Captain's Quarters Blog


« Who Is Dr. Preisser? | Main | Why, Some Of His Best Friends Are Terrorists »

September 25, 2005
Palestinians Discover Self-Delusion Not Contagious

The Palestinians acted surprised when Israel responded to the launching of dozens of Katyusha rockets at their cities by bombing Gaza and arresting hundreds of Hamas terrorists, an act that the Palestinian Authority refuses to contemplate. As the Israeli response to the Palestinian provocation became clear, the PA proved its disconnection from reality by warning that the cease-fire might not hold if Israel didn't stop its retaliation:

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ordered "unrestricted" military strikes against Palestinian militants after rocket attacks from Gaza.

Overnight Israeli aircraft launched a series of air raids, injuring several people, and arrested more than 200 suspected militants in the West Bank.

Israel has also taken the unprecedented step of posting artillery pieces on the border with Gaza, and practice-firing.

Palestinians warned the moves could force a ceasefire to collapse.

As I wrote yesterday, the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza brought an entirely new set of circumstances to the use of military force. The abandonment of the settlements and the removal of Israeli troops took away the excuse of a 'legitimate fight against an unjust occupation' that the UN allowed the murderers and terrorists of Hamas and Islamic Jihad to spew for killing women and children in pizzerias and buses. It makes such rocket attacks open acts of war, for which the government nominally in control of the territory must take responsibility.

That means that the Israelis have every right to respond to an attack on their country when presented with such a casus belli, and they have done so. The Palestinians appealed to the US, which has all too often yanked a diplomatic leash on Israel, but not this time. The BBC reports that the American response, translated from Diplomatese, says, "Don't expect us to pull your bacon from the fire this time." The EU and UN, useless as ever, appealed to "both sides" for "restraint", instead of forcing the Palestinians to take responsibility for security in Gaza. Had the Palestinians not fired 40 rockets at Israeli cities, then this reponse would not have happened.

Israel also captured the leader of Hamas in their West Bank raids yesterday, Hassan Yousef, and announced that they would once again resume targeting the leaders of terrorist groups for military attack. In return, Hamas demonstrated its own self-delusion by warning Israel that it would once again start attacking within "the Zionist entity", a threat which seems empty when the rockets have already fallen within Israel.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad couldn't live in unoccupied Palestinian territory for two weeks without launching such attacks, and the PA couldn't or wouldn't prevent them from doing so. They provoked an appropriately major military response from Israel and now want to hide behind the tired rhetoric and failed excuses of the past. All they have done is prove Ariel Sharon's political brilliance.

Sphere It Digg! View blog reactions
Posted by Ed Morrissey at September 25, 2005 8:40 AM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry is

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Palestinians Discover Self-Delusion Not Contagious:

» Israel launches new Gaza strike from Balanced News Blog
Israel retaliates to rocket attacks from Gaza. ... [Read More]

Tracked on September 25, 2005 9:49 AM

» Palestinians Reinvent the Word DUMB! from Pekin Prattles
Though you'll never likely hear/see it from the MSM, the Palestinians as a group have demonstrated their lack of touch with reality. In addition they demonstrate just how woefully prepared they are to govern anything. [Read More]

Tracked on September 25, 2005 10:07 AM

» AP Blames Israel. Again. from A Goy and his Blog
My first thought this morning was that the China Daily might be an expat publication, but it turns out it’s a bona fide Chinese news outlet. China keeps an iron grip on the information it allows to filter through to its people, so even with a ci... [Read More]

Tracked on September 25, 2005 12:52 PM

» "You realize, this means war." (Daffy Duck) from Bookworm Room
When Israel withdrew from Gaza, I remarked (and cited to brighter minds than mine for authority) that it would give the Israeli army greater military room, since it would finally be able to wage war state to state. That is, Israel could no longer be ... [Read More]

Tracked on September 25, 2005 5:51 PM

» Gaza erupts as rockets hit Israel: Gaza pullout opened doorway to terror! from Hyscience
After all, we're dealing with Islamists, not rational, normal-thinking, human beings that are capable or living in peace. [Read More]

Tracked on September 26, 2005 6:36 AM

» That Didn't Take Long from The Bernoulli Effect
From the Houston Chronicle today: Hamas halts attacks in Gaza: The order came after Israel gave its forces free rein to stop terrorists JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel said Sunday that he had given the military free... [Read More]

Tracked on September 26, 2005 8:09 PM



Design & Skinning by:
m2 web studios





blog advertising



button1.jpg

Proud Ex-Pat Member of the Bear Flag League!