From Power Line:

As Yaacov Lozowick notes, the IDF has called the neighbors of targeted sites to give them a ten-minute warning. Lozowick comments:

Alongside the thousands of civilians whose lives have been spared there are hundreds, at least, of armed Hamas fighters, the people who put the explosives in the cellars in the first place: by warning their neighbors, Israel has warned them, too, thus giving them the chance to escape and fight another day: say, tonight, or tomorrow, when they’ll still be alive to fight the IDF troops, instead of lying dead under the rubble, as would have been possible had we hit their explosive stashes without prior warning, as any normal army wold have done.

But what about the IDF system which provides for the warnings? As a manager of complex IT systems, Lozowick reconstructs the efforts that have gone into its creation:

First, Israel clearly has created a sophisticated GIS (geographic information system). A system that records tens of thousands of buildings, their location, and their distance from each other. Then there’s a database with the names of the tens of thousands of families who live in the buildings, and the phone number of each family. The system has the ability to identify all the families and phone numbers that could be affected by an attack on any given building. Finally, given the numbers involved, there must be a system that automatically makes concurrent phone calls to dozens of families, since everybody has to have the same ten-minute warning.

Ah, and someone put tens of thousands of piece of information into that database.

Such a system costs real money, takes time to set up, and since it is obviously operating close to flawlessly, it was tested, fiddled with, tested, fiddled with, and tested again. The purpose, I remind you, is to save the lives of thousands of Palestinians who happen to have murderous neighbors.

Lozowick concludes that the IDF is the most moral army in the world: "This drives some people bonkers, and they often go ballistic. Alas for them, and fortunately for many Palestinians, it happens to be the simple truth."

The care taken by the IDF to avoid civilian casualties complicates the achievements of its military objectives and increases the hazards to its soldiers, and it doesn’t do much to win Israel friends outside the United States. It is nevertheless an essential component of Israel’s strategy in dealing with its terrorist enemies.

We have accidentally eliminated the two most recent postings. To everyone who commented on either of them we apologize. We especially regret the loss of Gaza gets the mercy it doesn’t deserve, as we had three very good comments – one sympathetic to Hamas and two against Hamas, one of which was very rude about the Palestinians in general. We appreciated them all. 

 More on the new President of the EU, Karel Schwarzenberg:

The Schwarzenbergs were Austrian princes. There is an equestrian statue of Prince Karl Philipp (1771-1820) in the Schwarzenbergplatz in Vienna. But more interesting to us is the Schwarzenberg who was one of the leaders of the troops against the Ottoman Turks in the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Although outnumbered, the Austrians beat the Ottomans, and by doing so stopped the advance of Islam into Europe. The victory marked the start of the Habsburg dynasty. It was also (so legend has it) the occasion for which the delicate croissant bread roll was invented to commemorate the defeat of the Muslim armies with the crescent on their flag. And ever since then, the Schwarzenbergs have had the head of a Muslim on their coat of arms. 

During the Second World War, a Schwarzenberg duchess in Czechoslovakia, ancestress of Karel, refused to speak German to the Nazi occupiers although it was her native tongue, always using an interpreter to make communication as difficult as possible.  

Now that Islam is conquering Europe by stealth, it may be a hopeful sign that once again a Schwarzenberg is in a position of authority and speaking out against the renewed advance of militant Islam. 

From the Jerusalem Post:

"Hundreds of terrorists have been killed and weapons and ammunition stocks have been destroyed, along with tunnels and rocket manufacturing facilities," Military Intelligence Chief Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin told the cabinet.

"The Hamas government isn’t functioning, and the group’s leaders aren’t serving the citizens but themselves alone. There is much criticism of Hamas amongst Palestinians for bringing on this situation," Yadlin said.

The MI chief also noted that throughout the operation, Hamas has continued to use citizens as human shields.

Yuval Diskin, head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), assessed that Hamas leaders were now less determined to continue fighting, and that there were senior leaders among them who support moving towards a cease-fire. 

 From ICJS (Issues of Concern for Justice & Society), Australia, an article by Farid Ghadry, President of the Reform Party of Syria: 

During this Israeli campaign to silence the terror of Hamas, one can discern two voices coming out of the Middle East against or in support of the Gaza operations.

The boisterous voices are those of Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbullah leader, who a few days ago, verbally attacked Egypt’s leadership for not standing by Gazans by opening the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. The attack was unprecedented in scope and intensity because it just fell short of asking Egyptians to overthrow the rule of Mubarak. It did, however, heighten anger amongst the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt enough to incite them to rise against their own government.

