DID HAMAS JUST “BLINK”?????

A 72 hr “truce”?

Will it hold?

Are there stipulations?

Both great questions, but I want to address what I believe to be a far more critical issue.

What made Hamas agree and do so somewhat out of the blue?

Did Hamas blink?

If so, why?

Let’s once again play one of my favorite games….. “WHAT IF”…

What if:

Hamas came to the realization Hezbollah and the Persians were not coming to their aid?

What if:

Hamas realized Sisi has them sealed off from escaping into the Saini?

What if:

They truly began to believe the IDF was not going to stop until the leaders were drugged out of their bunkers.. .bunkers that would show how well they were surviving while the children are blown to pieces on the streets of Gaza?

 What if:

Hamas realized their ability to resupply was completely cut off and they would soon be weakened to the point of falling prey to Fatah or other group’s eager to replace them as the money makers of Gaza?

What if:

The West said, “this is your last chance… we are walking away and the IDF will destroy what is left of you… 10,000 dead in Gaza is acceptable to those who have accepted 200,000 dead in Syria”?

And finally.

What if Hamas is truly tired of hiding behind their own children?

What if that action has caused so much division in their ranks that their forces are about to walk away…. Walk right into the arms of the Islamic State?

Something took place today.

Something Hamas was willing to accept.

Will it hold?

What are the stipulations?

Do either of these questions really matter?

HEZBOLLAH AND THE NEW BOOGIEMAN IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

So, we head back to the topic of Hezbollah support for Hamas and what it would lead to.

I stated it last week and I’m not coming off my stance.

Hezbollah needs Hamas to win, but not at the cost of Hezbollah’s destruction!

I won’t go back over the issue of the Islamic State and what a Hamas loss would mean to Hezbollah, but I will add the next level of “theory” to this complex topic.

Is Hamas calling Hezbollah’s bluff?

Nasrallah’s stump speech last week did little to convince the West anything would come of it.

But, that was last week!

What has changed?

What could actually make Hezbollah take such a dangerous and honestly disastrous track?

Is Hezbollah so worried over the downfall of Hamas and the rise of the Islamic State in its place that they would risk everything to prevent such an event from taking place?

Are the Persians truly contemplating sending in one of its vital proxy fighters; one that is already fully engaged in Syria?

Just how much does the survival of Hamas mean to them?

Answer; not that much!

So what else could be taking place here?

What are “we” missing?

Hint!

Who was this press release given to?

“The Russian news agency”!!!!

Get the picture yet?

Solve the puzzle?

The Tsar?

Is this the answer from the Tsar on the “slap” the West gave him this week?

Is the Tsar capable of saying, “ ok…place sanctions on me will you….. Watch this”.

What level of madness would the region fall into if Hezbollah entered the Hamas conflict?

Where would the price of oil go to?

What does the Tsar truly make his money off of?

How many times have I made the comment the Tsar uses the Middle East as a weapon over the West?

Is he capable of calling Tehran and ordering his Persian partners to instruct Hezbollah to inter the conflict?

I would submit this is more than a possibility.

Now, would Hezbollah actually walk into this Hellhole?

Just how much influence does the Tsar have left in the region?

Who scares Hezbollah fear more?

The Tsar… the Persians or the Islamic State?

My bet is the Tsar is finding out or about to find out, he is no longer the scariest person in the region.

Wow… I wonder how mad that will make him?

Heads up Putin… there is a new Boogeyman in the Middle East!

SANCTIONS ON THE TSAR...  THE SLAP THAT HAS NO STING!!!!

I believe I have had this pending conversation at least once or even twice before, but anyway, here I go again.

So the West imposes new sanctions on the Tsar… or as the press would have it; “slaps” him with them!

Good grief!

Well, that’s it!

I fully expect the Tsar to withdraw his forces from the border with the Ukraine and simply give up what is critical to his dream of the new Russian Empire; the Ukraine.

We all know these actions by the West have had a huge impact on the Tsar’s Master Plans in the past!

On top of that, the Tsar has a real history of buckling when someone bows up on him; why just look at how he ran away from the troubles in Chechnya and Dissidents in Moscow.

 Why; I would imagine the phone in the White House will ring any minute now and on the other end will be a blubbering Putin begging for mercy.

Ok, I am sure everyone gets my point by now, so let’s move on to where this “slap” is going to take us.

Let me start by trying to defend the actions of the West, as hard as that may be for a person like me.

What were the options?

What could the West do besides sanctions and this vicious “slap”?

