HAMAS AND Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) send missiles, fire balloons, and other weapons into Israel, mostly southern Israel where few Knesset members live.
Israel wastes thousands of shekels in jet fuel and more thousands in munitions to surgically target places where Hamas and PIJ were but are not now, having run away leaving the target populated by civilians.
Hamas and PIJ tell Israel and the world they want a cease fire which Israel gives and then Hamas and PIJ almost immediately violate the cease fire, proving, once again, that Israel’s politicians are either stupid or two faced — or both.
DURING WORLD WAR 2, the nazi air force bombed London, the Luftwaffe attacked ports in Liverpool and Hull as well the cities of Bristol, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Southampton, Cardiff, and Swansea. The industrial powerhouses of Birmingham, Belfast, Coventry, Glasgow, Manchester and Sheffield were also heavily bombed. (https://tinyurl.com/tlpxtqc)
While these bomber attacks should have been expected — the nazis had bombed and shelled cities on the continent, killing hundreds, the Brits apparently thought their cities were safe.
After the bombers came the V-1 flying bombs, the predecessors of today’s missiles.
The raids caused enormous destruction and heavy civilian casualties—some 43,000 British civilians were killed and another 139,000 were wounded. (https://tinyurl.com/y4ncbqhc)
When the nazis focused their attention on Russia in 1941, the bombing ceased (too few aircraft for a two-front war) and bomber attacks were replaced with rocket attacks from June 1944 through March 1945. During that time, 6,725 rockets were launched at Britain. Of these, 2,340 hit London, causing 5,475 deaths, with 16,000 injured. (https://tinyurl.com/ws7pb7x)
Revenge
The most extreme examples of Allied bombing of German cities included Hamburg in Operation Gomorrah (45,000 dead), and the bombings of Kassel (10,000 dead), Darmstadt (12,500 dead), Pforzheim (21,200 dead), Swinemuende (23,000 dead), and Dresden (25,000 dead). (https://tinyurl.com/btzvqng)
It can be argued that the first civilians killed by bombing — by either side — were in areas with military objectives; initially civilians in areas of no military value were relatively safe.
While Hamburg had the highest number of fatalities, Dresden is famous for the cruelty of the attack.
Unlike other targets, e.g., Hamburg, Dresden was, according to some, of little military significance. (https://tinyurl.com/y6pukj8d) Others however, contend that the city did have military value to the nazis, but admit the bombing of Dresden also was “for effect.” (https://tinyurl.com/redc8w4)
The bottom line was that Dresden was fire bombed day and night by U.S. and English bombers at least in part to make civilians suffer for the nazis’ war.
Israeli option
There are, from time to time, reports of dissatisfaction with Hamas and PIJ by the residents of Gaza.
Reports also claim that voices pressing for change are suppressed violently.
The left-leaning New York Times’ writer, David M. Halbfinger, posits that Hamas, the militant group that runs the Gaza Strip, has been trying for over a year to keep a lid on its conflict with Israel, to improve the abysmal quality of life for the two million Palestinians under its control, and to keep millions of dollars in cash coming in each month from its generous allies in Qatar.
But a nettlesome, unruly and heavily armed little group called Palestinian Islamic Jihad has repeatedly sabotaged those plans by firing rockets at Israel, which more often than not has responded by raining down destruction on Hamas’s own installations and men. (Never mind the Times’ {Times’s?} use of “’s”. [https://tinyurl.com/yxbmoees, https://tinyurl.com/y36vj9zr])
Admittedly, if Israel did to Gaza what the allies did to Dresden — or any other mixed value target — the world would loudly object. Israel’s responses always must be “proportional.”
Some fool fails to understand that Hamas et al have sworn to drive the Jews — and presumably all non Muslims — into the sea; Hamas has declared war on Israel.
Government in exile?
The primary problem with Israel indiscriminately bombing Gaza, is that, as the nazis in Germany, Hamas et al won’t get the message and the people will remain under Hamas’ (or Hamas’s if you are a NY Times’s reader) thumb.
Someone — Egypt is probably the best option — should help Gazans who are tired of fighting Hamas, PIJ and Israel set up a government in exile. Even Israel could — and should — support this government in exile so that when — and this is a certainty — the war mongers of Hamas., PIJ, and any other interlopers are dispatched to their 70 virgins, Gaza will not be left in a vacuum.
Gazans already are escaping the strip. They are heading to Europe. Will they support a Hamas-free government?
The overthrow MUST only be with the assistance of fellow Muslims. The U.S. should not provide any direct military aid — none. Israeli Muslims, even if they want to help overthrow the despots, need to “sit on their hands” so “The World” won’t have grounds to blame Israel. (It WILL, in the end, blame Israel; that’s the knee-jerk reaction to everything.)
What Gaza does not need are Blue Bonnets patrolling the streets. UN “forces” have generally proven of little or no value.
Avoiding Dresden in Gaza
The people of Gaza, with help from their Muslim kin, need to overthrow the despots of Hamas, PIJ, and any other organization that puts itself before the people.
Hamas et al will not go quietly into the night and there will be casualties.
That, sadly, usually is the price of freedom from tyranny. Americans learned that lesson in 1775.
Still, Gazans who want a democratic-style government must act to prevent an Israeli politician such as the late Ariel Sharon, from invading Gaza and laying waste to the strip as Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman laid waste to Atlanta GA. (https://tinyurl.com/y8c3v4jq ) Atlanta recovered after the war and now is one of America’s major cities.
Continued attacks from Gaza on Israeli communities eventually will force Israel’s government to act, even if belatedly. Israel will not allow another “Lebanon” defeat.
The preventative is to establish a government in exile and to cast out Hamas, et al.
It won’t be easy. It will cost lives.
In the end, fewer lives will be lost than if an Israel, tired of attacks on its citizens, decides to depose the despots and invades Gaza.
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