Casualies in Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon

BarZilai Medical Center 2023 (Nadene Goldfoot)

Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon Underground

Lea Malul at Barzilai on Sunday, December 28th reported to Tamar Boussi, president of Portland Ashkelon Sister City Association, and she explained their situation--they have had around 10-12 casualities nearly everyday and are swamped. The article below explains some of their preparation.

Fear of Rockets Sends Israeli Hospital Underground by Aron Heller

Wary of a missile strike from nearby Gaza, Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital has moved its most essential departments into an underground bomb shelter. In February a rocket from Gaza landed adjacent to the hospital's helicopter pad and in May a rocket crashed into a busy shopping mall in the city, injuring 14 people. On Saturday, Barzilai relocated the most vulnerable departments and placed its least mobile patients - such as those in the geriatric, infant and maternity wards - underground. On Sunday, two rockets fell in Ashkelon itself and another 22 in the surrounding district, as warning sirens sent doctors, patients and guests rushing for cover several times. In Barzilai's underground children's ward, sick Gazans lay alongside sick Israelis. Dr. Ron Lobel, the hospital's deputy director, said that his facility had close ties with Gaza's Shifa hospital, and accepted many of its patients who need treatment the Gazan hospital cannot provide. (AP)

Reference: from Tamar Boussi, Portland, OR

Why The Need for Hamas to Bomb Israel?

Nadene Goldfoot                                                             

                        Israel's Iron Dome Stopping Incoming Rocket

Hamas Palestinians in Gaza are now unified with Fatah Palestinians, known as the PA of Judea-Samaria . Hamas has been bombing Israel since 2001 and still they haven't stopped. In fact, now that they have unified, it's been stepped up.   Why?  Why was there a war in Gaza in the first place with Israel?  Is Obama watching all this?

Hamas called out the big O word;  OCCUPATION.  Charles Krauthammer asked, "What occupation?  In 2005 Israel pulled out of Gaza.  It dismantled every village, withdrew every soldier, evacuated every Jew and left nothing behind except the greenhouses where Jews had grown fruit and flowers for export.  These were left as they were to help Gaza's economy.  How about that?  That was a Jewish decision.  It was not appreciated, though.  The Arabs trashed them when they took over.    There is no occupation.

Israel said its border with Gaza was an international frontier.  They  had renounced any claim to the territory and considered it an independent entity.  At that moment Israel was actually creating the first Palestinian state.
                                                                         

               Ashkelon, Israel under constant attack along with Sderot

The other Muslims had never been that gracious to Palestinians.  Those held in refugee camps were not considered citizens and have no rights and are not allowed to find work.  No, that's because they're used as pawns to fight the Jews in Israel.  Even the Ottoman Empire and the Egyptians who held Gaza before Israel had not  done such a thing as give the Palestinians such recognition..

Sometimes I think my Israel is too good to people, but they did this because they wanted to live in peace. with these Arabs calling themselves Palestinians.
                                                                     

                                                     Rocket  fired from Gaza

The world had kept demanding that Israel give up land for peace, and they had done it successfully with Egypt.  So they took the chance and it has failed.    The Arabs turned around and voted in Hamas terrorists to rule over them.  They turned Gaza into an armed camp and there has been war ever since.  Any truce from Hamas, a hudna, has only been a tactic for giving themselves a rest to get ready for the next round.
                                                                         

                                      Hamas terrorists

The problem is that Hamas says that all of Israel is occupied.  They say that Israel is illegitimate.  They tell everyone it is a cancer, a crime against humanity.  Did they have to alter any of this in the peace talks?  I doubt it.

The big brother for Hamas is Iran.  They are their arms supplier.  Hamas' objective has been openly declared.  Why hasn't the USA looked at it?  Their goal is to liberate, destroy Tel Aviv and the rest of pre-1967 Israel.  It is, as Charles said, it's raison d'etre.

Jews were first attacked by Hamas with suicide bombings.  That caused Israel to build a fence for protection.  Hamas has come back with rockets that are fired indiscriminately at a civilian population in very populated areas.  This started off with 150 rockets into Israel.  Just 2 years ago Hamas was getting Fajr-5 rockets that were smuggled in from Iran that could reach Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.  This puts 50% of the Israeli population in harms way.  They get finances and political support from the other Middle Eastern states like Qatar who gave them $400 million, especially since the Arab Spring and the reversal in Turkey to a more Islamist society.  Previously for the past 60 years, Turkey  had been a friend of Israel.  While Israel works to defend its population, Recep Erdogan called Israel a terrorist state.  Is this eastern thinking compared to western?

The best thing that has happened is that Egypt acted quickly and ousted the head of the Muslim Brotherhood from presidency.  Morsi is out and Sisi is in. How Morsi ever got in in the first place is a mystery to me.  They had been an outlawed group.  Obama had them sit in the front row during his Cairo speech, though, so that recognition must have given them a leg up.   Therefore, Egypt is still honoring it's peace with Israel.  They even have worked together.

There was a cease fire on November 21st in 2012, but we see that didn't last long.  Over 500 rockets have been fired into southern Israel in 2014.  On April 23, Hamas and Fatah united.  The firing of rockets continues.  I count at least 22 mortars and rockets have been fired since their unification.  Why do they keep on pelting Israel?  Their goal is to wipe out Israel.  They don't want a peace.  They want to destroy Israel.

April 23

3 rockets were fired from Gaza at the Hof Ashkelon and Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Councils, after rocket alert sirens sounded. No injuries were reported.

April 24

A mortar shell exploded near the fence in Southern Gaza, endangering Israelian soldiers. Later in the day explosive device explodes near IDF force at the Northern Gaza border. No injuries or damage were reported

May

May 1

A rocket hit an open area in Eshkol. No one war hurt, no damage was reported

May 21

Lots of mortar shells were fired at IDF forces on the Gaza boarder. No injuries, damages in attack. 

May 23

A rocket exploded in open field in Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. No reports of damages or injuries.

May 31

In the Golan heights' area sirens were heard in several towns followed by explosions. It was assumed, that these rockets were not targeted to Israel but a result of the Syrian battle. 

June

June 2

A Syrian mortar shell hit the Mt. Hermon region, no injuries or damage were reported.