Could we back the current government in the Ukraine?

Well, most pacifist in the West would say they are already doing such.

You see, to a pacifist, “talking” is a very powerful, emotional tool in the world of being judged by words and not deeds.

Could the West have openly supported Ukraine with items such as military hardware?

No.

You see, in the end, even the true Pacifist can sense danger and the Tsar has danger written all over him.

Secondly; as much as the passive West would love to see the Ukraine as part of Liberal Europe, they all know full well, the Ukraine is the Tsar’s backyard and you don’t step into the yard of someone who will come out the front door and beat your brains out!

Ok, so those ideas would work.

What next?

Could the West cause pain for the Tsar in other parts of the world he is interested in?

Ah.. now that would require two traits the West seems to be lacking.

1.  Unity!
2. Strategically vision.

Both of these time honored traits seem to no longer exist in the West.

The West / Democracy in general / has seemingly pulled away from the idea of freedom!

The price that must be paid from time to time that insures freedom, seems to be too heavy a burden for the slice of the world that calls itself “civilized”.

In the end, a team of academic advisors who have only read books or had cocktails on the topic of conflict walked into the offices of the Western Leaders and said, “if we do these economic things….it will hurt him and he may realize he needs to pull back”.

These are the words and these are the actions of pacifist dreamers.

 In the long run, these are the actions that tell only one story; the story of “wishful thinking”.

Maybe it will all just go away.

Perhaps the Tsar will wake up and realize what a terrible thing he is doing and change the entire course he has set Russia on.

Let’s close our eyes and all think happy thoughts!

And if that doesn’t work….well….we all know it’s GW’s fault!!!!

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/international/557926-us-slaps-sanctions-on-russian-energy-arms-and-finance

ABBAS.. JUDGE YOUR DECISIONS BASED ON HISTORY.

In the tragedy that is now the conflict between Israel and Hamas, one fact seems to be lost, but not to Mr. Abbas.

Has everyone forgot what took place in 2007?

Has Fatah forgotten the ruthless attack the suffered at the hands of Hamas?

No.

Did Hamas “win” the hearts and minds of the Palestinian people trapped in Gaza?

No.

Has Hamas done anything to make life better for the people of Gaza?

Where did the concrete go that could be housing the women and children of Gaza right now?

It went to building bunkers that house the leadership of Hamas along with their weapons.

As the flares float over Gaza tonight, Mr. Abbas has as decision to make.

Save the Palestinian people of Gaza or ride support  the very group that killed it’s own people for the sake of power and money in 2007.

History is an undeniable fact, but it is a fact that must be accepted if it’s to make a difference.

The facts are clear.

Hamas is leading Palestinian dreams to their graves, but not Hamas leadership graves for you see; they are safe in their bunkers…bunkers built with the concrete meant for schools and hospitals…. And yes….. the children!!

Mr. Abbas…. save the people of Gaza……. Turn your back on Hamas….

Stand up now and tell the world Hamas must leave Gaza immediately.

Then and only  then can you demand, with the backing of the rest of the word, the gates to Gaza be opened.

HAMAS AND THE MIDNIGHT OIL IN TEHRAN

With no way out and supplies lines all but cut off, Hamas fighters have a grim future facing them.

Egyptian forces are preventing any form of relief from entering Gaza from the Sinai and this is a critical issue for Hamas and those who support them.

If Israel is willing to accept the dramatic increase in civilian deaths a full scale assault on Gaza would bring about, then Hamas may be looking at a crushing defeat.

Having said this and with the likelihood of this event taking place, it’s critical to return to the topic of, “what replaces Hamas”?

Two weeks ago, I addressed the issue of the Islamic Stage filling the void left by a devastated Hamas force.

That reality is closer now than two weeks ago and many in the West are beginning to understand that fact.

Is the pressure to slow the IDF based on civilian losses or is it based on the fear of what may come next?

IS forces are locked in a violent battle for the city of Aleppo along with holding ground in Iraq.

IS forces ridding to the rescue of Hamas is not going to happen and Hezbollah must make a strategic decision, perhaps sooner than they want to.

As the fate of Hamas is being decided, another even more dangerous decision is being contemplated.

The Persians!

If the grand plan for the Iranians has been based on Hamas and Hezbollah providing fighting elements in a future battle with Israel, then what would their loss mean?

Only five years ago, the planners in Tehran fully counted on Hamas and Hezbollah as they designed their war plans against Israel.

Now; everything has changed.

Hezbollah is stuck in the bloody streets of Syria even as they fear a pending battle in their homeland against the forces of the Islamic State.

