In an agitated region, Israel-Gaza conflict has dangerous potential; U.S. leadership needed
While we sort out who in our national security and defense hierarchy has been sleeping with whom, it appears Israel and terrorists in the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip are heading into a full-fledged war. As night falls in the region, Israeli officials have confirmed the first rocket attacks on Tel Aviv since the 1991 Gulf War. The Times of Israel has a running live blog of the action.
Those attacks followed yesterday’s Israeli strikes on terrorist targets in Gaza, including one that killed the leader of the military arm of Hamas. Both Hamas and another group called Islamic Jihad previously had ramped up their sporadic firing of rockets into southern Israel; as of mid-October, Israeli officials said there had been more than 800 rocket attacks on their country from Gaza this year.
Given the civil war in Syria, to Israel’s east; the new Egyptian government’s support of its fellow Muslim Brotherhood affiliate, Hamas; and Iran’s ties to both the Syrian government and the Gaza-based terrorist groups, it doesn’t seem likely that this conflict will be as contained as in previous flare-ups in recent years.
One thing is certain: The various actors in this conflict will be looking to see what the U.S. response is. President Obama’s initial engagement — voicing support for Israel’s right to self-defense, and urging the Egyptian government to work to de-escalate matters from the Palestinian side — was good. He’ll need to hold that line in the days to come and give stronger measures of support for Israel. I very much hope that stops short of involving our own military, but anything less than absolute support for Israel could trigger a war that engulfs the entire region.
– By Kyle Wingfield
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
351 comments Add your comment
Lil' Barry Bailout - OBAMAPHONE!!!
November 15th, 2012
7:41 pm
Well, Banderson, there are Islamists, and then there are Islamists. Last I heard, Pakistan, unlike Iran, was not threatening to wipe one of our allies off the map.
Obozo wants Iran to have the bomb.
JamVet
November 15th, 2012
7:49 pm
He was a loser then & he’s still supported by losers.
Interesting choice of words given that he has humiliated not one, but two Republican candidates for the White House.
Given those devastating, multiple defeats does anyone have any good stories of Republicans self-deporting yet?
Just curious…
Sister Sarah
November 15th, 2012
7:50 pm
Yeah…. “U.S. leadership needed” … because a U.S. leader’s bonafides are defined by his or her willingness to get mixed up in Israel’s ShPlit.
Screw that whole fiasco. I have no personal desire to be concerned about that perpetual circle jerk over there when we have so many problems here to focus on.
@@
November 15th, 2012
7:53 pm
DEVELOPING — Multiple deaths and dozens of injuries were reported after a train crashed into a trailer carrying veterans during a parade in Texas.
A flatbed 18-wheeler truck was reportedly carrying veterans and their families for the “Hunt for Heroes” parade in Midland when it was hit by a train.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/15/train-reportedly-crashes-into-trailer-during-texas-veterans-parade/#ixzz2CLHAFnx4
My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.
Sister Sarah
November 15th, 2012
7:57 pm
@Bobo
Gotta love the Wingfield lap dogs huh? Nothing like a loser who feels the need to throw themselves in front of a grown assed MAN who can handle himself in order to earn brownie points. They must really lack friends in the physical world.
Kyle must be pretty glad to have stooges to stroke his ego. Cheesy pimple faced gang mentality if you ask me.
Rafe Hollister, dreading the eventual decline caused by Obamanism
November 15th, 2012
8:00 pm
mike
Are you denying that the organization that Obama and the Dems put great trust in, the UN, the great assembly of dictators and tyrants, did not create Israel. And you are saying that this was a bad thing? You just may be voted off the island by your Dem friends.
Linda
November 15th, 2012
8:08 pm
The liberals on this blog, since the election, remind me of Cam Newton. During the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or even 4th quarter, he displays a little gesture on his chest after he scores a touchdown. My husband explained to me that it was likened to Super Man, i.e. prior to the removal of his real clothes & elevating himself into superhuman skills.
Obama won the presidential election, but will cause the economy to continue to worsen, to cause the US to retreat into a double-dip recession, worse than we can imagine, will cause another credit downgrade & will have the worst legacy of any president in not only modern day times, but one of the worst in history.
