"?

i can't imagine bibi stopping the aerial campaign until gaza either stops or runs out of rockets - from a political calculus pov. from a personal pov i am reserving my emotional energy for hoping that ground troops are not sent in. my feeling is that they won't be - that bibi demonstrated in 2012 how little he wants to bring the IDF back into gaza. w/out the muslim brotherhood in egypt tho i don't know who is going to negotiate on behalf of hamas - it seems like they need a real state power to sit at the table w/ israel for them. maybe erdogan?

vice ran this doc recently about idf training for urban warfare:
http://www.vice.com/vice-news/israeli-urban-warfare

it's pretty terrifying imo. i first read about it here: http://www.skor.nl/_files/Files/OPEN18_P80-99(1).pdf < if you've never read that paper i highly recommend it

I don't think Bibi will go for a ground way (no matter how much people like Liebermann would love to see it happen). Nothing to gain from it but international scorn. Still, killing 87 Palestinians for the sake of it... The 'precision'-attack plan has gone right out of the window. Beach huts were bombed yesterday, killing a dozen people just watching football.

I will try and read that paper tomorrow, thanks.

The solution, it seems, has been right in front of our faces the entire time. The Palestinians should get their own Iron Dome defense, then both sides could safely lob missiles and rockets at each other forever.

If a 100% efficient Iron Dome were to exist, would a nation still consider it an act of aggression to have missiles fired at it? Would they feel like it justified retaliation, even though the attack could never harm anyone? (I know this seems like I'm being facetious, but i'm not).

ladies and gentlemen, the voice of Jewish ethnofascism, Knesset member Ayelet Shaked:

“This is not a war against terror, and not a war against extremists, and not even a war against the Palestinian Authority. The reality is that this is a war between two people. Who is the enemy? The Palestinian people. Why? Ask them, they started it... Behind every terrorist stand dozens of men and women, without whom he could not engage in terrorism. They are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads. Now this also includes the mothers of the martyrs, who send them to hell with flowers and kisses. They should follow their sons, nothing would be more just. They should go, as should the physical homes in which they raised the snakes. Otherwise, more little snakes will be raised there.”

from here

What a weird piece.

I know what it is to have been helpless victims, living and dying under racist oppressors’ boots, and I know that today’s Israelis are no longer the victims but the perpetrators of the current crisis. Yes, Hamas are dreadful hate-filled killers and woe betide Israel had they had the wherewithal to carry out their intentions. But the fact remains that it is Israel which has the tanks, bombers, artillery, nuclear warheads and missile defences of Goliath, while ordinary Gazans had nothing a week ago and even less today, as even hospitals and schools were bombed.

The takeaway being: yes, Hamas are dreadful hate-filled killers and out for blood, but currently less capable of doing mass damage than Israel, therefore Israel should stop what it is doing? Isn't the logical progression of that position that Israel should just keep taking it until Hamas actually does do some real damage? And as I asked above, isn't the progression past that point essentially that then Israel would be totally justified retaliating? Or would that justification only arrive if they helped better arm Hamas first?

And then the author actually cites alleged Israeli teen tweeting as a further source of outrage? She's got to be kidding on that point. I can only imagine that social media is horrific on both sides. Or social media anywhere, about anything, for that matter.

Where is that "This is not a war against terror ..." quote from? It says it was quoted on that far right wing person's Facebook page (red flag right there), but it is unclear if she was quoting someone else.

Response in that paper: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/war-is-war-why-i-stand-with-israel-9601001.html

I agree that social media is p much horrible always everywhere (which is why I stay away from it for the most part)

Isn't the logical progression of that position that Israel should just keep taking it until Hamas actually does do some real damage?

I think the logical progression is don't be a bully. Hamas will never match Israel militarily, let's be real here.

you don't use a shotgun to kill a fly etc

Sure, but I think this is well beyond bullying, isn't it? Isn't it war? And seriously, given Israel has the capability well at hand to do faaaaaaar more damage, and inflict far more casualties, than it currently is doing, I think it's safe to assume Israel is in flyswatter mode. As the second piece notes, there have been 9000 children killed in Syria. 9000.

Man, the comments. Love the first dude who decries the creation of Israel "so a mere 6million, which is the population of Israel, could go live in a desert after Europe had been made safe for them in 1945."

