Why has Israel started a ground operation today?

January 3, 2009 22 comments

People have asked us this question through our twitter account and the blog. Here is what Consul David Saranga has to say on the matter of today’s ground operation:

Hamas still maintains the capacity and will to engage in terrorism. With Iranian assistance, Hamas has extended the reach of its missile strikes to threaten close to one million Israelis. By using Mosques, private homes and other public institutions as arsenals and bases of operation, Hamas has effectively taken the Palestinians of Gaza hostage, using them as human shields.

Over many years Israel has tried to bring an end to the terror attacks from Gaza and was unsuccessful. Hamas abused its truce with Israel not only to keep firing missiles against the civilian population, but also to stockpile weapons and prepare for a confrontation with the IDF. Israel has no intention to govern Gaza, but operation “Cast Lead” must continue, for the time being, as the IDF acts to gain control over areas from which rockets are being launched on Israeli towns.

Israel must persist in order to achieve its stated objectives: to significantly disable the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas and produce lasting change in the security predicament affecting residents of southern Israel. No sovereign nation would tolerate the daily targeting of its people. Still, Israel is not an enemy of the Palestinian residents in Gaza: 400 trucks of humanitarian aid and 10 ambulances were allowed passage into Gaza this week; this assistance will continue.

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Written by Jessica Gottlieb about 3 years ago.

I’m keeping the brave soldiers in my heart and prayers. Thank you for keeping my family safe.
Written by Ground Invasion « Think Higher; Feel Deeper about 3 years ago.

[...] [link to Saranga's blog, Israel Politik, where this statement was made] [...]
Written by leah144 about 3 years ago.

well said!
Written by Elizabeth Martin about 3 years ago.

People have a right to defend themselves.
Written by Jinjirrie about 3 years ago.

As you well it was Israel who breached the ceasefire.

See http://www.counterpunch.org/avnery01022009.html

Neither is Israel acting in ‘self-defence’

http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts01022009.html

This Israeli offensive into Gaza is yet another war crime, which you will fail to sanitise with your spin.
Written by Ron Manderschied about 3 years ago.

The majority of the people of the United States stand with Israel – the terror must not be allowed to continue. The rest of the world should realize that this is also a front line for them. Israel must do a better job of getting its message across to the media and failing that, put the on line world to better use.
Written by Gil about 3 years ago.

Please remember this operation is not going on in a void. It could have started way before or later, but…

1. Barak said from the beginning a ground operation is coming if raids will not stop the shootings. But raids can never stop qassam shootings. The timing? Barak couldn’t wait too long because the 20th is inauguration day and Obama will stop the war.
2. It must end a few weeks before the Israeli elections (5 weeks from now) so that the investigation committees will not yet hand their reports to gain maximal electoral edge
Written by Why Israel Launched a Ground Campaign Today « Brain Music –Gadgets, Neuroscience, Music, Social Media, Health 2.0 & More about 3 years ago.

[...] 04:51:43 pm on January 3, 2009 | # | Tags: Gaza, Hamas, Israel, terrorism Israel Press Consul David Saranga posted a succinct backgrounder on the ground campaign. You can read it here. [...]
Written by Desiree H. Fortaleza about 3 years ago.

In the name of self defense,God help Israel!
Written by David Michaels about 3 years ago.

It is illegal to kill and detain officials of a democratically elected government; yet, Israel is doing it.

It is illegal to subject more than a million people to humanitarian disaster through embargoes and border closures; yet, Israel has been doing it since long.

It is illegal to kill civilians — kids, women and old people — and simply lay the blame on Hamas for using them as ‘Human shields’; yet, Israel has been doing it.

It is illegal to break a truce and subject the entire population of an area to inhuman treatment and bomb them and their homes out; yet, Israel is doing it.

There are many, many more things that Israel is doing that are not only illegal, but also immoral. True the death toll in Israel is regrettable, but such disproportionate use of force is just downright immoral. Israel and David Saranga desperately need to grow a conscience and stop masking reality because sooner or later, truth will come to the fore.
Written by Gaza Ground Assault | THE WEEKLY POINT about 3 years ago.

[...] Why has Israel started a ground operation today? at israelpolitik.org. [...]
Written by Dorothy S. Wigod about 3 years ago.

We pray for the successful completion of this mission to destroy the weaponry thathas brought harm to israeli citizens. And we pray for the safety of the IDF.
Written by PIC about 3 years ago.

Good work Israel, many more people support you than you know about or are willing to admit it.

Keep up the good work!
Written by Gretchen Krebs about 3 years ago.

Stop bombing and ground occupation in the Gaza Strip. It is wrong. Nothing justifies this killing of hundreds of civilians. Even if 180 of the dead are Hamas, that leaves over 200 innocents dead in Palestine, and a handful in Israel. Stop it. I am an American voter and I will do whatever is in my power to get my government to withhold support of Israel as long as Israel is focused on genocide of Palestinians. Stop the bombing.
Written by Tim Casey about 3 years ago.

Go for it! I cant see why you have waited so long. You cant negotiate with darkness and dont worry about American politicians. I don’t enjoy war but you got to go body slam Hamass for a while. God had absolutely guaranteed your existence.

God Bless
Timothy Casey
Shalom
Written by npd about 3 years ago.

You seem very proud of the 10 ambulances you allowed into Gaza, but the UN Relief Works Agency says that Gaza’s hospitals are “near to collapse” and “were starved of essential drugs in the last few months” due to Israeli blockades. How should we reconcile these two statements?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7801881.stm
Written by maria about 3 years ago.

if I were a palestinian I would become a terrorist… shame on the israelian and USA governements, if they wanted to find a solution for the middle east they could have done it all those years…to steal peoples land and then kill them is not a decent politic. the circle of blood will never stop this way,the hate will always exist,maybe this is for some peoples interest though…
Written by michel about 3 years ago.

We pray for the successful completion of this mission to destroy the weaponry thathas brought harm to israeli citizens. And we pray for the safety of the IDF.
Written by bebel93 about 3 years ago.

vive la palestine allah akhabal
Written by Ron about 3 years ago.

Check out “The Real Story” http://www.honestreporting.com/a/breaking_point.asp
Written by Israeli Ground Offensive in Gaza « America, You Asked For It! about 3 years ago.

[...] desire this phase of the conflict, but obviously consider it essential to accomplishing their mission–”to significantly disable the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas and produce lasting [...]
Written by Beyond The Fringe » Blog Archive » Israel Destroys Medical Infrastructure in Palestine about 3 years ago.

[...] Israeli propaganda site Israel Politik, run by the Israeli Consulate in New York, has still failed to publish our refutation of their lies that Hamas breached the cease fire. [...]

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