While Newton, Obama & the liberals are spiking the football & think this is just a game, conservatives understand that the war will be lost by all Americans.
Carolina is 2 & 7. Liberals are 2 & 30 & Obama ain’t no Super Man.
Bootsy
November 15th, 2012
8:14 pm
“Liberals are 2 & 30″
If that is your analogy of last week’s Electoral College whipping, conservatives must be 4th and 50. Down by 14 with 2 seconds left in the game and on their own 1 yrd line.
Sister Sarah
November 15th, 2012
8:16 pm
@Linda
READ MY LIPS!
TWO elections….. WON!!! Dos, DEUX, 2!! Can’t change it. It’s in the history books! Rack em!!!!
Spiking the football implies a game is still being played. Game (campaign) is OVER!! Get over it.
Banderson
November 15th, 2012
8:18 pm
Linda – I’ll take my chances with Obama and the economy, and, obviously, so would the majority of voters. Sorry. I think the Cam Newton analogy only works in your mind.
Bootsy
November 15th, 2012
8:33 pm
Linda
You probably need a few BC powders to bang pain back. You are still stinging and sulking from last week.
Linda
November 15th, 2012
8:34 pm
Yep, Obama is a loser supported by losers. That’s how he started & that’s how he will finish.
McCain nor Romney are humiliated, the most upstanding members of society.
Bootsy
November 15th, 2012
8:35 pm
Linda
learn to be better, right now you are just bitter
you can do this, if you try
Dick Cheney
November 15th, 2012
8:41 pm
If our girl Condi were over there none of this would have happened. It is all that Commies’ faul that Hamas is trying to act up.. Israel got protection when I was running the country with George W.
“”"”"”"”"”Rice worked to persuade Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territories and free up commerce and travel between the two areas. During the summer of 2005, Rice encouraged Israeli leadership to withdraw from settlements in Gaza and the West Bank. Rice spent April 2005 raising support among Arab leaders] In July, she visited the region to “help bring the weight of the United States” to the discussions.[ In September, Rice hailed the successful withdrawal as a victory for both Israel and Palestine, saying, “This is a historic moment for both sides, and the commitment of both sides to a successful disengagement process has been impressive.” Gaza is now under Palestinian control once again.”"”"”"”"
from Wikipedia
See that’s you solve the Palestinian peace process if you were a real president!.
Dusty
November 15th, 2012
8:42 pm
Wow! To the victor go the spoils! and are they spoiled! Soon as liberals get here they turn the place into Laughable Liberal Lousy Land and expect us to be impressed.
As Sister Sarah said; Get over it! Right! Class is over and crude takes charge.
Black Label
November 15th, 2012
8:45 pm
Dusty
What did that Jamvet guy tell you yesterday about the sting? I wont say the rest, however it was too funny. And you prove it daily.
But you have that right to complain, cry and whine. Carry on and by all means stay in the shallow water with floaties on.
Black Label
November 15th, 2012
8:46 pm
Get your little last word in to make you feel better and boost your low esteem.
And as always, enjoy your night and have a great weekend.
cc
November 15th, 2012
8:46 pm
Linda@8:08 pm:
You’re right, of course, except maybe that, “Obama ain’t no Super Man” might be in question.
I don’t believe he’s any kind of man at all. He certainly isn’t an honest man with any character to speak of, he accepts responsibility for nothing (unless it is self-serving) and he is quick to place blame on others when he is at fault.
Other than that, he’s a great guy!
Linda
November 15th, 2012
8:47 pm
Bootsy@8:14 & 8:33, You still do not get it. Conservatives are not stinging because Obama won, but because the country, including you, your family & your descendants lost. Obama won the battle, but the country is loosing the war.
I’m adding you to my prayer list. Jesus said it best, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Sister Sarah@8:16, Ditto.
JamVet
November 15th, 2012
8:48 pm
McCain upstanding? I would say so. An American hero of of inestimable valor and courage.
Romney upstanding? Romney 1.0 of yesteryear? Yes. A solid guy.
But this Romney 6.1? The flip-flopping, sleazy fraud that sold out his centrist, rational principles to appease the GOP’s lunatic fringe?
No. Nothing upstanding about that.