Hamas is on the edge of complete destruction with no Allie anywhere near being in a position to save them.

 And now, rumors of yet another Turkish navel flotilla could be departing for Gaza.

Is Egodan willing to risk open confrontation with Israel over Hamas?

No.

Is he willing to do something dramatic to get his name back on the FrontPage of this event?

Yes.

Iraq in flames……Syria in flames…. Lebanon smoldering…. Hamas and Hezbollah in real danger of defeat……the Midnight oil is burning bright in Tehran and the feast of the eid al fitr  is not the reason.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/07/27/Egypt-army-says-14-jihadists-killed-in-Sinai-.html

IRAN…HEZBOLLAH AND THE PERSIAN BLUFF!

Last week, I commented on the “rumor” of Hezbollah coming to the aid of Hamas.

Then, two days ago, Hezbollah leadership makes statements on “supporting” Hamas.

Now, this story of Iran reaching out to Hamas through and with Hezbollah’s help.

So, what is going on?

Last week, my theory was based upon Hezbollah praying Hamas would not fall victim to the Islamic State movement after the IDF is finished with them.

Well, if anything, this story reinforces my stance and let me explain why.

What is more important to the Iranians, the survival of Assad, a leader who will never be able to lead again or Hamas as primary tool for actions against the IDF in a pending IDF, Iranian conflict?

Would the Persians want to see Hamas survive or even appear triumphant?

Yes.

If the priority of effort had to be delegated between actions in Syria and actions needed to keep the anti I.S. force, Hamas, afloat, what would the Persians chose?

Here is the reality that is hitting home in Tehran.

They can’t save Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Hamas all at the same time.

Who gets the support and who gets the IS?

If support for Assad declines, will the IS forces in Iraq move back into Syria and thus relive pressure on Iraq?

Who is closer to the border of Iran?

There is your answer.

Who sees this answer?

Yep…….the eye doctor.

Now, can Iran afford to have the IDF destroy the Hezbollah forces in Lebanon?

No.

So, what is the real message here?

Here is my shot at the answer.

Imagine how the briefing would go inside the White House.

“Mr President, we have reason to believe Hezbollah may be about to inter the conflict between Hamas and Israel”!!!!!

What pressure would that create?

What level of panic?

An administration that gets hammered every single day over have a disastrous foreign policy having to wake up to an even wider, more dangerous conflict.

Is this a bluff?

Most likely.

Will it work?

Well, the future of the national of Israel will not be decided by the White House.

It’s a dangerous bluff, if that is truly what it turns out to be.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/07/nasralla-relation-renewed-hamas.html

RUSSIA’S NEXT STEP IN UKRAINE.

What is the significance of “official press statements”?

Do governments hold such events for the simple task of trying to not look like they are incompetent?

There was a time when “official statements” were the prelude to action.

Governments used press conferences to build their case for action.

In the old days, the “Official briefing” was a prelude to bigger, more important events.

Are those days gone in the West?

So a thirty something “kid” steps up to the podium, stumbles over the word, “Artillery”   and then tells a story of continued arms supply from one side to another.

All the time, the real shakers and makers in the world, code for those in Moscow, watch….well maybe…. and laugh!

What was the purpose of this “evidence” announcement today?

What is going to change?

Nothing…..that’s what!

Is someone really….really …really gona show the Tsar this time?

“ We really…really …..really mean it….we are not happy”!!!!

Good grief!

Why does this still photo in the attached story look like something right off of Saturday Night Live?

Is the Tsar forcing the issue over the Ukraine?

Has he changed his mind on gone back on the offensive?

No.

He’s not changed one ounce of effort from day one.

The West has continued to hope this issue will just go away and we all know hope is not a plan.

How much effort needs to be exhausted on the topic of the Ukraine?

What is going to change?

The Ukraine is in the Tsar’s backyard and the Tsar’s message is clear.

“ I will do whatever I want…when I want”!

Where is the EU?

In the fuel bucket owned by the Tsar, that’s where.

So, let’s stop worrying about, “ what’s next ….what are we going to do”?

Nobody in the West has the backbone to stand up to the Tsar and he knows it.

Russian Artillery firing into the Ukraine?

Someone tell this young lady at the state department to move on….nothing to see here…. Next topic!

Only one person is going to unravel the Tsar and that is the person he sees when he looks into a mirror.

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/international/557328-us-evidence-moscow-firing-from-russia-on-ukraine-troops

SYRIA… HAS IT BECOME THE “FORGOTTEN WAR”?

