During World War Two the nazis attacked English cities with rockets and fire bombs.
Civilians died.
After suffering the attacks on civilians for far too long, the British and the U.S. responded.
Flight after flight of bombers flew over the nazi city of Dresden and dropped not just bombs, but incendiary bombs; Dresden was fire bombed into rubble and thousands died.
According to a Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II, the US and Britain also fire bombed other nazi cities.
What the Wikipedia entry fails to mention is WHY the nazi cities were fire bombed.
In August of 1945, U.S. B-29 bombers dropped two atomic bombs on two Japanese cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
According to the Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki, for six months before the atomic bombings, the United States intensely fire-bombed 67 Japanese cities. Aside from the note that the Allies demanded Japan's surrender prior to the bombings and Japan rejected the demand, no reason is given for the bombings. The fact that the Japanese sent incendiary-laden balloons to the U.S. and Canadian west coasts in hopes of setting cities and forests ablaze is not mentioned.
In both cases, the nazis and the Japanese, the bombings played a large part in bringing an end to the war in each theater. The enemy learned that the allies would and could deal with the enemy on the enemies' terms.
Today, both Germany and Japan - rebuilt with American dollars under the Marshall Plan - are strong "democracies" that are less-or-more allies of the nations that defeated them in war.
Did I make my point?
The "point" is that when your enemy attacks you, you respond in kind, but harder. A bit like convincing the neighborhood bully to abandon his - or her - ways.
The problem for the nazis and Japanese was the leadership. Ask an average nazi if he or she knew about the camps and the answer always is the same: "I didn't know." Ask a Japanese or nazi if they did anything to topple the regimes and the answer will be "There was nothing I could do."
The news out of Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria (ask the French), belies that.
The now-old news out of Poland and Hungary and even Georgia belies that.
The Vietnamese proved a grass roots effort could defeat mightier forces; the French may have learned the lesson and the U.S., thinking it could do what the French could not, also was taught (but perhaps did not learn) the lesson.
They did (seem to) overthrow the governments then in power.
Now, Gaza
Gaza's masters - Hamas or the jihadists-du-jour, any differnces are strictly "internal" - continue to attack Israeli civilians. No attempt at military targets.
The jihadists sent 40 rockets to land on southern Israeli cities - Ashdod and Ashkelon. Fortunately, only one Israeli civilian was murdered in the attack.
This, incidentally following the release of more than 1,000 terrorists by the Israeli government; terrorists who vow to return to their pre-incarceration ways (perhaps to be captured again to complete their PhDs on the Israelis' shekel).
Israel retaliated by striking a known jihadist missile launching site, killing 9.
As long as Israel strikes only at known jihadist sites, there is no impetus for the residents of Gaza to try to overthrow Hamas and the jihadist-du-jour terrorists controlling the area.
Israel needs to take a leaf from the war journals of Britain and the U.S. and strike Gaza as Gaza's masters are striking Israel - strike at the civilians who allow the terrorists to rule.
The bleeding hearts will scream - they always do whenever Israel retaliates but they never mention WHY Israel took action - but after awhile the Israeli bashers will lose their audience.
Level Gaza city? Yes.
Gaza City is home to the elite.
Gaza City is home to the fancy shops with imported luxury items.
Hit the Arabs in the UN camps?
Not initially, but it should not be ruled out.
The camps are themselves an interesting thing. The residents are kept there, in poverty, by their cousins in the surrounding Moslem countries, countries that for the most part won't allow them in and prevent the few that do manage to enter the opportunity to own anything or gain citizenship. Jordan was the exception; one Arab state ouot of how many ?
The ONLY way to end the attacks on Israeli civilians is for every jihadist missile that lands in Israel, 10 missiles are sent in return into Gaza's populated areas.
Israeli must fight this war - and it is, in all respects a war - on the enemies' terms.
Until it does that, its population is threatened 24 * 7.
As long as that is the situation, the Israeli government is NOT doing its job.
Israel needs another Orde Wingate. A Began only succeeds when there is a Sadat on the other side.