(The 9000 number, btw, is not meant to conflate the two conflicts, just underscore what a real shotgun approach evinces).

I got the impression that any figures for casualties in syria are highly speculative (& often conservative) 1

the IDF is reporting far fewer total rockets entering israeli airspace than the gaza NGO safety office is reported launched - which suggests that a lot of these rockets are falling short and landing in gaza. altho hamas has not caused any casualties on the israeli side, it's very likely they're killing palestinian civilians who get hit by poorly designed rockets.

to change subjects a bit, and interesting conservative take on syria+iraq

http://www.the-american-interest.com/garfinkle/2014/07/11/mullah-dreams-not-counting-sheep/

basically "let's try to dump the whole thing on iran"

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.604898

LIVE UPDATES: Egypt proposes Gaza cease-fire for Tuesday morning, sources say
Egypt sources offer cease-fire deal starting 9 A.M. on Tuesday; top IDF officer says Hamas ready for cease-fire

saw this in that annoying right-wing columnist Jen Rubin's w. post column:

Cokie Roberts hit the nail on the head when she noted that the Gaza conflict is part of a bigger problem, namely “a real absence . . . of American leadership in the region.” She explained that “ you’ve got these rockets going into Gaza from Syria and Iran,” in part because “we haven’t made a strong enough presence in that region to have people be afraid of this country. And so I think there’s a sense that, you know, they can get with anything they want to get away with.”

I am skeptical that the US could really stop Hamas from getting Syrian and Iranian missiles, and this just sounds like more blame Obama cliches.

hamas rejects ceasefire

Ezzedin al-Qassam rejected it, the political branch hasn't responded yet.

israeli security cabinet accepted the cease fire

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/15/gaza-ceasefire-israel-hamas-bombing

Israel's deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, suggested that Israel may now escalate military action to include a ground invasion as well as aerial and sea bombardment. "If Hamas does not accept a ceasefire by 9pm tonight, my estimation is that the IDF [Israeli Defence Force] will have to enter," he tweeted.

However there were signs of division within Hamas. Conflicting messages were delivered by the Hamas leadership within Gaza, and its international leadership. The organisation's military wing also took a more defiant stand than the political leadership.

...
Hamas has set out its key demands for ending rocket fire, which include the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade on the Gaza Strip, the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and the release of more than 50 Palestinian prisoners Israel recently rearrested after freeing them in exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.

Mordy, Israel believes that ending the blockade will just allow Hamas to get even more weapons, right? While Hamas and others say ending the blockade will help the economy, bring in more food, etc.

deputy hamas foreign minister (i think that's who he was) claimed hamas leadership heard of the cease fire through the media, not by being contacted by anybody

that was on npr this morning anyway

Israeli filmmakers at the Jerusalem Film Festival:

“Cameras here, in Israel, film and tell about the suffering and pain of Israeli citizens subject to missile attacks….A dialogue must be established, an acknowledgment of the suffering of the other. Today, we want to direct those cameras to the suffering of Gaza residents, men, women and children killed during the last few days. Those filming the suffering of Israelis should be courageous and honest enough to film the killing and destruction in Gaza as well, and tell that story as well.”

“The ‘life goes on’ conception, by which surrounding events cannot and will not affect our everyday dealings, is morally impossible. In these terrible days, we as artists and creators expect from ourselves, the festival’s administration, the spectators and the media to use this event to issue a clear, loud cry for change.

“We call the Israeli government to cease fire; we urge it not to send our troops to be killed again, in another pointless, cruel military campaign; we call it to engage in meaningful dialogue with the Palestinian people and its leaders, to achieve a viable peace for both sides.”

http://www.screendaily.com/news/israeli-filmmakers-call-for-cease-fire/5075171.article

two from hussein ibish:

http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/palestinians-die-in-the-most-cynical-of-all-military-games
https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/commentaryanalysis/555893-has-netanyahu-closed-the-door-on-peace

Hamas has set out its key demands for ending rocket fire, which include the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade on the Gaza Strip, the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and the release of more than 50 Palestinian prisoners Israel recently rearrested after freeing them in exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.