For over three years now, I've traveled back to the topic of Aleppo and what it means to the Rebels as well as Assad.

Once again, the story of Aleppo has crept into the news; well……almost!

When was the last time any of us heard an update on the events in Syria; in Western media that is?

Assad bombs his own children every day of the week and where is the outcry?

Rockets fly into innocent homes and nobody riots in Paris!

Does the UN even talk about Syria anymore?

What’s the count in Gaza and Israel…… 700 or so?

What’s the count in Syria…… creeping up on 200,000, but who is counting?

Aleppo; the stronghold of the “resistance”?

Is it really?

What is the “resistance”?

Who is the “Resistance”?

Does anyone remember?

Does anyone care?

If Aleppo goes back into the hands of Assad and his Persian Masters, is it over?

Does Assad and the Iranians win?

What is the definition of winning?

Aleppo is a rotting pile of death of concrete dust; that is what Assad will win back.

And what of the “resistance”?

Do the tea drinking “moderates” head back to the Ottomans and plot for the next twenty years?

Is the fall of Aleppo the end of the Islamic State forces?

Will Assad apply what is left of his forces to Iraq and once again do the bidding of the Persians?

If Aleppo falls, does Hezbollah finally go back home to Lebanon?

Once again the “Battle for Aleppo” is about to begin…..again!!!!!

What will it achieve?

What is left of a city that no one has the money to rebuild?

 Soon, the dead will fill their shallow graves and in the end, nothing will change in what was once known as Syria!

And in the end, the truth will be this!

No one seems to care anymore.

Oh and by the way; if I was a betting man, I would place a month’s pay on Hezbollah’s homeland and families paying the price for the assault on Aleppo.

“Hit the enemy where they are not”!

CEASE-FIRE TALKS AND THE EGO OF ERDOGAN.

Ok, I have to admit, reading a statement from Egodan that Sisi is a “Tyrant”!

What????

Did I read that right?

Did egodan call Sisi a “Tyrant”?

Perhaps he was looking in the mirror and got confused who he was addressing.

In the battle of Egos, does Egodan, yes… I still call him that, truly see Sisi as a tyrant?

Um….What’s that old expression; “the Pot calling the Kettle black”.

Egodan, the world leader who has his staff beat the family of miners killed in an accident who dared to approach egodan for answers.

Does the Ottoman Ruler think for a minute that Egypt is going to drop to its knees and allow someone else to be seen as a leader in the region?

Let me think for a minute…. Who has been a civilized nation longer???? Oh ya….Egypt!

Perhaps the issue is this.

Perhaps Egodan is infuriated that Sisi is not allowing him to look like a world leader just a month out from his Presidential run.

You know, his presidential run where he is telling the people of Turkey he should  empowered to make all decisions as the new Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

As for the fate of Hamas, well, Egodan knows his ability to shape that future is limited at best and that is what aggravates him the most….letting his servants.. .. I mean his citizens see him as second fiddle in the region.

Sisi has Hamas right where he wants it and Egodans ugly words are not going to change a thing.

Sisi may be many things to many people, but he is one thing at his core…. He is a combat Veteran General Officer and that is something Egodan cannot take credit for or emulate.

The fate of Hamas does not rest with Turkey and that is not going to change.

I would end this segment right there, but there is a problem.

Egodan is just that, an Egomaniac!

Revenge…

That is what he will look for.

How dare that Egyptian ignore the Ottoman Sultan!

Quick…someone bring him a commoner to beat!

NASRALLAH  AND HEZBOLLAH..... LIKE A MOTH INTO THE FLAME

So, Hassan Nasrallah states Hezbollah is ready to “cooperate” against Israel?

Really?

And other than young men  who live off the emotions of fiery speeches, who does Nasrallah think buys this line?

Could it be true?

Could Hezbollah actually open a second front on the IDF?

Would they do this for the sake of the Sunni Radicals who may soon jump ship and side with the IS……the same IS that is fighting Hezbollah?

Is Hezbollah so worried of an IS takeover of Hamas’s youth that they would enter into this conflict knowing the IDF would destroy most of what they have left to defend Lebanon with  from the  assaults of the IS?

Is the theory, “help Hamas find off the IS takeover, even at the risk of a wider war”?

Does Hezbollah need a conflict right now with the IDF?

Why would such a thought even cross the mind of Nasrallah as he struggles to defend Lebanon from the IS?

Does any of this make sense?

Yep..

It does to me and for just the reasons I stated above!

