Sorry I had to get my rendition of Adm. Akbar of Star Wars famous warning….
Okay that out of the way…..has anyone considered that HAMAS is setting trap for Israel?
Could this ‘war’ be masterful plan to lure Israel into committing to a plan that will not end well?
Even the White House is concerned with the impending invasion and subsequent ‘occupation’ of Gaza.
As the world awaits what appears to be an imminent ground invasion of Gaza by Israel, President Biden sought to tread a fine line in regard to the Israeli response in a 60 Minutes interview. He supported Israel’s right to go after Hamas and said the group should be wiped out, but he also warned against an occupation of Gaza and worried about the fate of civilians.
- Occupation: “I think it’d be a big mistake,” he said of the idea of Israel reoccupying the territory, per the New York Times. “Taking out the extremists … is a necessary requirement,” he added, but “I think that it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again.” Meanwhile, Israeli ambassador Michael Herzog told CNN that “we have no desire to occupy or reoccupy Gaza. We have no desire to rule over the lives of more than 2 million Palestinians.”
- Hamas: Biden agreed when asked whether Hamas should be “eliminated entirely,” saying they had “engaged in barbarism that is as consequential as the Holocaust,” per Newsweek. “Israel has to respond. They have to go after Hamas. Hamas is a bunch of cowards.” Longer term, he said “there needs to be a Palestinian Authority. There needs to be a path to a Palestinian state.”
- Civilians: The president did not call for a ceasefire when asked about one, and said he was confident Israel would abide by the “rules of war” in regard to protecting civilians. He also backed the idea of creating an evacuation corridor or “safe zone.” Axios offers a quick assessment: The president “has been full-throated in his support for Israel in the wake of the Hamas attack, but his remarks on 60 Minutes signal that he hopes to keep some guardrails on what is likely to be a massive Israeli operation in response.” More than 1 million have fled their Gaza homes in anticipation of the ground assault, per the AP.
- Border: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters during a visit to Egypt on Sunday that a border crossing between Egypt and Gaza will reopen to allow in the shipments of humanitarian aid for Palestinians, per NPR. He added that the UN is helping Israel and Egypt coordinate the shipments through the Rafah crossing.
- Militant leader: Israel said one of its missile strikes over the weekend killed a Hamas commander believed to have led one of the massacres on an Israeli kibbutz, per the Telegraph. The military says Billal Al Kedra led the attack on Kibbutz Nirim during the Oct. 7 raid.
A ground invasion and occupation could be just what the plan was the whole time.
The trap could draw in the US as well….
The Pentagon has selected 2,000 troops to prepare for a potential deployment to support Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
Pentagon officials told the paper that the troops would be tasked with missions like advising and medical support and are not intended to serve a combat role. The personnel that have been selected are from across the US armed services, and some are already in the Middle East while others are outside the region.
The Associated Press also reported that the US is preparing for the potential deployment. One official told the AP that they would “not be sent to Israel but could be sent to countries in the region.”
It’s not clear what circumstances would lead to the deployment, but the prepare to deploy notice comes as Israel continues to bombard the Gaza Strip and is expected to launch a ground incursion. An Israeli military spokesman said Sunday that Israeli forces were “in formation” to launch an attack on Gaza City.
(antiwar.com)
Is this a prudent decision?
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”