June 4

At least two Syrian mortar shells land at the Israeli Golan. The Iron Dome missile defense system were activated, but were stopped, when calculation said, that the mortars would hit open field. Additionally, Syrians shot machine gun fire. The IDF believes, that the goal was not to hit the Israelian side, but celebratory fire from Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.

June 11

A rocket sent from Gaza narrowly missed a main artery in southern Israel as it landed in a nearby dirt field without causing any injuries.

June 14

2 of 3 rockets fired from the Gaza fell in the Hof Ashkelon regional council in the afternoon. No injuries or damage were reported.

June 15

In Ashkelon a series of explosions were heard in the evening. 4 rockets were fired from Gaza, 2 of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome. Fragments of the rockets fell across the city. There were no reports of injuries or material damages.

June 16

A rocket from Gaza landed in an open area in the Ashkelon area. No damage or injuries. This year Palestinians fired more than 500 rockets and mortars.
June 30
New - BREAKING: 15 Rockets Fired Last Night and This Morning

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel,_2014
Oregonian article 2012, Why was there war in Gaza?  Charles Krauthammer

USA In Danger: UnAmerican View of the World Today

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                           

Bloggers have been warning of the dangers of siding with Iran, but our newspapers haven't mirrored this fear.  Finally, Lt. Gen. Thomas G. McInerney voices concern when he warned that "we have an administration that has an entirely different view of the world."   He feels that Russia and Iran are influencing America's thinking. Ask most people today in the world and Russia is named as the top dog.   Our waning presence in the Middle East  is putting the US in a most dangerous situation, similar to where we were in the 1930's before WWII.
                                                                               

 Iran will not continue to feel the pain of sanctions-the slap on the hands for wanting to A Bomb Israel.  Who doesn't really understand her motives in this?  Iran has done the right thing religiously; warned Israel umpteen times of their motives.  It's not her fault that no one on the planet wants to heed their warnings except little Israel, the thorn in everyone's side, evidently.  Surely Obama must think so.  We're the pain in his neck, the teeny state raising all the ruckus of not wanting to be eliminated by their neighbors who reject their hold on their  real estate holdings.  How dare we insist on existing when nobody wants us!  Besides that, we just have the chutzpah to show up all the neighbors and make them look shabby with our Democracy, our strength and continual start up businesses that are being developed, not to mention all the fantastic medical technology coming out of this teeny state.

No, do you think that Iran will not continue because the USA has caved in and has offered $6 billion dollars to Iran to tide them over for the next few months while Kerry and staff stall around and try to come up with something they all love?  So isn't this the same as lifting the sanctions?  Well, I guess not, being the first offer was in the amount of $7 billion.  This would have allowed Iran to continue funding it's Lebanese proxy terror group, Hezbollah for 35 years, its military ICBM program for 21 more months or it's war budget for the next 9 months.  This is some crazy way to even dream while on drugs that this will end the problem with Iran and their outlandish plot to crush Israel and be the rulers of the Middle East.  Does the USA really want to partner up with such an evil empire?  Where, or where is John Wayne when we need him?  We've wound up with the wrong John and that's where our country is going.

Meanwhile, our ever alert administration is declaring that Israel's outlandish idea of needing Iran to totally dismantle its nuclear capacity will lead to war.  Oh sure, take away their toys of destruction making them unable to harm a country totally and finally and that's dangerous for the USA.  What kind of convoluted thinking is this?  Israel is very realistic while the USA is evidently thinking from cloud 9 these days.  Kerry actually said that Netanyahu's fear that this new deal of releasing money and easing sanctions will lead to Israel being vulnerable to destruction is unfounded.  Sure, I mean after all, nuclear weapons capability coupled with hatred and threats that are called for according to their religious thinking certainly can't harm anyone.  Where was Kerry when Japan was bombed by the USA?  Israel's fears are unfounded?  Oh yes, Israel lives in such a loving neighborhood.  Right?  We're not smoking weed, Kerry, we can still think straight.  Get off this kick.  The USA is losing or has already lost its status in the world.  You're adding salt to the wound with such statements.
                                                                         

Let's look at our nice neighbors, Hamas.  They are threatening Israel with their new missile range, probably missiles supplied by Iran that can reach Tel Aviv.  Mushir al-Masri, big shot Hamas in their parliament and but time terrorist said that if Israel hits Gaza-and it's been Gaza who has been hitting Israel during this cease fire period, they would fire missiles at targets north of Tel Aviv.  That means they're going to blast us for sure if we reciprocate with hits.  The fact that they upset the whole southern Israel full of over a million people is small potatoes to them-they feel that only they have the right to attack.  No one has the right to defend themselves in their eyes.

Getting down to the USA, we see that Iran and Russia now have influence over the USA, not Israel, not even in consideration that is noticeable except from the USA Senate.  The administration does not seem to listen to it.  The USA has used very selfish thinking in losing Egypt to Russia in that the USA was backing the wrong group, the Muslim Brotherhood, people who want to destroy Israel, for  Pete's sake.  Coupled with not having a presence in the Middle East that amounts to much, allowing the Ben Gazi embassy situation to go by the wayside, just ignored for so long that nobody knows nor cares what happened anymore,  has added up to the USA losing ground as the great country to be admired.  We are no longer number one in Egypt, I can tell you that much, despite what the politicians say to the microphones.  Egypt just signed a $4 billion dollar arms deal with Russia.  Egypt will now be able to be on par with the IDF.  Isn't that nice?  See how Israel is screwed again?

Somebody was able to delay Iran's capabilities via computers.  Remember?  Iran just got even by a a cybe-attack hit Wednesday that shut down a site for several hours of United With Israel's Stop Iran initiative.  It was a site with a petition to Obama to oppose any deal that didn't dismantle Iran's nuclear program. Rod Beckstrom of ICANN, a group overseeing the internet's architecture, thinks that the USA will give up their governance of the internet by 2018.  We're just giving up leadership in everything.   How about the show of probably forcing the Jews of Tehran to come out and protest against any interference.  The Jews in that country are most likely under a lot of stress and threats.
                                                                           

What we're not getting out of Kerry's deals are any meaningful nuclear concessions from Tehran.  We're just giving in a lot and giving back wiggle room that will be used to the utmost.  We've put a nerd into the ring with Goliath, and he ain't no David.  Not only have we lost our reputation but our safety net as well.  We're in bad shape and don't even care.