Other noises come from Damascus and Iran, where the "resistance" has its center of gravity. Both Assad and Ahmadinejad know that a Hamas defeat is their defeat. Those two have incited the Arab street in a show of force and complicity with extremism. And while many believe the fate of Hamas parallels the fate of Hizbullah, reality is that short of a total defeat of Hamas, not to exclude regime change, Palestinians and Israelis will continue to suffer the consequences of an election that brought them more misery than they imagined on that fateful day: January 23, 2006.

On the other side, the majority of voices approving of the Israeli campaign are those who have remained quiet or convoluted in their objections. Many Arab leaders, intellectuals, businesspeople, and even commoners from Iraq to Lebanon, from Egypt to Morocco, from Bahrain to Yemen, believe that Hamas represents deformity of an Arab civilization, one that is in dire need of an overhaul by existing homegrown leadership in Palestine, Syria and Iran capable of that solemn responsibility.

Many ask why fellow Arabs would support the destruction of Hamas and Hizbullah. The answer is simple. Both organizations, in addition to the rule in Damascus and Iran, represent everything that is wrong in the Middle East today: Morally weak organizations or states seeking revenge, extolling resistance, and abetting violence against those who have surpassed us in knowledge and technology.

Hamas, Hizbullah must be destroyed … and the regimes in Damascus and Tehran must be changed for all Arabs and Farsi people to survive and prosper …

We Arabs must be the ones to stop Hamas and Hizbullah, rather than support their demonic and twisted logic of resisting development, enlightenment, and progress of the region. Even when development and enlightenment stare them in the face, their instinct is to destroy them pretending to safeguard their honor, the mechanics of which supersede all else including a happy life of fulfillment and accomplishments.

So while we abhor violence of all kind, Israel’s campaign against Hamas must continue to the bitter end not only for the sake of peace but also to help Arabs realize they have a choice: Destroy like Gaza or develop like Dubai. Will this happen soon? Maybe not, but if a wake-up call and a nudge, once in a while, to pierce through the fog of deceit perpetrated by Syria and Iran is what it takes to see the light, then we stand by the West and Israel in the only hope that an Arab Renaissance in the Levant may actually have a chance of resurrection.

 Victor Davis Hanson writes:

There is something especially nauseating about the latest Middle East war — scenes of worldwide Islamic protests with photos of Jews as apes, protesters (in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida of all places!) screaming about nuking Israel and putting Jews in ovens, parades of children dressed up with suicide vests and fake rockets, near constant anti-Semitic vicious sloganeering, Gaza mosques stuffed with rockets to be used against civilians — all to be collated with creepy Hamas rhetoric about the annihilation of Israel. This is the world in which we now live.

Almost no other issue in recent memory has illustrated the moral bankruptcy of much of the international community. Hamas has no pretensions, like the PA, of being a governing authority; it used violence to rout the PA and then bragged that its charter pledging the destruction of Israel remained unchanged. Israel evacuated Gaza; Gazans in response looted their own infrastructure, alienated both the PA and Egypt,and then sent off more than 6,000 rockets against Israeli civilians, while eagerly becoming a terrorist puppet of theocratic Iran.

Nothing could be more clear: either the fact that a constitutional republic was trying to avoid civilian casualties while a terrorist organization was intent on killing Jewish civilians as it used its own citizens as shields to protect mostly young male terrorists; or the world’s craven reaction to all this.

Again all very creepy — the stuff of Tolkien’s Mordor. It is now clear that the so-called and much praised "international community," the hallowed U.N., the revered EU, all pretty much are indifferent to the survival of a democratic Israel, or are actively supportive of its terrorist Hamas enemy. Only the U.S. (for now) stands by a constitutional state in its war against a murderous terrorist clique, with annihilation its aim and religious fascism its creed.

‘Only the US (for now) …’  President-elect Obama might change that. He keeps silent, aloof. But the moment is coming when he will have to make decisions at last. It will be as interesting to see that he can as to see what they will be. 

This is part of a report from Israel by Ari Bussel (read the whole Canada Free Press article here):

Israel is at war simultaneously in several fronts:  Hamas in Gaza; the Home Front in the ever-expanding radius around Gaza (currently 26 miles); the Fifth Column of Israeli Arabs, now acting like the Islamists in Europe; and the world public opinion in the Public Diplomacy Front.  In all fronts, the enemies are aided and abetted by Jews and Israelis.  In all fronts – we lose.

Hamas needs to do nothing more than continue what it does now with little or no effort:

· leisurely launching up to 100 rockets a day from a well protected cache; 
· produce cartoons and other programs for children in which hatred is preached; 
· showcase pictures of body parts, people alive and seemingly dead soaking in what looks like blood, at times bodies exhumed from graves; 
· and keep bombarding the world with fallacies, accusations and allegations that are more reminiscent of a thousand and one Arabian nights.

The world is fighting unabashedly on behalf of Hamas, with fierce determination.  Israeli Arabs are holding violent demonstrations, trying to excuse the ever increasing violence as the youthful indiscretions.  Israelis – a fringe of the political left – are doing all they can to destroy Israel from within.