That is, with one catch; Hezbollah will support Hamas with “words” and not guns.

Why would Nasrallah travel the path of destruction that has been apparently chosen by Hamas and Meshaal only to have the IS take hold in Lebanon after the IDF’s  crushing response?

Yesterday, I spoke of the desperation Hamas finds itself in.

Win a glorious fight with the IDF and keep the youth behind you or fall not to the IDF, but to the juggernaut called “ Islamic State”.

For years now, both Hezbollah and Hamas have witnessed the Sunni Radical elements fill the void of a collapsed nation……in Africa… In Yemen…..In Syria and now in Iraq.

Who cannot realize the same holds true for Lebanon and Gaza?

I once watched a moth that was so confused, so excited and so desperate to do something…anything as it flew around and around a bonfire’s flame that all of a sudden, it just flew right into the center of the fire!  It was gone before it knew what hit it.

Is Hezbollah flying around the flame of fear… the flame called Islamic State? 

ISIS IN GAZA… ONCE AGAIN…. “ I TOLD YOU SO” COMES TO MIND!

At the very beginning of the current confrontation between Hamas and Israel, I made the comment on just how dangerous this cycle of violence could become and why this time around it was going to be “different”.

Look at my post from Wednesday, July 9^th 2014.  “Fear is a weapon of Mass Destruction”.

So, cutting right to the chase; was I correct?

Does IS, formally known as ISIS, have its hands in the conflict inside of Gaza?

If so, why?

Well, it’s just for the reason I stated back on July 9^th; to take the advantage.

If you don’t believe it, then ask yourself why Hamas is so adamantly denying the IS statements?

Here is the larger question and the larger threat; what does the IDF think?

If IS is truly operating at some level inside Gaza, what does it mean for Hamas?

Does Hamas have to fight to the last man in order to keep the support of the very youth that must stand in front of the IDF?

 Does a “soft” compromise position lead to support for Hamas falling away?

Where would it go?

These are easy questions to ask and even easier to answer.

Hamas is in a fight to its death and they know it.

No escape route into the Sanai Desert.

No Syrian support.

Little support for a Hezbollah that is under doing everything in its power to stay afloat in Lebanon as it sends it’s young to the death fields of Syria.

Does Israel understand the danger of completely destroying Hamas?

What will replace it?

Fatah?

No.

The simple truth is, no one understands the dangers of a dysfunctional Hamas more than Israel.

Yet, does Israel understand Hamas could very well be in a position where they cannot come to the table and thus the decision has been made to neutralize their movement in Gaza completely?

Is this why the occupation of Gaza seems to be the default end state for this current conflict?

What options do Israel and Hamas really have?

Oh, by the way, Abbas would love nothing more than a destroyed Hamas.

Who can interject anything into this cycle of violence that would make a definable difference?

Turkey?

That’s the rumor, but I would put much stock in Turkey bringing anything to the table the Israelis are interested in.

Besides; the only message the Ottomans could spell out for Hamas is one that starts with the word, Compromise!

The concept of compromise is music to the ears of the IS.

Qatar?

Rumors fly on Qatar working with Turkey on a “compromise”.

Qatar; the country that is currently in a  less than favorable standing with the GCC…. A GCC that fears the IS nearly as much as they fear the Persians.

What would Qatar bring to the table?

What does Qatar offer Israel or Hamas?

A peace keeping force?

Money?

When Qatar rings the phone of Sisi, does he even answer?

Can Qatar get between the Israelis and Sis?

No!

Qatar may once again appear to trying to help, but right or wrong, very few in the region seem to want Qatar’s opinion.

Hamas must fight and they must continue to fight and as they fight, innocent civilians must be killed, hour by hour, day by day.

Hamas has been backed into a corner, not by the IDF; not by the GCC  or any of it’s old supporters.

Hamas is soon to be the latest victim of the phenomenon that is sweeping the region.

Islamic State!

IS seems to be the virus that no political doctor can find a cure for!

The infection is spreading and Gaza is the next victim.

http://www.vocativ.com/world/israel-world/isis-operating-gaza/?utm_campaign=June1&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=outbrain

MALAYSIA AIRLINES SHOT DOWN…. NOW WHAT?

Is anyone surprised this happened?

What is expected when unprofessional, untrained people, who dress like military members, but in reality have no true commonality with truly professional soldiers, gain access to highly sophisticated weapons?

Answer…. Innocent people are killed!

It’s one thing to understand these types of weapons could have fallen into the hands of rebels in the Ukraine, but it’s entirely another when we consider what has to take place in order to employ such sophisticated systems?

Who showed them how to properly activate the system?

Who showed them how to launch the system?

Did they find members from the Ukrainian forces that defected who had a working understanding of these systems?

Could it have been troops from the Crimean forces?

Could it have been Russian, “advisers”?

These are valid speculations, but let me pose a far more important question?

Who knew?

Who knew these weapons were not only in the hands of the Rebels, but who knew these weapons were operational and “active” in the area?

These systems have signatures that can be seen electronically by many modern military units.

So, let me cut to the chase.

Did the Russians know these systems were hot?

Did they instruct the Rebels on the fact they had to be aware of commercial airlines in the area?

What actions did the Russians take to insure the Rebels didn't make a tragic mistake with these highly capable weapons?

Oh by the way……. Who else should have known these systems were “hot” in the area?

Yep…. The West.

Now, back to the Russians.

The Rebels have been far from happy in the past few weeks with Russia.

It’s obvious the Tsar has changed his tactics on dealing with the Ukraine and the Rebel movement appears to have been abandoned much like the Kurds at the end of Desert Storm….Who did that one???? We know the Answer.

If the perception is the Russians pulled their support for the Rebels, then what did they do about the weapons that might create damage that would blow back on Russia?

Did they just leave the support lines and not think through the second and third order effects of events like today?

If that confuses anyone, then add this issue to the puzzle.

Are the Rebels operating from over the border?

Are the Rebels playing a version of Cambodia with Russian help?

Are they hiding behind the Tsar’s overcoat?

If they are, then today’s event is absolutely on the Tsar’s table and he knows it.

 And now, here is the question to end the day with.

What does anyone really do about it?

Do you lash out at the Tsar?

Has that ever worked in the past?

Do you use harsh words?

Has that ever worked?

What do you do about a group of Rebels who just might have the ability to do this again and again?

I bet I know the answer.

Russian forces are taking control of high altitude weapons systems and in fact, it is probably already over.

If the West knows that, and the real threat of these high altitude strikes are over, what really needs to be done about this event?

What can the West do that doesn't make it worse?

AGM-88s.. that’s what…. If a signal pops hot, hit it and hit it hard.

That is the message that will be heard in Moscow.

How will Moscow react to such a message?

Well, that is the difficult part!.

HAMAS AND THE CEASE-FIRE THAT NEVER WAS.

I've attached a good read, but it misses on a strategic point; President / General Sis!

Did Sisi set Hamas up for failure?

Yes.

Did Netanyahu know just how to play this setup?

You bet.

Think about it.

Why should Sis do anything to help the extension of the Muslim Brotherhood… Hamas…. The same group that has been killing his troops in the Sinai  for years…troops General Sisi commanded?

Several days ago, when I heard the comment Sisi was not willing to get involved,  I had to think to myself, “ here comes the trap”.

Why would Sisi not paint Hamas into a corner?

So he Proposes a cease fire that he knows Hamas will not accept and one he knows Netanyahyu will jump on; all the time both of them knowing Hamas would never accept.

The end result; Hamas is seen as the member who doesn't really want to end the conflict.

Abbas can’t stop Hamas from refusing the deal; thus the “cooperative  government” of the Hamas and Abbas is seen as a joke.

Does anyone think this was not Sisi’s plan the whole time?

Who has Sisi spent more time with?

The IDF that was stationed along the Sani when he was a young Captain, Major, LTC and COL… both of them responding to the same threat…. Hamas / Muslim Brotherhood smugglers and armed groups?

Who does Sisi know in the IDF?

What, behind the scene relationships exist and what level of communications are still taking place?

Why would Sisi not set up an environment where the IDF pounds Hamas and its armed support groups; the same groups that run amuck in Sinai, into the ground without Egypt having to spend a single bullet?

So, what does this all mean?

Is Hamas going to wait a day or two or three and then come back to the table; a table everyone knows was a  setup by Sisi?

Who tries their hand at Peacemaker this time?

The Ottomans?

What’s in it for them?

How does this negate the Kurd issue or the killing fields of Syria; the two things the Ottomans are really worried about?

It doesn't!

Will the IDF do the only thing that will actually end the rockets; a ground operation in Gaza?

Do they need to?

Do they have the will to do so?

If anyone thinks the death toll is high now!!!!!

Small rockets into Israel….. airstrikes in Gaza…

Terrified innocent people on both sides?

That seems to be the path chosen…for now.

SIDENOTE:

How is it the Hamas leadership can make the effort to build bunkers for its rockets and its leaders, but it leaves it Children on the surface of a hellhole?

THE PENDING GROUND OPERATIONS IN GAZA.

Well, those who have held out hope that a ground operation in Gaza will not take place, may be about to lose all hope.

Who’s fault will it be when it starts?

The IDF or Israeli policy towards a Palestinian state?

Hamas and the youthfulness of fighters who find excitement in destruction?

Who is to say, but this is what I know.

As is the story with every conflict that has ever taken place on this planet; those who are going to be dead tomorrow are alive right now!

They are praying and worrying and worst of all, comforting those too young to understand why this is all taking place.

The fact of the matter is, they are alive, at least for now!

Every memory, every conversation they have had will be gone the moment they are killed, by either side of this conflict.

This is not just the tragedy of the Israelis and the Palestinians; it’s the reality of every conflict taking place in the world……Africa, Mexico, Ukraine ect …ect…ect…

It seems senseless to sit here and contemplate how tragic this all is for after all, who is going to change any of it?

Here is yet another level of this nightmare called conflict / War!

Truly professional Military members are sickened by the concept.

If you’ve never been in the position of being a military member, then you may not believe me or you simply just won’t understand.

Tonight, and IDF pilot is hovering over a known target in Gaza, waiting for the orders to launch his or her weapons and all the time his or her mind is wondering….. .contemplating who will die….who will be inured.

Will it be just the enemy you were sent to kill?

Will it be those near that person or persons?

Who is having their last thought… their last conversation?

Who is down there that has little to nothing to do with what is going on?

Tonight, a young man stands next to a launcher, ready to fire a rocket somewhere into the night.

Where will it go?

Who will it kill?

A child?

A Mother?

Someone who has no ill feelings towards any Palestinian?

Is someone alive right now who will not be in a matter of minutes?

How does this impact the soul of any real human?

Yes… when you are tasked to kill……. You are burdened with knowing…contemplating and reflecting for the rest of your life!

War is not an exciting video game.

It is not a reason to have parades with bright colored flags!

It’s not a reason for inspiring speeches from wealthy political leaders.

War is the ugliest invention of man and it seems the addiction is just too strong to break.

So, tonight all over the world, wherever conflict is taking place, people are alive and tomomrow they will be dead!

An imperfect world I know.

Depressing?

Yes.

Avoidable?

I just wish we could figure out how?

We need large robots from space!!!!

We can’t Police ourselves.  

"Klaatu barada nikto"

HAMAS ROCKETS THAT HIT NOTHING…OR DO THEY?

It was nearly twenty-four years ago.

It was about 2am when the “ Alarm Red…. Condition Black alert sounded over the whole compound.

It was the second week of this nightly event and to my amazement, a simple handful of troops came out of their tents and headed for their concrete, makeshift, bunkers.

About two minutes into the alarms going off for the second time that night, I just happen to look up and noticed just how beautiful the night sky was.

As I was admiring the night sky, ignoring the Alarm like everyone else, I was blinded by the flash and the ear piercing roar only 50 yrds from where I was standing.

It was a Patriot Battery and it had just fired two rockets into the night sky.

I was sector Defense OIC and as such, I was probably the only one dressed sprinting for the nearest bunker tearing at my gasmask pouch in a full run!!!

I was just reaching for my handheld radio, that was completely useless given the level of sound from alarms going off all around me, and was about to ascertain the status of the “inbound” when a brilliant white flash over dilated my eyes in the dark of the night.

As I stood there wondering just how close that impact was, I shock-wave came ripping through the tents next to the bunker!

My command post bunker was about 200 yrds away from where I was standing and as I took off  running, with my mask nearly on correctly, my entire perspective of the war that was in week number two changed.

It was the second time in two weeks I had a true reminder where I was and what I was involved in.

Saddam had one goal every night; keep the pilots up….keep them running from their beds to their bunkers and wear them down mentally.

Trust me, after that event, we all knew it was working…..including the totally nude A10 pilots that came out of the shower tent in a dead sprint…..butt naked…. Yep.. no mask with them at all times…just like the rest of the troops who were in “rest cycle”.

Did Saddam’s plan work?

Some would say no…

The air campaign crushed his forces beyond anything anyone had ever witnessed in modern warfare.

I also remember a very heated argument over the amount of Maverick missiles being expended by week two on targets such as cactus and vehicles blown up days earlier.

