While rockets are still being launched into southern Israeli civilian population centers, the cabinet in a four-hour meeting during the night voted against taking direct action in retaliation for attacks. The meeting began on Monday night at 11pm, addressing the alarming warfare in the south that has led to deaths and injuries during recent days. Property damage has also been significant.
Senior IDF commanders addressed the session, and briefings were also heard from Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, with the latter explaining Israel lacks the support of the international community for a major ground forces incursion into Gaza at the present time. The defense minister confirmed the Iron Dome rocket defense system is indeed only partially successful, adding this accompanied by the volatile situation in Egypt are among a number of reasons why a major military operation is ill advised at present – agreeing with the prime minister, that at present, restraint and vigilance are advised.
Aids to the prime minister indicated that plans are underway for an appropriate response if rocket fire resumes. It appears senior government officials are somewhat preoccupied with the Egyptian front, monitoring the increasingly visible anti-Israel sentiment. Major-General Amir Eshel, who heads the IDF’s Planning & Policy Directorate, was dispatched to Cairo on Sunday as part of ongoing efforts for a joint probe into last week’s terror attacks near Eilat on Thursday that claimed 8 lives. Seeking to stabilize the situation in Egypt, United States Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman met with officials in Cairo towards stressing the need for the new administration to honor and uphold peace agreements signed with Israel.
In Jerusalem, both military and political officials are expressing concern over the lack of border control on Egypt’s part, which many feel facilitated last week’s attacks that involved up to as many as 24 heavily armed terrorists, who crossed into Israel from Sinai.
Also pleased that Israel is not retaliating is MK Dr. Ahmed Tibi, who announced on Tuesday he is glad that the government is headed by Likud today and not Kadima. Tibi stated that while he is not a Likud fan, Kadima has involved Israel in two wars and even today, continues pressuring the government to launch a major military operation into Gaza towards wiping out the Hamas administration.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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Who cares about Tibi’s opinions???
So it’s time to re-cycle that old dark-humor ‘joke’ from the Holocaust…
Two Jewish young men have been rounded up by two German soldiers and are being brought to the train for transport to a concentration camp.
One of the Jews whispers to the other, “I know they have rifles and we’re unarmed, but there are only two of them, and there are two of us. Let’s try to jump them and escape.”
The other responds “Shhh… Don’t make touble!”
It appears that (“Israel’s most decorated soldier”) Barak, AND Israel’s (former member of the most elite commando unit, Sayeret Matkal) Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as the other senior IDF staff, are still carriers of the meraglim gene, of the galus gene, of the we can’t defend ourselves because we “lack the support of the international community” (i.e. Obama)gene.
Our ‘tough’ Israeli leaders, with all their military training and hardware, but WITHOUT yirat Shamayim, still carry that lethal “hayeenu k’chagaveem… b’aynaiynu” gene.
May HaSh-m bring Mashiach SOON to teach the world and to teach US what it means to be the Am HaSh-m.