 The USA is also  in danger of an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) attack by Iran which would have the power to shut down our electrical grid and we'd be living the TV program of Revolution that is so popular.  It's the story of losing our electricity and our government at the same time, and evidently Iran's capability has this within reach as well.    Iran has repeatedly called for a world without America, and has already practiced attacks on us using EMP  from barges in the Caspian Sea. We are as unprepared for this as the TV scenario's people are.  This was discussed in Washington DC in a conference about it.  Who knew such a thing could be a reality?  We'll be thrown back into the Dark Ages.  Our lives depend on electricity.
                                                                         

                   Where 12 Tribes of Jacob lived in the Holy Land of Israel -1271-721 BCE, and then Assyria attack in 721 BCE and carried off 10 of the 12 tribes (27,290 Israelites)  leaving Judah, the largest and strongest.  Once strong, King Hoshea (730-721BCE) wasn't guarding the henhouse when he should have.  He was a prophet who forecast Israel's exile but also had visions of restoration after the people's repentance.  After 2,000+ years of sufferings, how much more repentance is needed?  

Where we once thought the USA had Israel's back, we're now understanding that the word "back" has a much different meaning.  It's more like "back" to the 67 "lines" that Obama urged about, or back out of a promise and a friendship that Israel had for 65 years.  It's more like being stabbed in the back.  It's not a condition of it's either him or us.  It's a matter of not standing together.  It's parents where each are taking opposite viewpoints with their children, making their children crazy.  The whole matter is that these two, USA and Israel, were never married to each other in the first place.  It was a bad match.

Reference:  Arutz Sheva, Senior General:  US in greatest danger since 1930s by Ari Yashar & Orli Harari; UWI's "Stop Iran" initiative hit by cyber-attack by Ari Yashar;  UN Ambassador:  Iran being offered $6 billion in relief by Ari Yashar; US Official, Israel's Position on Iran could Lead to War by Elad Benari, Hamas:  Our rockets will reach north of Tel Aviv by Dalit haleva, Ari Yashar; Experts:  US "unprepared" for potential Iran attack by Daniel Perez, Orli Harari, Washington

Obama Letting Up on Sanctions on Iran

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                          

Obama must be under the spell of  Iran's President  Rouhani's  smile.   On Thursday, his administration has asked Congress to hold off on starting any new sanctions against Iran.

He things negotiators need flexibility in talks to get Iran to comply with demands that it must prove its nuclear program is peaceful.

Does anyone in this whole world really think they are on a peaceful path with their uranium?  Come on now.  Everything they are doing points to developing speedily an atomic bomb.

" Israel's opinion through Yadlin is that we should not let Rouhani drag talks out for 2 years and then realize that he deceived us, and that we don't have military option on the table anymore."  "Yadlin is anxious to see a good deal that will stop the Iranian capability to produce nuclear weapons.  If negotiations fail, then there will be legitimacy to take preventative action to stop Iran."
                                                                         

Jen Psaki, State Department spokeswoman, said that a pause "would be helpful" in gaining flexibility while seeing if negotiations will move forward.  They had asked for a pause in the past, as well.  More sanctions can always be added later if the Iranians fail to show reason of peaceful intent.  None are being lifted that are already in place.

Rouhani is in fact a radical Iranian speaking for the regime but he doesn't set the rules.  He wants to reach an agreement because the sanctions are hurting his country and are in the way of their basic goal to produce atomic weapons.  "If the Iranians get the sanctions lifted now, they will never stop the nuclear program.  Lifting the sanctions should be only an end result, when Iran will answer fully to the UN Security Council demands.  The important thing is the deal itself and what it entails.

Meanwhile, Reza Olangian,  a Californian with dual USA-Iran citizenship,  was  arrested in Estonia in October 2012 and brought to New York on federal charges because he tried to buy surface to air missiles for Iran, beating the sanctions.   In 2007 he was actively engaged in buying missiles for Iran.  They were  the SAMs.  This Friday a multicount indictment was unsealed of conspiring to get weapons and violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.  He said that both times he  had been working for the Iranian government.

Israel has been watching Iran for years, ever since they started acquiring uranium and building a plant.  Their former defense-intelligence chief, Amos Yadlin, is with Netanyahu on Israel's decisions about Iran.  They have two choices; to live with an Iran with an A bomb or bombing their source to building it.  He's with the Prime Minister on the bombing.

Israel is such a small country.  The Iranian ex-president, Rafsanjani said in 2001 that Israel is a one-bomb country and that a proud Iranian or Islamic nation can absorb 2 or 3 bombs.  But the real problem is that if Iran gets the bomb, then all the other Middle Eastern countries will have to have this capability as well.  Nuclear weapons in terrorist hands will be a nuclear nightmare.
                                                                             

The whole Middle East is against an Iran with an Atom Bomb.  He sees something happening at the end of this year, which is about here, or the beginning of 2014.  It's that close.  Yes, Israel can handle the necessary steps to be taken.  They don't need the USA, but it would certainly be nice if they were together on this.  Yes, they are prepared for repercussions from Iran.  Israel has been patiently waiting for a change of heart from Iran as they are in a" zone of immunity."  This means that there is a time when Israel can achieve their goal and if they wait too long they won't be able to do so.  It will be too late.

Yadlin said that the leading factor in deciding Israel's next move   "is the negotiations and the parameters of any future deal.   Their decision may not be an attack or not.  It might be just leaving the problem to Obama to solve, a decision to live with a problematic deal, or a decision to live with the bomb, with all its ramifications."  

Because of this change in the White House in working to stop congress from siding with Netanyahu on Iran, Senators are concerned that there will be an easing of sanctions on Iran to facilitate talks.  Congress has been leading the way to tighten sanctions on Iran.  The first round of talks ended last week.  The chief negotiator, Wendy Sherman, is the one calming their fears.  Negotiators, such as Wendy,  had praised Iran's supposed flexibility.  Republican Senators are ready to impose more sanctions on them and Marco Rubio drafted a new resolution against Iran, saying that they cannot be trusted.  He pointed out that Tehran has disregarded previous international agreements and that they need to take a firm stand about the nuclear capabilities Iran will be permitted to keep.