Early this morning I took the bus to Sderot where I spent the day.  The feeling was of a deserted city of its regular inhabitants.  Young volunteers wearing white shirts distributing presents to the residents, female soldiers from the Home Front Command distributing Israeli flags, Fire and Rescue Service personnel, police, military, numerous others – none from Sderot.

Foreign journalists came in hoards as well, one even asking with some disgust:  Are we in any imminent danger?  “No,” I replied, we came shopping for Chala-bread for Shabbat.

The picture is surreal.  On the bus to Beer Sheva, I was the one passenger who went off in Sderot.  Other than one soldier and two others, the bus was empty.  The bus station made of cement, also acts as a shelter.  You start looking at these things, the next COLOR RED siren can be announced any second.  You have exactly 15 seconds to take cover.  In the city of Ashkelon 30 seconds, in the port city of Ashdod 45 seconds, in Beer Sheva 60 seconds.  Mal functions are possible, so never take a chance – it is a life and death situation.

Interestingly, I realize in retrospect that I have seen no children in Sderot today, only adults.  The locals have lived through this hell for eight years.  We come, take a glimpse into their lives, say how horrible it must be, take some pictures and we rush to leave as soon as the purpose for which we came had been accomplished.  Many come for photo-ops, others to interview a family whose house was hit, yet others to see what is Israel doing, not so much interested in the ongoing plight of the residents but how can they twist anything they see to Hamas’s advantage.

Earlier today Hamas came out in a statement to the foreign press that Israel is preventing the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza.  Over the last few days, Israel has transferred all aid sent by international organizations.  On Monday, 23 trucks with food, medicines and medical supplies were transferred via Kerem Shalom Crossing into Gaza.  On Tueday 63 trucks and five ambulances, on Wednesday 93 trucks and the same on Thursday. There is so much aid that the receiving organizations have declined any further aid at the moment – the warehouses are over flowing.

While we had to take cover, running to the nearest shelter, Gazans are given advance warning by the IDF.  Surrealism at its best.  The IDF gives ample opportunity to vacate buildings that are about to be hit.  A telephone call from the IDF is received telling one that the building will be hit in a few minutes since there is an explosive lab or an ammunition cache or a terrorist in hiding.  Sure enough, the building is bombarded and hit.  Where else does an army warn its enemy of an incoming strike to avoid any unnecessary innocent casualties?  Where else would human beings use hospitals and mosques as operation centers, hiding places, and warehouses for explosives, ammunition and advanced weaponry?

Many Gazans are indeed involuntary participants:  They do not agree with Hamas, yet if they object they will be shot as traitors and if they cooperate they become human shields.  Hamas wins either way – human life has no consequence to it – neither the lives of its enemy nor the lives of its own people.

The situation is reminiscent of a chess player playing solitarily.  All moves must be considered.  First one needs to take care of one’s own, then one needs to take care of the enemy, since the enemy does not care about its own (unless in their death, sorrow and misery they can be made to reflect badly on Israel).

Minister Avi Dichter stated: “All countries should open their eyes and see very carefully what is really happening.  If Israel will not block Hamas and Hizbollah who serve the interests of Iran, they will face a very tough problem in the years ahead.” He added, “Israel knows very well how to go forward with both air strikes and ground operations.”

Minister Dichter’s statement is not much different than Senator McCain’s:  Israel is the canary in the coal mine.

We went on a “hill” overlooking the area.  We saw the power plant in Ashkelon supplying some of the electricity to Gaza, a constant target of the racketeers (rocket-eers); the area that used to be green houses employing Arabs and exporting fruits, vegetables and flowers from the desert, now terrorist training camps and launching areas to rockets; a black and white kitten eating oblivious to anything happening around it; protection structures built around public schools now empty; houses which were once occupied and are now a mere shadow of yesteryears; and an inner strength of those of suffered for eight years but stayed and the urge to run away by those of us who only came to spend a few hours.

When one says “no sane country would have allowed it unto its citizens,” one must wonder how to make the world understand that Israel’s Operation Cast Lead is justified, is the only resort it was given, and must be continued to its conclusion. 

 Here is news worth  reporting because such understanding, and such plain speaking of the truth, is unusual among EU leaders.         

 The Czech foreign minister has taken over the presidency of the EU – not the president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, as was expected.  Fortunately, Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg shares some vital principles with President Klaus.  

In reply to the out-going EU president, Sarkozy of France, who condemned Israel’s operation against Hamas, Schwarzenberg said: ‘Let us realize one thing. Hamas increased steeply the number of rockets fired at Israel since the cease-fire ended on December 19. That is not acceptable any more. Israel has the right to defend itself.’ 

