Isi Leibler: Facing reality after Protective Edge
Most of us were bitterly frustrated that the Hamas terrorist regime was not removed in the course of Operation Protective Edge. Although defeated, it remains in power, and unless there is a diplomatic breakthrough, we must be prepared for the likelihood of a future conflict.Had Israel given up the Golan ...
Despite this, the reality is that the Israel Defense Forces performed superbly and achieved the declared objectives. It successfully neutralized the immediate threats by destroying the tunnels, and dramatically eroded the ability of Hamas to launch sophisticated missiles. Hamas failed to realize any of its demands, and was ultimately forced to accept the terms of the cease-fire as initially proposed by Egypt at the outset, which they had consistently rejected.
Israel can also be proud of the proven success of Iron Dome, the miraculous Israeli technological creation that undoubtedly saved countless lives.
In this context, those Israeli politicians and commentators who lament that we lost the war are not merely denigrating the achievements of the IDF and undermining the morale of the nation, they are also providing Hamas with credibility in their pathetic efforts to portray themselves as the victors.
It was because of the politicians on the Left and the various advocacy groups that supported them that Israel signed the Oslo Accords some 20 years ago and carried out the disengagement plan from Gaza and northern Samaria in 2005. But the Left, which was aided by pundits who essentially served as its mouthpiece, was unable to push through a Golan withdrawal; luckily, we were spared from what would have been a train wreck of unimaginable proportions.Elliott Abrams: Palestine in Sinai?
You would think that the Left would own up to its mistake. But no, rather than stop and think, the very same people have stayed the course, galloping toward the abyss. They have embraced Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas despite his lethal hold; they keep talking about withdrawing form Judea and Samaria; they keep insisting that more withdrawals would produce more security. It's hard to think of anything more reckless to say.
Several days ago news reports "revealed" a proposal by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to extend the territory of Gaza south into Sinai. According to the story, as Israel Army Radio carried it, the area to be added to Gaza is five times the size of the current Gaza. The idea is that this area would accommodate all the Palestinian "refugees," thus satisfying the demand for a "right of return." Palestine would consist of this new area and the current Gaza Strip, giving the Palestinians more territory than if the 1967 "borders" were restored.Britain's Hamas Appeal
The idea of expanding Gaza is not crazy, given how overcrowded the place is. In 2004, Israeli Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland, then national security adviser under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, proposed that Gaza be enlarged. This would require taking land from Egypt, and Israel (under the Eiland plan) would have compensated Egypt with lands further east that would have permitted an automobile tunnel linking Egypt and Jordan. The Eiland plan never went anywhere in part because the Egyptians would not consider parting with one square inch of sovereign territory.
Although the Disasters Emergency Committee claims that its member bodies only work with "carefully vetted" local partners, it does not oversee these partnerships, and could not even provide a list of those "local partners" that will benefit from the money raised and transferred through Islamic Relief.
One of the "partners" in Gaza used by Islamic Relief's branches appears to be the Al-Falah Benevolent Society, which, according to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre, is one of "Hamas's charitable societies."
Al-Falah is run by Ramadan Tamboura, whom the Ha'aretz newspaper describes as a "well-known Hamas figure".