HT: Jihad Watch.
Progressive (often nappy-crested*) idealist followers in Syria, Yemen, southern Beirut and Sydney have voiced their support. Shaking their fingers they have warned the Zionists not to respond provocatively to freedom-fighting missiles directed at them. If the Zionists continue to fight back the Presbyterians warn that they will jump up and down and get annoyed. They won't like the Zionists any more and will whip their asses like they did last time....err the time before that...well you know when.
* Mr Natural - below - forgot his nappy and has not yet learnt how to goosestep.
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In Iraq a lone Methodist demonstrates his support in the usual way-
'MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) – A suicide bomber on a bicycle in Iraq's northern city of Mosul targeted a protest condemning Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip, killing one civilian and wounding 16 on Sunday, police said.
"One civilian was killed and 16 were wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up when he rode his bicycle into the middle of an anti-Israeli demonstration in the city," local police Major Wael Rasheed told AFP.
The protest against Israeli air raids on the impoverished Gaza Strip that have killed at least 280 in the past 24 hours was sponsored by the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP).
"The suicide bomber attacked a demonstration in which most participants were prominent members of the IIP," Nineveh province politician Yahya Abed Mahjoub told AFP.
The Baghdad government on Saturday condemned the Israeli air raids, saying they left behind "many victims -- innocent people and children."
Mosul, the country's second largest city, is believed to be the last urban stronghold of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which has been behind hundreds of bombings since the 2003 US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.'
Their God loves irony if nothing else.
Hi Harry,
There are three elections that this is likely to influence:
1) Israeli elections. The defense minister Ehud Barak's party has not been doing well in polls. He is now likely to do well. The ongoing bombing of Gaza with minimal Israeli casualties is simply part of a Labor party election campaign.
2) The Iranian elections. The extreme right is likely to do well and these mullah shenanigans are simply parts of election campaigns.
3) The Palestinian elections. There is supposed to be an election soon for the presidency, Hamas has a majority in parliament but the left has the presidency. Hamas was on the brink of disintegration prior to this war. If Israel does not invade Gaza but simply bomb it from the air, then Hamas is likely to win this election (if its allowed to happen).
Of course, there are no real elections in Egypt and Jordan.
Rabee
To say the current Israeli campaign is election-driven is stretching things. Of course it will have an impact on the election but you cannot 'retaliate proportionately' with Hamas who obviously value their civilian populations at close to zero.
What does Hamas believe it will achieve by lobbing missiles into Israel? They can only believe that the response currently occurring necessarily must occur.
I find it incredible too to believe that Hamas is doing this to win local political support. Whatever happens Hamas will not be winning elections.
Sure its election driven. On the Hamas side it was explicit. People you don't like are not always one dimensional; Hamas is politically sophisticated.
It would have been impossible for Hamas to maintain the electoral strength without lifting the Israeli siege on Gaza. For months nothing was coming into Gaza except through rudimentary smuggling tunnels. Gaza frankly began to resemble the Warsaw Ghetto.
So when the truce agreement expired Hamas sought to lift the blockade and fired home made rockets at Israeli civilian communities. The idea was to elicit an Israeli response that would force Egypt to open its border to Gaza. This is now likely to happen.
As for Israel. The extreme right was doing well in the polls. One reason for this was Israel's disastrous adventure in Lebanon (when Hizbollah strengthened its grip on Lebanon and Israel's allies lost their influence in Lebanon).
Labor was doing badly in polls and Barak the defense minister needed to reestablish his parties military credibility. So it would have been impossible for Barak to avoid confrontation with Hamas after the truce agreement expired. He has now reestablished his credibility and wiped away the preposterous legacy of Labor's former defense minister Peretz who was responsible for Israel's defeat in Lebanon.
This configuration reminds me of Israel's attack on Lebanon in 1996 (also responding to rockets). The then Labor leader Shimon Peres decided to establish military credibility after the assassination of Rabin by settler extremists. Aside from killing hundreds of civilians that war ended with electoral defeat for the Labor party.
This little skirmish will probably win Barak some breathing room because so far Israel has been very successful and Hamas has proven far weaker than Hizbollah.
For my taste I hope that Israel sends some troops into Gaza and defeats Hamas decisively. That way the blockade will end, Hamas will no win any election for decades and the left in Israel is sure to win the next election. Also a defeat for Hamas will be a blow for the Iranian right and they are likely to suffer electorally.
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