Resource:  http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=12827
http://www.blog.standforisrael.org/articles/a-leading-voice-of-restraint-is-starting-to-worry-about-iran:  from New Republic "Israel Doesn't Need America on D-Day by Ben Birnbaum-9 pages
Oregonian newspaper 10/26/13  page A4; Obama administration seeks to pause push for Iran sanctions by Matthew Lee, AP, and  The Buzz; Missile buyer, McClatchy Washington Bureau
update: 10/28/13 http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=12873 from Netanyahu

Rouhani's Sweet Talk at UN

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                            

"Iran is on course to develop a nuclear bomb within six months and time has run out for further negotiations, a senior Israeli minister said."  Israel feels that "unless it faced a credible threat of U.S. military action, it would not stop its nuclear activities."  

The so-called new "moderate" Iranian President, Rouhani,  told the UN today that they pose "absolutely no threat to the world or the region."  To prove this he said that his country was willing to hold time-bound talks on its nuclear program.  More talks are just a stalling process for his country to continue progress.   It was emphasized that he wanted everyone to recognize Iran's right to enrich uranium and that their nuclear program is a peaceful one.  How about that?

Only about 6 days ago NBC was told they Iran will never build nuclear weapons. To show their good faith, they have freed 11 political prisoners including Mohsen Amenzadeh, a politician and the prominent human rights lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh.  Their case is being well orchestrated, evidently.

Then he had to get his nasty digs in about Israel by talking about Palestine, saying it is under occupation.  He went on claiming that their basic rights were being violated and that they were deprived of the right of return to their homeland.

Those of us who know the history of the Arabs that are called Palestinians, something Jews were also called who were living in  the land that was to be the Jewish Homeland, as voted by the UN's former organization, the League of Nations,   know that there never was a country of Palestine.  It was just the name the Romans gave to the land when they conquered Jerusalem in 70 CE.  Rouhani knows that Israel was created by not only the League of Nations in the 20's but also by the UN on May 14, 1948.  The Palestinians  and evidently Iran continues to propagate this myth that there had been a Palestine country and that these Arabs have been tossed out of it.

Not so.  Most all the ancestors of the present day Palestinians were people who followed Jews in their building from 1880's on.  They came from all over the Middle East as they heard about the prospects of getting jobs with them.  Now they want to take over the country.  Time spent reading Joan Peters book, From Time Immemorial would enlighten Rouhani.  Peters went to the actual original records to get her information about the "Palestinians."

If the next 9 months of meetings between Israeli and Palestinian represenatives stay on course, there will be no such thing as their right of return.  They weren't on the land designated to be a state of Palestine in the first place.  Some were here, but much fewer in number, and they left because of the Arab attack of 1948, minutes after Israel was pronounced a new state.  They left because their leaders told them that they were taking over this new state of Israel and when the attack was over, they could move back in and even take over the Jews' homes.  Weren't they surprised to find that the ones who won were the Jews.  So what did these brilliant Arab leaders do?  Tell their people to remain in refugee camps set up for them.  And there they have been for the last 65 years, pawns of their leaders led to think that they are destroying Israel this way.

It's a good thing that the Israeli delegation at the UN walked out just before Rouhani spoke.  They would be been revolted at hearing this vision of history.  Just like Amadinejad's former speeches, the Iranians take these speaking opportunities to vilify Israel.  Only last week Rouhani refused to recognize that the Holocaust actually happened.  I wonder what material he calls historic for his research?

President Obama has a different tactic.  He has reached out to Rouhani at the meeting and let the members know that he is testing the diplomatic path.  He seems to believe this could be a step down a different path than taken by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and that they are interested in reaching their potential in commerce and culture, science and education.  He recognized before all that the status quo will only deepen Iran's isolation.  The status quo has been  since 1995, that the United States has had an embargo on trade with Iran. According to a 2013 BBC World Service Poll, 5% of Americans view Iranian influence positively, with 87% expressing a negative view, the most unfavorable perception of Iran in the world.  Behind the scenes Obama has told Netanyhu that he isn't being fooled by these words.  He said that actions will speak louder.  Yes, they certainly do speak louder than promised words.  

Back in 2002, President Bush said that Iran was the axis of evil.  He saw that the proliferation of long-range missiles developed by Iran  constituted terrorism and threatened the United States.  Since then, Iran has come into nuclear material and has been working day and night frantically to manufacture what most people see as nuclear weapons.  This come from all the threats they have made on the USA and Israel.  Since Israel is standing to receive the greats threats being much closer, the USA had promised to stand by them and not allow the production to reach this point.  Was that like the Syrians who were not to reach the red line?  They've already crossed that one.  Now Syria's Assad has much more time to move his chemical arsenal over to Lebanon which has been seen on the radar.  

Israel has been greatly threatened by Iran.  "President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his demand for "the regime occupying Jerusalem" to "vanish from the page of time", has led Israelis to fear an eventual attack from Iran."  The attitude comes from the religious leader, the Ayatollah.  A change in the presidency has not altered that, only the manner of the presentation of a new speaker. Now, instead of saying that Israel is a cancer and must be removed, Rouhani is preaching "tolerance."   Netanyhu will be at meetings on September 30 and November 1st.  No doubt he will address the Iranian developments.  

http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2012/11/israel-syria-rabinovich
Resource: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172212#.UkJr19KOTqF
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14542438
From Time Immemorial by Joan Peters
Genesis 1948 by Dan Kurzman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93United_States_relations
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/saudiarabia/10172463/Saudi-Arabia-targeting-Iran-and-Israel-with-ballistic-missiles.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/world/middleeast/prime-minister-netanyahu-on-iranian-president-rouhani.html?_r=0
http://news.yahoo.com/no-time-left-negotiations-iran-israeli-minister-100029438.html

Who Are the Syrian Rebels That Obama Is Arming?

