Working for the Clampdown
CNN reports on new restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank:
Israel barred men younger than 50 from entering Jerusalem mosques for Friday prayers and closed West Bank border crossings in hopes of preventing protests or violence over its bombing campaign in Gaza. [...] Thousands of police officers patrolled the streets of the old city and east Jerusalem. Only Palestinian men over 50 who held Israeli-issued identity cards were allowed inside mosques to pray. No such restrictions applied to women.
Concern over potential attacks prompted Israel to close all entry points from the West Bank until Saturday night.
The Defense Ministry said it would consider allowing passage for “those in need of humanitarian or medical aid as well as other specific incidents.”
Such are the wages of life as a subject people. The Jerusalem Post writes about “a general curfew on the West Bank” being imposed, though they don’t go into detail about what exactly that means. Obviously, the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had no intention of killing any Israelis this morning, but everyone takes the hit. Meanwhile, I heard on NPR this morning that Hamas had specifically disclaimed any interest in a cease-fire — apparently their view is that if they can provoke Israeli into launching a bloody ground operation in Gaza that this will help their movement and nevermind the cost to people.
24 Responses to “Working for the Clampdown”
Register
RSSLogin
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog RollAbout Matt YglesiasContact Me
Donate
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:22 am
I’m sure that Mr. Yglesias will want to comment on todays’ column by his favorite columnist.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/01/AR2009010101780.html?hpid%3Dopinionsbox1&sub=AR
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:33 am
Meanwhile, I heard on NPR this morning that Hamas had specifically disclaimed any interest in a cease-fire — apparently their view is that if they can provoke Israeli into launching a bloody ground operation in Gaza that this will help their movement and nevermind the cost to people.
This is obvious to anyone who has followed the Middle East situation for any length of time. The Hamas terrorists couldn’t care less how many Fakestinians are killed by the IDF. Their view is, the more, the merrier. Their objective is to garner support in the Arab world and if it takes hundreds of Fakestinian bodies to accomplish it, well, in their eyes, that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:37 am
Just so we’re clear, SLC, the deaths of Palestinians is now a BAD thing?
(Never trust somebody who makes up words because he can’t bring himself to use the real ones.)
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:45 am
Re joe from Lowell
Just so we’re clear, SLC, the deaths of Palestinians is now a BAD thing?
I would say that it is not a good thing. Unfortunately, because of the actions of the Hamas terrorists, it is unavoidable, just as the deaths of millions of Germans and Japanese in the 2nd World War was not a good thing but was unavoidable due to the cations of Tojo and Hitler.
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:50 am
It’s going to be pretty hard for Abbas to collaborate under these restrictions. Hasn’t he realized how the Zionists really feel about him?
I’m reminded of this exchange in the movie “Casablanca”:
“Ugarte: You despise me, don’t you?
Rick: If I gave you any thought I probably would.”
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034583/quotes
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:03 am
Fakestinian
This is nice. I’ll pass that along to my Fakestinian relatives. “I know you thought you were Palestinian and all, but this idiot bigot on the internet knows better.”
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:06 am
Yes and no. The Axis powers declared war, and civilian casualties resulted, but the Allies chose how to prosecute the war. By most studies, strategic bombing and housing denial (or whatever it was called) didn’t do much to hasten the end of the war, but it did kill a lot of civilians. The atomic bombings killed a lot of civilians, but they really did help end the war.
Which is why many people aren’t happy with what Israel is doing right now. They believe that all Israel is doing is killing Palestinians while not improving the situation.
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:20 am
Clash reference, sweet. Work the Minutemen in somewhere, MY, maybe “List monitors arrive with petition”…
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:25 am
strasmangelo,
Make sure you tell them that, when pressed on the question of whether their violent deaths would be bad, he’s willing to acknowledge that it would not a be a good thing. Per se.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:03 am
I would in a rare case agree with SLC when he says that Hamas (let’s say its actual leadership & paramilitary wings) finds it in their interests to have civilian Palestinians be killed by Israeli action.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:48 am
Re daveNYC
Yes and no. The Axis powers declared war, and civilian casualties resulted, but the Allies chose how to prosecute the war. By most studies, strategic bombing and housing denial (or whatever it was called) didn’t do much to hasten the end of the war, but it did kill a lot of civilians.
Mr. DaveNYC is half right. The bombing of civilian targets for the purpose of killing as many Germans as possible was a failure and a waste of bombs, bombers, and trained flight crews. However, the strategic bombing of dams, and armament factories was more successful then the critics concede.
One of the most misleading statistics quoted by the critics of strategic bombing is the output of armaments by German factories. They state that armament output in 1944 was greater then in 1941, before the start of the intensive strategic bombing campaign and therefore the bombing was ineffective. This is a perfect example of how statistics lie and liars statisticate. What the critics fail to inform their readers of is that, in 1941, only 25% of German industrial output was going towards armaments. In 1944, it was more like 80%.
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
That “general curfew” in the West Bank apply to Jewish settlers, too? Or just the subject race?
Just asking!
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Yes. However, so many of the Jewish settlers are living there illegally that it’s hard to keep track of them for purposes of curfew enforcement.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Japan sued for peace (even if the conditions were hard) three times before the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The USAF had been complaining that there was nothing left in Japan to firebomb. Japan was finished. If we hadn’t bombed them, the Soviets would have surely finished them off.
The bombs didn’t end WWII, they started the Cold War and saved nothing.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I think it’s quite presumptuous to suggest that Hamas wants Palestinian civilians killed just to support their program simply because they don’t want a cease fire INITIATED ON THEIR PART.
Israel is going to kill Palestinians regardless and have been doing so for decades. Hamas is merely making this clear by putting the onus of a cease fire on Israel.
Hamas believes in the armed struggle against Israel. They support negotiations only if seriously engaged in by Israel. They also know that Israel does not negotiate seriously and never has. The only side that benefited from the previous truce was Israel, as the settlements continued to grow and Gaza continued to be squeezed to death.
Therefore, especially when under direct attack by Israel, Hamas probably believes the gun is the only way to get what it wants. And if that costs some Palestinian civilian lives, well, that’s Israel’s fault. And it is.
Otherwise, it’s like blaming the American Revolutionaries for American civilian casualties in the Revolutionary War. You think there weren’t any?
Hizballah did the same in 2006. Israel – and the US – was only willing to support a cease fire when Israeli citizens started grumbling about the obvious lack of success in the Israeli attack and the near parity in IDF and Hibzallah casualties despite a ten to one Israeli numerical superiority (not to mention air power and artillery) and the ridiculously disproportionate deaths of Lebanese civilians which brought worldwide condemnation on Israel.
Israel is entirely to blame for the current situation. Hamas is a resistance movement and they are correct to continue resisting whatever the cost.
It would just be nice if Hamas would learn to use some effective tactics inside Israel rather than wait for Israel to flail around inside Gaza. But it’s understandable that Palestinians find it difficult to engage Israel IN Israel.
March 1st, 2009 at 6:12 am
viagra
Incredible site!
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:42 am
levitraIncredible site!
March 11th, 2009 at 5:00 am
Very interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
March 17th, 2009 at 2:34 am
Great site. Good info
tramadol
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:38 am
Very interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
buy cheap viagra
April 3rd, 2009 at 4:23 am
If you have to do it, you might as well do it right
cheap brand pfizer viagra
April 9th, 2009 at 7:26 am
Incredible site! viagra
April 14th, 2009 at 9:35 am
I rarely comment on blogs but yours I had to stop and say Great Blog!!
viagra