Though I wish him and all of his zillions of dollars overseas that are hidden in tax shelters, all the best!
Bootsy
November 15th, 2012
8:49 pm
Linda
Pray for whom you like, but most of all pray that your God helps you get over your own bitterness, vitriol and sore loserness.
Pray on girl, pray on
Karl Rove
November 15th, 2012
8:55 pm
All those rockets falling on Israel are Obama’s fault. That’s what happened when you suppress the vote and have a community organizer in the white House, This whole Hamas thing could have been avoided if we had a Republican in the White House. George W. solved the Gaza problem:
“”"”"”Bush Sees Gaza Withdrawal as Key to Israeli Security
President optimistic about emergence of a peaceful Palestinian state
Israel’s disengagement from Gaza is a key to the future security of Israel and will create an opportunity for the Palestinians to begin laying the foundations of a peaceful, democratic state, according to President Bush.
Under the plan, Israel will remove settlers and military installations from the Gaza strip and four villages in the northern West Bank between August 15 and 17 in what will be the first ever withdrawal of permanent Israeli settlements from the Palestinian territories.
In an interview with Israeli television August 11, Bush hailed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s decision to move ahead with the disengagement as a bold and promising departure from the past.
“[T]he previous system wasn’t working. I mean, there was an intifada, there was death, there was killing. And if you notice, there’s been a calm in attacks. One attack is too many, but there’s been fewer attacks. And I think in the long run, two states living side-by-side in peace is the ultimate solution for Israeli’s security,” Bush said.
Bush expressed confidence in Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ understanding of what must be done in order to carry the Palestinians forward to statehood. “He knows that a democracy can’t exist so long as you’ve got armed groups willing to take law in their own hands. And he’s committed to a democratic state,” he said.
The president stressed that all parties have obligations in the context of the Gaza withdrawal: Israel to ensure a peaceful withdrawal, the Palestinians to maintain control over terrorist groups, and the Arab states to provide political and financial support to the Palestinians as they work to build the basis of a peaceful, prosperous state in Gaza.
Regarding the Palestinians’ obligation to fight terrorism, he noted that dismantling terrorist organizations is a process that cannot simply be achieved by disarming and isolating terrorists. He said it is necessary to provide hope to the Palestinians and the Israelis that a peaceful, democratic state can emerge. “”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"
http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/EF27AF0FCCDF47738525705E004D382B
Now there was true leadership.
Remember if you pass gas in a crowded room, always blame someone else.
Linda
November 15th, 2012
8:56 pm
Banderson@8:18, You’ve already taken your chances with Obama & the economy & what did that get you? Four years later & the unemployment rate is higher now than it was when he was inaugurated. That means he & his adm. have not created ONE SINGLE NET job. Zilch! Nada!
How many years will you keep taking your chances with him?
It’s obvious to many conservatives that he has no intention of creating a SINGLE NET job. His intention is to destroy the USA. Watch & see.
Bootsy
November 15th, 2012
8:57 pm
Linda
Pray for Branderson as well. Make it easy on yourself and just say the “bloggers”. You might get off track of you attempt to remember all the names.
Just a suggestion
Dusty
November 15th, 2012
9:02 pm
Black Label
JamVet said something about me yesterday? What and who cares?
Anybody that reads JamVet’s posts has a lot of time to waste. Obviously you do. Keep at it, honey chile.. You are already about as dull as he is.
Linda
November 15th, 2012
9:11 pm
Romney a flip-flopping, sleazy fraud? The USA was lucky to have such a qualified candidate who was even willing to take on the job as president in such a mess left by a community organizer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney
Lunatic fringe? Conservatives, including the Tea Party, don’t resort to destruction as do the liberals, especially unions.
Anyone who has a blind trust, which includes all members of congress, potentially has investments overseas in tax shelters.
Grover Norquist
November 15th, 2012
9:16 pm
Kyle is right, if Obama held a fund raiser in a fancy hotel with some rich Jews like Adelson at his side, Hamas would not be acting up. Instead Obama went sightseeing, meeting with the locals in 2008::
“”"”"”"”"Sen. Barack Obama stepped gingerly through the intractable politics of the Middle East on Wednesday, offering resolute support for Israel’s security, warning that Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons would be a “game-changing” event for the world, and pledging to make peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians one of his highest priorities if he becomes president.