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                 

                                       Rebel in Homs, Syria

Out of about 100,000 rebels fighting in Syria's 22,505,000 populated country which had about 296,000 active military troops at their disposal, 10,000 are jihadists.  This includes foreign fighters that are linked directly to terrorist organizations like al Qaeda.  Add to that another 30,000 to 35,000 hardline Islamists who share the same philosophy as al Qaeda, but are focused on war in Syria.  The aim of many jihadists is to create a worldwide Islamic Caliphate.  Another 30,000 in the mix that also share their brother's Islamic character are more moderate than the rest .  The downside of this is that strictly nationalist groups wanting a piece of the Arab Spring, meaning a more democratic state, are a small minority of the rebels.  Secular groups are not in any leadership capacity.

"While many non-Muslims are now aware that there is a sectarian divide in Islam between Sunnis and Shiites, it is less commonly known that Syria is ruled largely by members of an esoteric Islamic sect, the Alawites, whose belief in the divinity of Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, is just one of the reasons that they were oppressed as infidels for centuries by other Muslims."  Syria has Lebanon and Iraq as neighbors who have gone through civil war.  Assad has warned that if he loses power, the country would be in a civil war.  That's quite ironic being he is now the cause of it in trying to hold on.  

Al Qaeda is the prevalent group.  It is a "global militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden in Peshawar, Pakistan, at some point between August 1988 and late 1989, with its origins being traceable to the Soviet War in Afghanistan. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad and a strict interpretation of sharia law."

So, ignoring these facts, our president of the USA, Obama, has waived two laws that were designed to prevent arming terrorists and our government has already started doing just this before his signing was even completed, meaning that Congress doesn't even get their 15 day warning about it.  We have already sent over weapons, vehicles, advanced communications equipment and advanced medical kits.  

McCain, our warrior, is all for it, probably thinking this is being most humanitarian.  His strategy is to provide "meaningful lethal assistance to moderate opposition forces."  Al Qaeda was lead by Osama bin Lauden who engineered the 9/11 attacks that downed the Twin Towers 12 years ago.  They are far from being moderate. 

Last month it was al Qaeda who launched 4 rockets from Lebanon into Israel on the trumped up charges that Israel was plotting with Hezbollah to fight against the Syrian rebels.  What a cock-a may-mee story this one is, and believe me, they will all believe it.   The Abdullah Azzam Brigade is not an honorable group.  They are the al Qaeda members who are spreading this propaganda.  

Hezbollah is a big  Shi'a terrorist group out of Lebanon.  They are also political, so there is competition here between Hezbollah and al Qaeda in who has the power, similar to Hamas and Fatah in Gaza and Judea/Samaria.  Hezbollah has a big hatred for Jews.  ""The anti-Semitism of Hezbollah leaders and spokesmen combines the image of seemingly invincible Jewish power ... and cunning with the contempt normally reserved for weak and cowardly enemies."

Our Arab Israelis have been joining the Syrian rebels lately. " There is a possibility that Arab Israelis who are being trained in Syria may use their knowledge against Israel – both by spreading ideologies and by using intel and military capabilities they've learned there."   These men are not forced into Israel's IDF and usually don't opt to join.  Actually, this hurts their opportunities to get better jobs, as an IDF service on one's resume is highly desirable.  Arab Israeli women have been reported to feel more nationalistic about Israel and have been joining up in the IDF.  

Lost in this morass of fighters is the honest nationalistic Syrian who wants to live a democratic life.  He is surrounded by other fighters who want something quite different.  Assad was a tyrant without a heart, but was able as an Alawite to keep control with his whip.  He was detestable to the Jewish community of Aleppo and Damascus and drove them all out, the last leaving in 1994 with Israel's help.  

Barack Hussein Obama II, our American president, is daring to take a very large step in overlooking the necessary steps in this recent enterprise of aiding and abetting the rebels.  The rebels are not all of one mind.  It's almost impossible for the USA to vet them.  He has waived the prohibitions set up to arm these rebels.  At the rate they are warring each other like Syria is warring against its own people, it won't take long for the arms to get into the hands that are the strongest, and that will be the large terrorist groups of al Qaeda and Hezbollah, who probably do a little recruiting on the side.    

Last year Israel announced that they knew of 200,000 missiles pointed in their direction.  Though they are ready for them,  Israel realizes that there are "growing threats Israel was facing: "a more hostile, more Islamic, more sensitive Middle East, one more attune to public sentiment, less controlled by the regimes, and less susceptible to international influence."  I guess we can thank the Arab Spring for a lot of this turmoil.  With a supreme take -over- all- the- land -attitude and force everyone to convert, Democracy just doesn't stand a chance.  The Muslim Brotherhood,  who is all for sharia law,  seems to work against any democratic values.  

The Brotherhood calls for jihad against “the Muslim’s real enemies, not only Israel but also the United States. Waging jihad against both of these infidels is a commandment of Allah that cannot be disregarded.” —Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Badi, Sept. 2010.   

Reference:  http://frontpagemag.com/2013/arnold-ahlert/obamas-move-to-arm-al-qaeda-in-syria/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=f071ead496-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag&utm_term=0_57e32c1dad-f071ead496-156514682
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda
http://freebeacon.com/al-qaeda-affiliated-group-claims-responsibility-for-rocket-attack-on-israel/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4431574,00.html
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/some-200-000-missiles-aimed-consistently-at-israel-top-idf-officer-says-1.410584
https://www.standwithus.com/news/article.asp?id=1757#.Ujx5_dKOTqE on Muslim Brotherhood Charter
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/syrias-ruling-alawite-sect/?_r=0

Fox Hired to Watch Over Henhouse: Russia's Involvement in Syria

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                                

    UN inspectors searching for Sarin Gas use on shrouded bodies

Forty-eight hours previously, President Obama was going to make a call to arms against Syria.   Evidence has been found that Sarin gas was used on the population killed.   At the last hour yesterday, President Obama pulled the rabbit out of the hat with the announcement that instead of hitting Syria with missiles as a punishment for killing hundreds of children and adults of his own people with chemical weapons identified as Sarin gas, their sponsor, Russia, will take over and collect the chemical weapons and see to their destruction, saving Obama from a vote that would not pass at this time to do his bidding.  The fact that Assad has killed over 100,000 of his people by modern and horrible conventional weapons in their 2 1/2 year old civil war is not being dismissed in our minds, only by our government's agenda.