He also blamed Hamas for the civilian death toll in Gaza, pointing out that the terrorist organization put its bases and gun warehouses in densely populated areas.

Always few in number, the Jewish people have made an enormous contribution to the benefit of mankind – far greater than any other people proportionate to its size. As a people, the Jews have done no harm to others, yet they are hated. They have never wanted to rule the world, yet they are accused of that crazy ambition. Islam openly declares its aim to dominate the world and is not reviled for doing so. Islam has made no significant contributions to mankind, contrary to popular assertions that it made a few way back in the Middle Ages – a claim that does not stand up under scrutiny. And at present Islam is waging a jihad to bring its darkness down over civilization.

The following quotation is not about the general Islamic intolerance of the Jews and their one small, tolerant, democratic state, but about Arab aggression in particular. What the author says is true as far as it goes, but it should always be borne in mind that the Arabs are supported in their genocidal hostility  to Israel by the vast Islamic world, a majority of Europeans, and most of the international political left. Even Israel’s staunchest ally, the United States, is trying to impose a ‘solution’  (to its extreme, unrelenting victimization!) on Israel which can only make its  struggle for survival more desperate.        

From Steven Plaut’s Front Page Magazine article (read the whole of it here):

The Arab-Israeli war is not about land, and it cannot be resolved by Israel’s relinquishing land.  

The Arab world already controls territory nearly twice that of the United States (including Alaska), whereas all of Israel cannot be seen on most world maps. When Israel was occupying nothing outside of its pre-1967 borders, the Arab world refused to come to terms with its existence and is no more willing to do so today, even if Israel were to return to those same borders.

The Arab-Israeli conflict is not about Israel refusing to share land and resources with Palestinians but about the absolute refusal of the Arab world to acquiesce in the existence of any Jewish-majority political entity within any set of borders in the Middle East.

This misrepresentation of the conflict serves to prolong it, precisely because it misleads. The Arab world insists that Israel trade land for peace not because it is prepared to in turn offer Israel peace for the land it vacates, but because a smaller Israel will be that much easier to destroy. And even if Israel consisted of nothing more than downtown Tel Aviv, the Arab world would consider it to be an imperialist affront sitting on stolen Arab land – an illegal "settlement." …

"Talks" cannot produce peace in the Middle East and in fact have harmful effects.  

There is a Western obsession with the idea that all world problems can be resolved through talking. But how many international conflicts can be said to have been resolved strictly through talking? Especially in the Middle East, there can be no doubt that talking does not resolve hostilities. It makes them worse… The conflict is not about hurt feelings but about the refusal of the Arab world to come to terms with Israel’s existence, period, in any set of borders and regardless of whether Jerusalem remains under Israeli control.

There is no "two-state solution" or "one-state solution" to the Arab Israeli conflict.  

The latter solution is particularly popular on the left. Under that scenario, Israel is enfolded into a larger "secular democratic Arab state" with an Arab Muslim majority. It is in fact little more than a prescription for a Rwanda-style genocide of Jews. This is little doubt that a significant number of those proposing such a solution would really like to see this happen.

More important, there is no "two-state solution" to the Middle East conflict. Those speaking about a two-state solution really mean a 24-state solution, meaning the Arabs retain the 22 states they already have, adding a 23rd state of "Palestine" in parts of the West Bank and Gaza and pre-1967 Israeli territories, with Israel remaining the Jewish state – the 24th state in the plan – for the moment. 

That such a solution will not end the conflict but only signal the commencement of its next stage has long been the quasi-official position of virtually all Palestinian groups, which have long insisted that any two-state solution is but a stage in a plan of stages, after which will come additional steps ultimately ending Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.

The original partition plan of the United Nations had proposed that an Arab Palestinian state arise alongside Israel in 1948. The Arab world rejected this plan altogether. It had no interest in adding one more Arab Islamic state to its portfolio. It went to war to prevent the creation of any Jewish state. 

The two-state solution is no more realistic an option today than it was in 1948. It is ultimately as much of an existential threat to Jewish survival in the Middle East as the one-state solution. Creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel would be a major step in the escalation of the Arab war against Israel’s existence … 

 Tawfik Hamid, an Egyptian Muslim living in America, writes:

The Muslim world and the Europeans who support the demonstrations against Israel must stop the biased reaction that blindly and reflexively supports the Palestinians and villifies Israel. Those who demonstrate against the military campaign on Gaza must realize that if Hamas had stopped pounding Israel with its rockets, Israel would not have launched its attack. If the Palestinians focused on building their society rather than destroying those of others, the whole region would enjoy peace and flourish. Should Palestinians recognize the right of Israel to exist, end terrorism against Jews and nurture a sincere desire to live in peace, they would end their suffering. The solution now is simply in the hands of the Palestinians – not the Israelis.