it's interesting that one of the demands is that egypt open rafah - hamas obv would never dare fire rockets into egypt tho.

rmde at Hamas

i admit my reading on this has been intermittent, but i did not know this (or see it stated outside of twitter drive-bys):

http://forward.com/articles/201764/how-politics-and-lies-triggered-an-unintended-war/?p=all#ixzz374CPB51T

The frustration had numerous causes. Once the boys’ disappearance was known, troops began a massive, 18-day search-and-rescue operation, entering thousands of homes, arresting and interrogating hundreds of individuals, racing against the clock. Only on July 1, after the boys’ bodies were found, did the truth come out: The government had known almost from the beginning that the boys were dead. It maintained the fiction that it hoped to find them alive as a pretext to dismantle Hamas’ West Bank operations.

The initial evidence was the recording of victim Gilad Shaer’s desperate cellphone call to Moked 100, Israel’s 911. When the tape reached the security services the next morning — neglected for hours by Moked 100 staff — the teen was heard whispering “They’ve kidnapped me” (“hatfu oti”) followed by shouts of “Heads down,” then gunfire, two groans, more shots, then singing in Arabic. That evening searchers found the kidnappers’ abandoned, torched Hyundai, with eight bullet holes and the boys’ DNA. There was no doubt.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately placed a gag order on the deaths. Journalists who heard rumors were told the Shin Bet wanted the gag order to aid the search. For public consumption, the official word was that Israel was “acting on the assumption that they’re alive.” It was, simply put, a lie.

Wouldn't you act on the assumption that they're alive, even with that?

You're not Machiavellian enough!

http://www.vox.com/2014/7/14/5897853/gaza-israel-hamas

Israel is fighting only for appearances, says Ibish: it already struck a major blow against Hamas when, under the pretext of searching for kidnapped boys it already knew were dead, it arrested hundreds of leading Hamas operatives in the West Bank. Meanwhile, Ibish thinks Hamas knows it can't beat Israel or extract major concessions, and is fighting to try to pressure Egypt into giving it a freer border and more money.

Israel bombs four Palestinian kids to death: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/16/witness-gaza-shelling-first-hand-account

precision

tbf those kids might have had access to rocks. israel couldn't afford to take that chance.

that'll teach 'em to vote for Hamas amirite

senseless

TEL AVIV — After nine days of aerial assaults on Gaza that have killed more than 200 people, Israel announced late Wednesday that it would suspend the attacks for five hours on Thursday as a humanitarian gesture at the request of the United Nations. But a senior Israeli military official said that the likelihood of a ground invasion to eliminate militants’ rockets launched from Gaza was “very high.”

to bibi's credit he is probably the most reserved israeli PM in my memory about deploying ground forces

in 2009 olmert sent in ground troops on the second day (and had more casualties in the first day from the aerial bombing than bibi has had this entire duration of the conflict)

What's your response to the killing of the four children Mordy? They were playing hide and seek on the beach. Not a suspect area by any means, not a Hamas place. Is that still part of the "appropriate response"?

oh look Israel made a gesture towards the UN how cute

i'm not an official spokesperson for the IDF, LBI. you don't need to question my opinion on every civilian casualty in gaza.

as a general quote for any question you might ever have on a related note: "i feel sad about the death of all innocent civilians in every conflict throughout the world"

I didn't approach you as "an official spokesperson for IDF". I also am not questioning your opinion "on every civilian casualty". Nice you have a pull quote at hand though, expressing you "feel sad about innocent civilians in every conflict throughout the world". Classy.

The death of these four kids is not "sad". It is sickening. They aren't collateral damage in a "conflict", they were deliberately murdered. Israel's army is fortunate enough to have the means to be able to aim properly. They abused this 'privilege' yet again. But you simply can't bring yourself to acknowledge that this is a criminal atrocity.

You want Hamas to stop sending rockets to Israel. I want that too. But in return Israel needs to stop it's apartheid and occupation policy. There is no other way.

they are collateral damage in a conflict.

GAZA CITY — It is not unusual for militants to launch rockets from sites near my hotel. Israeli missiles and shells have also landed pretty close to al-Deira, an old red stucco inn with a large terrace overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Just a few hundred yards down the beach is the fishing harbor.