 It is, after all, Syria's own civil war.  A country of over 22 million people, several million are already overpowering the capabilities of Jordan and Lebanon, who is full of terrorist groups already.  Many took refuge in Egypt and are not even registered as refugees due to the bungling of Morsi.  Their government troops number about 296,000 and it is they who must have used the Sarin gas on their own people.  Otherwise, Al Qaeda terrorists are part of the rebels along with other terrorist groups.  Christian groups are divided in their loyalty.  Syria is backed by Iran and Iran is backed by Russia who backs them both.  The country is now physically and economically in ruins.  Homes and cars have been demolished by weapons.  Businesses are no more.  One anti-government activist, K. Ibrahim, is one of the refugees who is completely bewildered by the USA action.  She doesn't understand what is happening or why but was against US striking Syria.  Just recently the Syrian government bombarded towns across the Damascus suburbs with air and artillery strikes.  Barrages around Homs went on between rebels and security forces.  There is infighting between the rebels.  It has all made normal residents continue to run to another state such as nearby Lebanon.

Did our government realize that Russia will now feel free to be  in the act of selling to Iran some S-300 missiles so they could down other ballistic missiles and commercial airplanes from a distance of 120 miles?  They will be in a good position to get away with such a sale of one of the most lethal anti-aircraft systems in the world.

If any sanctions are created, Russia is ready to sell them the Antei-2500,AKA S-300VM, or SA-23 Gladiato,  something ground forces would be using.  .

Russia is also willing and able to build them a 2nd nuclear reactor in Bushehr, which would make it very clear to Israel what their intentions for that is for.  Russia, when the USSR fell apart, has been in dire need for money.  China has also, and has been loaning out money to the USA.  They both have become weapon suppliers to Iran and Syria which give these countries something to counter Western superiority.

Selling these missiles will net Russia about $700 million and puts Putin in the lead of all nations.  Iran's Defense Minister, Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan,  is anxious for this sale, promised in 2005.
                                                                         

Obama is now giving serious consideration that international monitors would be able to take over and destroy Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons.  He can't tell now if they will really succeed.  He feels that any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keep its commitment, and who is the verifier but Russia, the fox watching the henhouse for us.

Syria's foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, said yesterday that Syria will turn over its chemical weapons arsenal to Russia, the UN and other countries, which is quite a concession.  It was just this week that Assad said they never possessed chemical weapons.
                                                                             

Obama asked his congressional leaders to postpone a vote to authorize the use of force while he pursues "this diplomatic path."   Some of our leaders, however, feel that this gives Syria time for further mischief and play on our instincts of not striking if things go awry.  Securing chemical weapons stockpiles in the middle of this civil war is going to be an impossible goal.  He didn't promise to stop his war.

The steps since Monday have led to Russia clashing with the USA and France in making the proposal binding and backing it up with the threat of force or not.  Kerry is pushing for a full resolution on this measure and will meet with Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, in Geneva on Thursday to work on their disagreements, so its not all light and roses yet.  Kerry wants swift action.

Ten days ago Obama described the Security Council as "completely paralyzed and unwilling to hold Assad accountable and now our government  is doing just that.  Carl Levin,, chairman of the USA's Senate Armed services Committee,  said that a resolution to authorize a military strike is set it aside for now if Assad complied is "kind of a twofer".  It's a way of keeping the pressure on Syria and on Russia to get rid of chemical weapons, which is the goal of the whole effort.  If they fail, it would keep the authorization to launch a strike as planned originally.

There is no doubt that Syria has committed atrocities and the question is what the USA and the international community is prepared to do about it because such acts also threaten our own security, and especially Israel's security, as if they hadn't been receiving enough threats already.  What affects Israel's neighbors affects Israel's security as well.  Israel must stay out of this civil war, but is prepared if it reaches their shores.  "The Jewish state deployed strikes in July against Syrian missile convoys destined for one its principal enemies on its northern border, the Lebanese-based Hezbollah."  If Sarin gas is ever used on Israel, their reaction will be "fierce."  One personal  comment about the USA standoff from an Israeli minister was "“One doesn’t need to wait for tens of thousands more to die in order to intervene.”  I think that is how many of us feel, though intervening doesn't necessarily mean to react with more violence.  

Would Russia be then ready with their own S-300 missiles and down ours?  Would the 2 superpowers be pulled into battling each other?

Resource: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/russia-heats-up-cold-war-with-threat-to-sell-iran-s-300-missiles/2013/09/11/
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/09/will-syria-attack-israel-if-the-us-attacks-syria/279469/
Oregonian newspaper 9/11/13 page A6, Official admits syria has chemical arms by Anne Barnard NY Timees News, Front page, Obama calls for vote delay on Syria by Mark Landler and Jonathan Weisman NY Times 

Syria and Israel: Continuous Confrontations Through Time

Nadene Goldfoot

Since April 2011 the Baath Party of President Bashar al-Assad has been in a Civil War with his people and over 60,000 have been killed.  This has been part of the Arab Spring.

Yesterday's report coming out of Israel was that Israeli citizens have been ordering gas masks.  Sighting has been going on in the Syrian village of As-Safira, which is home to one of 5 chemical weapons storage facilities.  There has been warnings from experts that Hizbullah could easily acquire Syria's chemicals  since Syria's hold on their country is deteriorating.  The Israeli government is following events with concern, and yesterday had 12 jets fly to almost as far as Damascus to take out a convoy of missiles that might also contain these chemicals.  4,000 gas masks have been distributed compared to the average of 1,400 per week.  In all, 4.7 million gas masks have been distributed.  The population of Israel is nearly 8 million according to Arutz Sheva.  Israel is only 8,000 square miles big and right up on the border of Syria.

