Stand for Israel

If Israel's response is "disproportionate," what would be proportionate?

The ever-insightful Michael Totten challenges critics who accuse Israel of "disproportionate response" in its air strikes on Hamas terrorists:

A single Israeli air strike is going to kill at least as many people as Hamas can kill in twelve months. Does that mean Israel should be given a “license” of one air strike per year to use in the war? If IDF commanders want to take out a target where they expect five Hamas leaders or fighters to be killed, do they have to wait until five Israelis are killed first? If the Israelis endure rocket fire until one civilian is killed, do they get a “kill one Palestinian terrorist” coupon? 

How did Israel become the villain?

A great editorial by Ralph Peters in the New York Post:

We may sympathize with the average Palestinian family, exploited by generations of corrupt leaders and now caught in yet another round of violence. But let us never forget that Israel hasn't fired thousands of blind rockets into Palestinian cities, that Israeli suicide bombers don't attack Arab restaurants and bus stops, and that Israel seeks to avoid harming civilians - while Hamas seeks to kill as many civilians as possible.

Read it all.

Counter protesters take a stand for Israel

Over the past few days, anti-Israel groups have held rallies throughout the country protesting the recent air strikes on Hamas, calling Israel's carefully targeted military operation a "massacre" and making no mention of the incessant, years-long terrorist rocket fire that drove Israel to military action in the first place.

The online group Jewish Internet Defense Force is organizing counter-protests. Anti-Israel rallies are being held today in Columbia, SC, New Haven, CT, and Boston. If you're in or near any of these cities and want to take a stand for Israel, consider attending, and mobilizing your pro-Israel friends to attend as well, so that the truth of Israel's campaign to protect her people is made known. More info on times and locations at the Jewish Internet Defense Force's website.

Rockets strike Beersheba

Yesterday, we noted that Palestinian terrorists launching rockets from Gaza are widening their range. Well, that range just got even wider:

Palestinian terrorists on Tuesday night fired at least two rockets at Beersheba, adding some 250,000 residents of the largest city in the Negev into the ever-widening range of the rockets attacks.

There were no reports of casualties in the attack but one of the rockets landed in a kindergarten, causing damage. Rescue forces were searching for the impact site of another rocket.

Beersheba is nearly 25 miles from Gaza.

What I want ... and what I'll do

Another moving report from the Israeli blog A Soldier's Mother, written by a woman whose son, Elie, is serving his country in the Israel Defense Forces:

What I'll do is continue to listen to the news and pray for our civilians who are under attack, and our soldiers who are risking their lives to defend them.

And most of all, what I will do is dig deep inside where I store my faith in God and in my country and my people. I will do what every Israeli is doing today, hoping this will end soon, but not too soon that we only succeed in putting off to tomorrow what should have been dealt with today. I will do all of this because we are what we have always been, a nation with no choice but to deal with what our enemies choose.

Say a prayer tonight for Elie and all the young men and women in the Israeli military -- as well as those in the U.S. military -- who are fighting on the front lines of the war on terror against a ruthless and unforgiving foe. May God bless and protect them.

Two killed as rockets hit Ashdod

JPost:

Two people were killed on Monday night as Gaza terrorists continued to pound southern Israel with rockets and mortar shells.

One of the fatalities was a woman who had run to a bus stop in Ashdod for cover as a rocket hit the city.

However, the Grad-type rocket killed her and wounded four others - one seriously and three lightly - when it slammed into the bus stop.

The casualties were evacuated to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon.

As this report points out, this is the first time that rockets have reached Ashdod, which is located about 18 miles from Gaza. The terrorists' range is expanding.

Photos from the Gaza front

The IDF prepares for a possible ground assault on terrorist targets in Gaza.

(Hat tip: The Muqata, who is posting real-time updates from Israel).

50 rockets strike southern Israel; 1 killed

Hamas continues its campaign of terror:

Gaza terrorists fired over 50 rockets at southern Israel Monday, the latest two hitting open areas in the Eshkol region, causing no casualties or damage.

Earlier Monday, Hanni Al-Mahdi, 27, of the Beduin town Aroer in the Negev, was killed and at least 14 people were wounded when a Grad-type missile hit a construction site in Ashkelon's city center.

Israel strikes hard against Hamas

Yesterday morning, Israel launched a major offensive in Gaza against Hamas and its terrorist allies. Initial air strikes targeted Hamas training camps, police stations, and weapons storehouses, as well as the elaborate system of tunnels terrorists use to smuggle weapons. IDF artillery is positioned on the Gaza border, and reservists have been called up, suggesting that a ground assault may not be far behind.

Reaction in the Arab and Muslim world has been predictably harsh. (Although, as some have pointed out, there are those in the Arab world -- most notably Egypt and the Palestinian Authority -- that would like nothing more than to see Hamas forced out of the picture). Israel's traditional allies, on the other hand, have stood by her. Expect to see more of the same in the days and weeks to come.

Through it all, don't forget the bottom line: Israel has acted to protect her people from the incessant hail of terrorist rockets and mortars eminating from Gaza. Pray that this operation will be successful, and will end swiftly with a minimum amount of bloodshed. And say a prayer for protection for those Israeli soldiers who are, even now, putting their lives on the line for their country.

Terrorist mortars hit Gaza power line

Palestinians and their supporters complain that Israel's blockade of Gaza has caused, among other things, blackouts in the region. So how do Palestinian "militants" respond?

Palestinian militants fired three Qassam rockets into the western Negev on Wednesday, further unraveling an Israel-Hamas truce in the Gaza Strip.

The rockets struck open areas near a Kibbutz in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.

Gaza militants earlier in the day fired a volley of mortar shells into Israel, one of which damaged a power cable transferring electricity to the energy-strapped Gaza Strip, according to Army Radio.