Monthly Archives: July 2014

Hamas planned conflict long in advance

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Victor Rosenthal

This morning I awoke to hear that at least 13, probably more, IDF soldiers were killed in battles with Hamas fighters in Gaza. Quite a few Hamasniks, and undoubtedly some civilians were killed as well. Now we are beginning to … Continue reading →

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Some notes on law and war

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Victor Rosenthal

Many observers have pointed out that the asymmetric nature of the conflict between Israel and Hamas greatly favors Hamas. Elan Journo argues that the international laws of war “abet Hamas [and] undercut Israel”: We can all agree that civilian casualties … Continue reading →

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Israel chalks up another first in the history of warfare

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Victor Rosenthal

When the US attacked Iraq in 2003, one of the first weapons delivered by Tomahawk missiles was the BLU-114/B. Sometimes called the ‘soft bomb’, ‘blackout bomb’ or graphite bomb, it is a canister packed with tiny electrically conductive filaments made … Continue reading →

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US Jewish establishment clings to dogmas of the past

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Victor Rosenthal

It is immensely frustrating to watch the liberal Jewish establishment in the US cling to the leftist dogmas of the 1980s and 1990s, while a tsunami of change in the Middle East makes these ideas obsolete. For example, the former … Continue reading →

Posted in American Jews | 3 Comments

How to bring the war to Hamas

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Victor Rosenthal

As everyone knows, Hamas has embedded its command posts, rocket launchers and weapons storage facilities within the civilian population of Gaza. This makes it difficult to destroy them from the air without large numbers of civilian casualties. It is also … Continue reading →

Posted in War | 4 Comments

Cease-fire talk, and a failed rocket barrage

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Victor Rosenthal

As I write, Hamas TV is displaying a count-down timer to a promised massive barrage of more-powerful rockets (called J-80’s) against Tel Aviv. It will begin in about 5 minutes from now, at 9 PM Israel time. News item: As … Continue reading →

Posted in War | 2 Comments

We have a normal state, not a perfect one

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Victor Rosenthal

The Oslo Syndrome — in part, the belief that it’s possible to overcome genocidal Jew-hatred by improving our own behavior — is insidious. It’s easy to fall into the trap, which in essence means internalizing the Jew-hater’s conception that it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Terrorism | 3 Comments

Hamas commits war crimes, supporters complain about Israeli restraint

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Victor Rosenthal

It’s unbelievable (Adam Taylor, Washington Post): For years, the Israeli military has been using cellphone calls and small “warning rockets” — usually sent from drones — to tell people which buildings it is targeting and give them time to get out. It’s a time-tested strategy for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and Palestinian Arabs, War | 4 Comments