Syria has 22,505,000 people who live on 71,500 square miles of which 90% are Sunni or Shi'a Muslims.  It's almost 9 times larger than Israel.  The name of this country was Aram back in the Bible days.  The kings of Aram didn't succeed in creating a homogeneous state.  The land was made up of many peoples from the vicinity who even would wander into Palestine after 135 CE.  The coastal strip had been settled by the Phoenicians.  The history is recorded in the Bible and also found in Part I and Part II of Kings.  There was ongoing friction and fighting between Israel and Judah with Syria until the 8th century BCE when Syria was overrun by the Assyrians, just as Israel was in 722 BCE.

Jews had been living in Antioch, and were important to the Seleucid era but suffered from the hostile Greeks.  A few Jews remained living in Syria in the Talmudic Period and under Theodosius II in 408-50 CE.  They had restricted religious freedom and many synagogues were converted to churches.

Actually, things got better with the Arab conquest of 634-7 CE when Jews were allowed to be Jewish but were forced to pay a poll-tax, something Muslims did with people not of their faith, and they were called dhminnis.  Benjamin of Tudela wrote about the largest Jewish communities in the 12th century which were at Aleppo with 5,000 Jews.  This is where the action is taking place today. After all this civil war fighting, the city is about completely destroyed.   Also, 3,000 Jews lived in Damascus and there were 2,000 in Palmyra.  Jewish settlements increased after the Spanish Inquisition of 1492 because Jews from Spain and Sicily found refuge there and they were able to work in trading between Europe and Asia.

By 1840, the Damascus Blood Libel was laid on Jews getting attention worldwide.  "In February, at Damascus, a Catholic monk named Father Thomas and his servant disappeared. The accusation of ritual murder was brought against members of the Jewish community of Damascus."  Jews suffered from such things  throughout the ages and never did such things.  In the first place, blood is abhorrent to Jews.  It is not something that can be eaten much less touched.  By 1920 after WWI the French held the mandate for Syria and Jews finally obtained equal rights which were lost in WWII under the Vichy regime.

 Jews then emigrated to the USA or Lebanon and Israel.  From 1943  the Jewish population grew from  almost 30,000  to about 14,000 by1947, and then more left because of the fighting against Israel.  There have still been Jews living today in Damascus.  By 1973 there were 4,000.  Syria remains anti-Israel with their policies and continued acts of hostility since 1948 when they joined other countries to fight against Israel.  It was Syria who was so extreme and wanted the 6 Day War.  That again turned out that Israel won the battle, defeated the Syrian army and occupied the Golan Heights where Syrians had been bombarding Israel homes and businesses.  Today there are 22 Jews living in Damascus.  I imagine they are quite old.  That's what is left of the Syrian Jewish population.

In; 1982 when I lived in Safed, Israel, our IDF had to enter Lebanon as the Palestinian terrorists were shelling constantly.  I lived very close to the border and remember seeing our convoy of trucks go up Safed's hill when I was going down in a bus.  Our friend, the Christian Major Hadad of Lebanon patrolled the border with us.  He took his R&;R in our army hospital where I wound up.  Hadad asked Sharon for permission to go into the Palestinian camps and take care of them and Sharon agreed.  It did not have a good outcome.  It was evidently some type of slaughter and Sharon had to take responsibility.  This is when Hezbollah was created.

Hezbollah are terrorists who are followers of the Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini.  They are trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.  They are funded by Iran and Syria.  These are the people we must keep chemicals from reaching as they will use them on Israel.  They are right when they stated that " the strike aimed to prevent Arab and Muslim forces from developing their military capabilities"  Who in their right mind is going to allow them to be able to gas people as well as  shoot missiles into Israel?  Knesset member Tzachi Hanegbi didn't  admit that Israel  hit the convoy, but said "Israel's preference would be if a Western entity would control these weapons systems,"  As I understand, 12 jets flew over to do the job.  Syria says they hit a scientific research center NW of Damascus and 10 miles from Lebanon's border.  Somehow that center looked an awful lot like a convoy of trucks carrying anti-aircraft weapons meant to use on Israel.

Resource:  Arutz Sheva news@israelinationalnews.com
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/31/lebanon-hezbollah-condemns-israeli-airstrike-on-syria/
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Syria.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Jews
http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/109884/jewish-aleppo-lost-forever
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_civil_war

Convoy of Missiles Stopped by Israeli Jets Following Possible Fordow Explosion

Nadene Goldfoot
Although most countries including the USA are denying  any knowledge about any explosions occurring at Fordow, , the site used to enrich uranium in Iran, the Iranian Fars News Agency's headline today was:

REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS NAVY 3 DAY WAR MANEUVERS IN PERSIAN GULF.  

They are preparing for the most dangerous events, they said.  Now what could have brought that on?  Being that the news service out of Iran is state controlled, they're keeping silent about whatever caused an explosion.  Suddenly they have had their intelligence service arrest the information network connected to the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation.)

Could it be because their plot to have missiles brought to Syria through Lebanon was foiled by Israel knowing about it and bombing the convoy of missiles yesterday?  Those missiles and any chemical weapons they may get into the hands of Hezbollah through a dying Syrian government has to be stopped.

Delays in talks with Britain, China, France, Russia, USA and Germany have now taken place, which disappoints the countries.    Iranian currency has suddenly dropped another 20% in value.

Still, Jay Carney at the White House denies any such reports and said  they they did not believe that the report was credible.  The reason may be that if Iran feels they have lost any negotiating power with the Atomic Energy Commission they won't communicate with them at all, for whatever good they may be doing.  No doubt they certainly weren't deterring Iran from their goal.  

Reports that have sifted through the lines say that a few North Koreans were some of the 200 trapped in Fordow from from the explosion, perhaps experts from that country's atomic works.  North Korea seems to be working on developing a nuclear warhead and deliverable missile system as well.  How close they are to their goal has also not been determined.  The IAEA must have just been to Fordow as they are saying that they didn't see anything and know nothing about the explosion.

Resource: http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/u-n-wont-deny-explosions-at-iran-nuke-plant/print/
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/30/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-missile/?hpt=hp_c4
http://backchannel.al-monitor.com/index.php/2013/01/4170/israeli-jets-said-to-have-struck-alleged-weapons-convoy-in-syria/

Possible Fordow Explosion Denied by Iran with Updates

Nadene Goldfoot                                                            

       Fordow nuclear facility awaits Russian specialist in Iran

"A request was made to [Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah to vacate southern Lebanese villages.