By motorcade and helicopter, in private meetings and public appearances, the Democratic candidate moved from the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah to the southern Israeli town of Sderot just outside the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Palestinian gunmen in Gaza have long fired makeshift rockets at Sderot, typically after Israeli military operations in the strip or the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Obama used Sderot’s police station and a backdrop of racks of spent Qassam rockets to declare his “unshakable commitment to Israel’s security.” He added: “The state of Israel faces determined enemies who seek its destruction. But it also has a friend and ally in the United States that will always stand by the people of lsrael.” “”"”"”"”"”"”"”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072300943_pf.htm
If only Romney had won
Black Label
November 15th, 2012
9:18 pm
Dusty
Are you bitter just on the blog or is that just you in general?
Sour, sour, sour you are. Even more so since the election.
You will be alright, just stay in the shallow water.
Black Label
November 15th, 2012
9:19 pm
“If only Romney had won”
If a frog had wings……..
If ifs and buts, were candy and nuts…………………..
Woulda, shoulda, coulda
Black Label
November 15th, 2012
9:21 pm
Cheer up. The weekend in almost upon us and the weather will be nice.
cc
November 15th, 2012
9:21 pm
If pressed for a one word description of many of the liberals blogging here, perhaps “tiresome” would be the most apt.
Black Label
November 15th, 2012
9:23 pm
cc you are not a liberal
maybe you are in the “closet”
mike
November 15th, 2012
9:37 pm
If you lose your high-flying corporate job, you aren’t going to have McDonalds to fall back on. Sorry. There going to replace you with a robot!
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-15/burger-making-robots-get-backers-favoring-tools-over-apps-tech.html
Linda
November 15th, 2012
9:45 pm
Bootsy@8:35, 8:49 & 8:57, You still do not get it. You think conservatives are bitter & sore because our guy did not win the election. Not so. Conservatives are sad because liberals lost the election that they think they won. Liberals won nothing. This might be over your head right now, but make note of it for future reference.
Obama believes in everything “collective.” The coming months will be “collective downfall.” Pat yourself on the back for winning the election as time goes by & remember those of us bitter & sore, as everyone will be.
Dusty
November 15th, 2012
9:48 pm
Well, not to change the subject but…….THANKSGIVING IS ONLY ONE WEEK AWAY. Such a nice time. Turkey and all the goodies and a time we can thankfully say our appreciation for family and our great country and all the blessings we receive. A fine day for sure topped off with Manichevitz and Claxton fruit cake (finest cake ever made).. Happpy days are acome’n!.
So I say g’nite….and pleasant dreams…..
md
November 15th, 2012
9:50 pm
“If those Palestinians had any sense at all they would just accept that “Israel” stole their land and “play nice.” What’s wrong with them?”
It obviously went right over your head Mike….the comment was in reference to the Jews being there a lot longer than 1947…….47 is just the arbitrary point in time most like to jump back to as it allows them to disregard the previous couple thousand years.
And if you want to jump on the Palestinian bandwagon, please explain why they only want land that is now in Israel when they were also forced out of the original homeland in Jordan.
Linda
November 15th, 2012
9:58 pm
Eating turkey will remind me of all the liberals on this blog & all the goodies they got for voting for their Messiah. His ground game included identifying with those nook & grannie voters in swing states, learning the names of their pets, who now demand Obamaphones, i.e. phones for dogs, cats, snakes, gerbils, turtles, etc. Obama said, “No problem! FEMA is on its way!”
JamVet
November 15th, 2012
9:59 pm
Linda, your melodramatic predictions are a hoot.
But keep up the good work!
Your “America sucks and is going down the tubes” strategery is working out great for you guys!
Dorn L
November 15th, 2012
9:59 pm
Hamas started this by accelerating the rocket attacks – 150 rockets hit Israel in the 4 days BEFORE Israel hit the Hamas leader. Somehow the media forget this!
Dorn L
November 15th, 2012
10:02 pm
Why was there no mention in the AJC news coverage of the 150 rockets that hit Israel in recent days, that were the cause of this strike? Why no mention that up to 1 million Israelis in southern Israel have been confined to bomb shelters? Why no visuals of the damage or disruption in Israel?
Instead we were told about casualties in Gaza, about the Gaza military figure, about confusion in Gaza, about Israeli strikes in Gaza. The bottom line – namely that Israel has been hit by so many rockets in a few days, was simply absent. It read like Hamas was retaliating for Israeli strikes, not the other way around!
How long will it take to stop focusing primarily on the Israeli response, and to start focusing on the Palestinian attacks? How long will it take to stop reversing causality? How long will it take to stop pointing the finger at Israel for trying to defend itself from Hamas and other rocket attacks?
vv
November 15th, 2012
10:03 pm
“Hamas started this by accelerating the rocket attacks – 150 rockets hit Israel in the 4 days BEFORE Israel hit the Hamas leader. Somehow the media forget this!”
The media only reports that which they want you to know, comrade.
cc
November 15th, 2012
10:04 pm
Good night, Dusty . . .
mike
November 15th, 2012
10:05 pm
md: have you been smoking something? Tell me, if you will, what they called the county that became Israel, prior to 1948? (Insert answer here) Then, tell me, what the people who were living in this country were called? (Insert answer here) Then tell me what happened the people who were living in this country? Heck, all you “Israelis,” let us get out of your way and move over here to this little tiny plot of land called Gaza. We’re sorry we got in your way. Oh, and by the way, please take all of our homes, land and farms. And, while you’re at it, don’t worry one little bit about “paying” us for any of it! WTF are you talking about Jordan.
cc
November 15th, 2012
10:06 pm
“vv” should have been “cc”.
Dorn L
November 15th, 2012
10:07 pm
About owning the land: Jews clung to the Holy Land through all the Ottoman and Arab rule and persecutions. They were a majority in East Jerusalem (now called Arab East Jerusalem by the media) until they were expelled by Arab mobs in the 1920’s riots. There was an ancient Jewish community in Hebron until the 1929 massacre.
Moreover, more than half of all Israelis are descendants of JEWISH REFUGEES FROM ARAB LANDS. So its nonsense to claim that Jews don’t belong there (as one commenter did above). If anything, the Palestinians are mostly descendants of migrants from Egypt.
Dorn L
November 15th, 2012
10:13 pm
To Mike: the Arabs started the wars – and lost. They rejected a two state solution and mostly still do. The Arabs kicked out all the Jews from countries across the Middle East. The Jews got a piece of land the size of New Jersey. The Arabs have more land than the US. So the Arabs are not short of land for the Palestinians – and Jordan, which is four times the size of Israel, has a Palestinian majority, and ought to be a Palestinian state.
Mike, there is no real desire for a (second) Palestinian state (Jordan is the first). The real obsession is with destroying Israel. For the Arabs cannot accept Jews, or other “people of the book” as anything but second class peoples. That is the way it has been for 1400 years in the Middle East, and they cannot accept any change. They need a reformation – but the Arab spring is heading in the other direction.
Hillbilly D
November 15th, 2012
10:14 pm
Tell me, if you will, what they called the county that became Israel, prior to 1948?
Palestine was divided into Israel and Trans-Jordan (now Jordan) by the UN. The Palestinians were to go to Trans-Jordan but they didn’t want them there. The Jewish people were to stay to the west in Israel. The question that md asked, “please explain why they only want land that is now in Israel when they were also forced out of the original homeland in Jordan?”, is a valid one. Not saying they don’t have legitimate grievances but it’s a question that most overlook.
cc
November 15th, 2012
10:16 pm
Dorn L@10:07 pm:
Thanks for posting that information. Even atheists, if they read the Bible, would know a lot more of the history of Jewish people.
cc
November 15th, 2012
10:18 pm
Is there anywhere in the Middle East where the Palestinians are welcomed?
mike
November 15th, 2012
10:19 pm
Dorn L: you’re wrong while there was a tiny minority of Jews in Palestine prior to 1948, they were a tiny minority. After the “mandate,” wholesale immigration of Jews to Palestine began. The net result, no matter how you try to rationalize it or sugar coat it, is that the Palestinians were driven off their land.