For months before Israel's military offensive in Gaza last winter, Israeli papers were filled with ominous stories suggesting that Hamas militants in Gaza were developing into a formidable force, trained by Iran, armed with advanced weapons, and prepared for battle.
When the showdown finally came, how did Hamas perform?
In a word: Fail.
A new report from the Washington Report for Near East Policy documents the obvious:
"Hamas and its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (IDQB), accomplished little militarily," the report notes. "Most of their operations were futile, and their only real success was their ability to continue firing rockets into Israel, which in any case declined after three weeks of combat."
According to the report:
"Hamas’s military performance must also be placed
in a broader context: the combat qualities of Islamic
militants and the efficacy of 'armed struggle.' In the
past, much attention was focused on Hezbollah and
Taliban military prowess, but the IDQB’s performance
in Gaza provides a different perspective, demonstrating
that the 'Islamic way of war' is more varied and complex than experience in Lebanon and Afghanistan suggests.
"These combat qualities depend on many factors;
not all Islamic warriors are larger than life, and in fact,
the Qassam Brigades in Cast Lead showed themselves
to be quite the opposite."
Current trends seem to suggest that the future of Israel will be that of a binational state. While this is not something most Israelis want, even many conservative Israelis have concluded it may be inevitable.
http://watching-history.blogspot.com/2009/10/israel.html
Posted by: Canada Guy | October 19, 2009 at 06:46 PM
I think every pro-Israel person must never blowup the political profits they gained from the Gaza conflict. First, that is not good Biblically (as against the vanquished), Second that will give the Hamas much better ideas. Just leave the Palestinians alone wondering what have they gained from destroying their cities, making themselve more impoverished, desolated, isolated from the rest of the thinking world, and dying from the ravages of war they themselves have raised.
Posted by: Guideman | October 20, 2009 at 12:43 AM
It seems the Israelis have no more option but to allow the binational state; That is path the've chosen - land for peace...and they failed again horribly. Was it not written long, long time ago? 'Donot put your trust unto man for man surely fails...' Will Israel never stop learning from bad lessons?
Posted by: Guideman | October 20, 2009 at 01:11 AM
Nothing amazes me more than to see the Jews who are considered in average, the most intelligent race, yet as a nation cannot even understand their own sacred ancient scriptures!(could it be a curse?)
Posted by: Guideman | October 20, 2009 at 01:21 AM
you truly have the weirdest readers dion
Posted by: didi | October 20, 2009 at 08:31 AM
Guideman needs to read The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Israeli historian Ilan Pappe. Then he can explain how Israel's sacred scriptures mandated mass terror against gentiles.
And he can read Israel's own sacred scriptures discussing what the Jews did to those they found in Palestine when they first arrived: genocide of gentiles.
Shalom!
Posted by: Ariel | October 20, 2009 at 08:43 AM
Palestine was Judea in the past it was only called Palistine by the Romans. The people living in Judea which is Plaistine today were Jews, how can there be ethnic cleansing on the part of the Israel when the Jews were one of its people? Now who are the settlers ?
Posted by: Nersas | October 21, 2009 at 01:03 PM
You wouldn't by chance have considered that the Israeli newspapers and their sources inflated the threat to justify the invasion? Like Bush and WMD? Did the Palestinians "fail" as you would have it, or did the Israelis lie, to their people and everyone else? (Or did Israel just get it wrong?) As usual -- you use something to find fault with or make fun of the Arab side.
Posted by: lono | October 25, 2009 at 08:37 AM
This is my answer to Ariel, when the Israelites first came to Israel, they simply settled just like anybody there who were settlers also. There was no established nation in Canaan by then. Only tribal towns/cities of people who also settled from other countries. And the Hebrews called them Canaanites. The Hebrew forefathers bought lands from the settlers (at most, for burial sites). The Canaanites were attacking them; the Hebrews won and they ruled the land. And the Hebrews were able to established a Jewish nation at it became their kingdom their nation after thousands of years of rule. This is the global principle of Attrition - the basis of permanent conquest which all empires (good or evil) has practiced and was recognized until this day...
Posted by: Guideman | October 25, 2009 at 10:59 PM
Any people or tribe who would opposed or contest this ironical but notnetheless globally accepted principle of attrition must go to war againts the nation (seated) in power. The arab settlers (now Palestinians and other arabs)went to war twice, but the Jews prevailed (they should have maximized the opportunity and destroyed the Al Aqsa Mosque by then during the heat of battle in Jerusalem to prevent future conflict due that issue) But they Jews opted to buy-out peace with land and territory in appeasement of the angry Arabs. They have offered their enemy a hand of bread, now their enemy would devour including the whole arms...
Posted by: Guideman | October 25, 2009 at 11:09 PM
for Iono: The Morton Salt says, 'When it rains it pours'. When missles poured from Gaza; we need no newspapers to bloat the story to justify the invasion...
Posted by: Guideman | October 25, 2009 at 11:15 PM
Pity the genocidal Jews, they learned nothing from the Hallohoax and are about to learn 'loads' from their murderous foray into Gaza where they showed the world their capacity to behave like their Nazi cousins in Germany in the 'good 'Ol kristalnaught Dayze of 1933.'
Yassar Jews, 'stay at home vacations for the forseeable future' as the EU teems with criminal arrest warrants for the Jewish IDF/IAF killers. And, sorry to say, the Ellie Weasals of that 1/2 acre of Zionist hell, world class war criminal sluths unable to gather the stomach to go help arrest IDF war criminals.
Oh well....
TheAZCowBoy
Tombstone, AZ.
Posted by: TheAZCowBoy | November 11, 2009 at 06:28 PM
"You wouldn't by chance have considered that the Israeli newspapers and their sources inflated the threat to justify the invasion? Like Bush and WMD?"
---------------
Except they didn't go in after "alleged" WMD, or even after their vaunted "super" solders that HAMAS itself proclaimed it had. Israel went in to stop the THOUSANDS of rockets, mortars, and bullets that were flying into Israel MONTHLY. (and it worked) Terrorist attacks on Israel have dropped since then. If Hamas wants the attacks to stop, they can accept Israel's right to EXIST. And also that they, being the LOSERS of several wars, have lost property they otherwise would have kept if they hadn't started a WAR, or passively supported other wars. You can't have it both ways, Arabs planned to "push Israel into the sea". They NEVER planned to give the land back afterward. But oh noes! When they LOST THE WAR, they suddenly want the rules changed! Funny....
Posted by: Rmingtn | November 11, 2009 at 08:49 PM
As usual, the people not on the ground totally miss the point. If Israel hadn't gone in so heavy then who's to know what the casualty figures would have been? Revealing comments made by one commander, Colonel Avi Blot in Haaretz revealed that far from a cakewalk the situation deterioated once Israel entered Gaza City, tanks became bogged down and took heavy fire, while the perspectives of his being an easy war to fight come from the mostly reservist guys who were just reinforcing areas back from the frontline#.
Posted by: Abi Levine | November 14, 2009 at 08:45 AM