Islamic Republic Guards are on their way there. A decision has been made to prepare for missile launch from a certain area in Lebanon against Israel,” he said."

This was said after Fordow in Iran suffered a huge explosion last week on the eve of Israel's elections and Israel is now being blamed after much denial from Iran.  So far, nobody has been hurt from the blast except the facility itself.

It was just last Tuesday that the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) met in Tehran, Iran for 2 days and discussed differences of opinion over the possible military dimension of Iran's nuclear program.  Nothing was decided.  The agency was not granted admission to Parchin, another nuclear installation.  

Then a "WND report blows the Iran nuke program wide open with an article by Reza Kahlili.  .Reza Kahlili, author of the award-winning book "A Time to Betray",who served in CIA Directorate of Operations, as a spy in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, counterterrorism expert; and currently serves on the Task Force on National and Homeland Security, an advisory board authorized by Congress and the advisory board of the Foundation for Democracy in Iran (FDI). He regularly appears in national and international media as an expert on Iran and counter-terrorism in the Middle East. "

Jay Carney at the White House refuses to believe that the report about the explosion is reliable.  Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization dismissed the explosion claim as “Western propaganda,” However, it is the Iranian dissident-turned CIA operative Reza Kahlili, who said a massive blast rocked Iran’s key Fordow nuclear installation which is the center of the Iranian nuclear program.  Jay may be thinking that this is all just an excuse for Iran to get out of attending a meeting at the end of this month.  

The Times of London's Israeli reporter, Sheera Frenkel has confirmed the explosion through her own independent sources.    Israel has already said that where there is no loss of life such as this has been reported is the best.  As if nuclear power isn't enough of a threat, - Jill Bellamy van Aalst, a biological warfare threat analyst,  reports that Iran is also into biological warfare.  This was reported in the Washington Times on January 25th.  

Iran would feel they have the upper hand if their main installation, Fordow was about to reach their goal of producing enough uranium for an atomic weapon.  If there was an explosion, this may set them back months or more.  It is the best thing to have happened as it would alleviate Israel's worries right now.  We can only hope.  If they don't want people to know, there would be very difficult to get confirmation.  If all this is true, then Israel now has to be prepared from attacks from Syria by the Iranians.  

Resource: http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=301230

 http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/wnd-report-blows-iran-nuke-program-wide-open/#V5F6LOZKhKFtwOJq.99

http://www.businessinsider.com/massive-explosion-reported-at-irans-fordow-nuclear-facility-2013-1

http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/wnd-report-blows-iran-nuke-program-wide-open/  Exclusive Report

http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/2013/missioniran.html 

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/talking/23_Iran.html, biological warfare

Update: 1/29/13 8:30am http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/2013/01/wnd-publishes-more-details-on-fordow.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FPDbq+%28Elder+of+Ziyon%29

Update: 1/29/ 1:50pm http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/iranian-defector-to-army-radio-there-was-a-big-explosion-at-fordow/2013/01/29/?src=ataglance; Reporting that this large explosion  took place under a mountain that is hard to get to.  Reporter Kahili must keep face covered all the time to repel reprisals.  Workers were trapped, elevators and stairs collapsed.  USA not accepting event.  "Now, with defector Hmidrza Zaakiri adding his voice to the story, it appears that there has been some smoke at Fordow, and we only need to find out how much fire created it."

.   

Gaza-The Frontline Iranian Outpost Ending

Nadene Goldfoot
 Israel has stated, " "No country can accept terror attacks on its cities and citizens."  Israel has taken hits since 2001 without any ending from Gazan terrorists.  This is how they have been repaid by pulling out of Gaza, not occupying it, and hoping for peace between the Jews and Arabs.  But the people of Gaza chose Hamas, a terrorist organization to be their government who  have also pulled Fatah into their terrorist practices.    Gaza has become the duped terrorist center for Iran, a stage for rocket launchers.  

The IDF's Operation Cloud Pillow has started with hitting a terrorist's activities of the past 10 years , Hamas's head man in an air strike after 5 days of extreme violence on the citizens of southern Israel.  After being hit with over 140 rockets, missiles, and mortars, as well as pleas to the UN, Israel has taken further steps in halting the bombardment.  The new government of Egypt was trying to broker a truce but didn't seem to get anywhere.  After 12 years of being hit, Israel is getting  very tired of it. It has just been getting worse. Israel, a teeny state only 8,000 sq miles big with a population of less than 8 million is in danger all the time. From Beer Sheva in the south to the Gaza fence is only 12 miles.  No one can imagine the miniscule size of this state.  

The head man that was targeted was Ahmed Al-Jabari, head of the Izzal-Din Al-Qassam Brigades and his son who were spotted in their car and hit.  6 terrorists in all died.  Ismail al-Ashkar, spokesman threatened more attacks on Israel now such as suicide attacks and more hits on major cities.

The IDF attack hit 20 rocket-launching pads of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad groups.  They destroyed long range rockets such as Fajr-5 missiles which have a range of 24.85 miles. They need to impair the command leadership of Hamas and these other groups and let them realize that if they continue their shelling on Israel they will be stopped.

Gazan terrorists were able to launch 2 rockets towards Portland's sister city, Ashkelon, where a major hospital is that takes care of everyone, Arabs and Jews.

On December 27, 2008 Israel tried to stop Gaza from the 8 year bombardment of missile, rockets and mortars they were suffering from with Operation Cast Lead.  Evidently that wasn't a deterrent.  and caused Israel a lot of false notoriety about their actions.  It's obvious others cannot understand what it's like to live in an area that rains rockets, not rain, and to live through it most likely gives everyone PTSD if they are lucky enough to not be hit after hearing a siren giving 15 seconds to run for a bomb shelter.  Israel had figured that 8 years was more than enough of turning the other cheek and trying to deal with people intent on killing you.  Like we say on Passover; Enough !

Resource:http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Hamas+war+against+Israel/Israel_under_fire-November_2012.htm
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4305343,00.html
 https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths3/MFcastlead.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_War
update article: http://frontpagemag.com/2012/davidhornik/israel-mulls-response-as-rockets-hit/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=deec789f32-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag: