Stephanie -- Bibi should be shaking in his boots right now -- he really fucked this one up -- it was his initial reaction, pursuant to his claim that Hamas did/was responsible for the three teens, of going into Gaza and just arresting scores of (as well as, I believe I recall, killing a few) Hamas folks who'd been released under an earlier prisoner release/general negotiations deal, that in fact, however arguably 'justifiably' or not, provoked the renewed (and in fact largely symbolic) Hamas rocket fire, that led to/gave Bibi the excuse for the present round of genuinely not justified and factually grossly disproportionate death and destruction -- so Bibi stands utterly naked in front of the whole world in having done so, and with that the 'legitimacy' of at least this current Israeli 'response to provocation/aggression' is in tatters
at this point, he'd be very wise to just keep extending the truce, soon to call at least some longer-term halt -- and Hamas's/the Palestinians' key and unquestionably legitimate standing gripe, that Israel must honor its previously-made commitments, to substantively greatly lessen the impact of if not literally completely lift its long-standing blockade of Gaza, must be addressed and resolved, full stop, no matter what, and not in some indefinite potential future
Greensburg, KS - 5/4/07
"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty."
from John Philpot Curran, Speech
upon the Right of Election, 1790
F6