I remember heading to the flight line on full response because a missile have fired off one of the A10s wings and lodged into the revetments surrounding the aircraft.

In both instances, the explanation was “fatigue”!

Was the fatigue from the tempo of the battle?

Maybe…probably.

Could these events been the result of random Scud shots into our Area, staggered all night long?

Well; I have my opinion.

So what does this have to do with anything?

What does this have to do with what is taking place in Israel tonight?

Let me ask a question to see if I can answer a question.

Is Hamas and its supporters truly disappointed with the inaccuracy of its rockets?

Do their rockets have to strike a viable target in order to be successful?

What is the definition of “successful”?  

Hamas fires a salvo and the IDF responds with a pounding for hours.

As soon as the jets clear the area, more rockets take to the sky!

What is the message and who is winning the war of wills and more importantly, who is winning the war of perception?

Are the people of Israel running for shelters all several times a night?

Are they just staying in the shelters?

How disruptive is this action to the rhythm of Israel?

Does Hamas and its supporters get a double strike when a dead child is shown on social media and international news networks?

It’s now day five, and the story from Hamas is this; “ we are still here and we can still strike back and we will not stop”!

So, does this moral victory mean the IDF will become more desperate and thus increase the death toll in Gaza?

Does this mean the world opinion will soon do as it did in  2006, 2008, 2012…. Turn on Israel?

Is  that turning of international opinion worth the price of young children  killed in the dust of concrete?

Is it worth the life long memories of hiding, both Israeli and Palestinian, as a child living in a hellhole called war?

War is a terrible trait of mankind and one that no child should see much less live through.

No; rockets don’t have to strike valued targets to give a desired effect.

A shot that misses is answered with a shot that kills those who are used to hide the weapons that are being used.

A shot that misses is answered by a military that is becoming more and more desperate to show its people they are capable of keeping them from staying in bomb shelters for the next few weeks.

Here is what it really means to both sides.

They are both pushing this tragic event to the very edge!

I said this conflict would be different and I sadly must admit, I may be more accurate than even I imagined. 

THE ISLAMIC STATE’S BATTLE WITH THE KURDS…WHO IS WORRIED?

Ok, before I get started, let me give a quick sanity check.

The Iranians are fighting the Sunni Radials in Iraq and Syria.

The Saudi’s are prepping to prevent these same Islamic State groups and their supporters from entering Saudi.

The Islamic State forces are battling Kurdish forces in Syria.

Turkey is supporting the Islamic State forces.

The Hezbollah forces of Lebanon, controlled by Iran, are battling the Islamic State groups in Syria as they prepare to defend their homeland, Lebanon.

Ok, who was it that said about a month ago that the then forces, then called ISIS, now called IS, were “ no real long-term threat to the region given their numbers and capabilities”?

Oh ya… I remember… It was the collection of Talking Heads, from the West!!!!!

For a group that was, “limited’ in their abilities, it seems they are fighting a four front war.

The last time I looked, the most modern militaries in the world could plan on executing a two front conflict.

So how is it this IS movement is executing a four front campaign?

Let me make something as clear as I can.

How worried do you thing moderates are on both sides, Sunni, Shia… Persian….Arab….Ottoman?

How worried are all of them of the movement none of them take credit for creating?

Remember what I just mentioned above; the Iranians and the Saudis are prepared to fight the same enemy!!!!!

Do you get the picture yet?

In classic warfare there is no better position to be in than that of being underestimated by one’s enemies!

Having said that, let me explain how vital this ongoing conflict between the Kurds and the IS forces has become.

Hands down, the most capable forces in the region, shy of the GCC and the IDF, of having a chance to defeat the IS in combat would be the Kurds.

Fearless and ruthless, trust me for I know!

Those that know the Kurds, the Turks, Egyptians, Jordanians, and the Iranians know the fighting skills  of the Kurds.

If the Kurds fall to the IS, the fear of their spread may become overwhelming.

What is left of the Iraqi forces will stand no chance and the forces of Jordan and Saudi will need to be doubled along the borders.

Assad will plead with his Persian Masters for even more reinforcements and those pleas will most likely fall on deaf ears.

If the Kurds are beating in battle by the forces of IS, then the new battle lines will only reach as far as Baghdad, what will be left of it by that time.

Tonight, as I contemplate the thoughts that must be going through the heads of some of IS enemies, I have to wonder what regional leaders were feeling when they riders came in a full gallop telling tales of Alexander’s march towards their lands?

Last night,  I eluded to the power of FEAR!

A defeat of the Kurds will strike a whole new level of FEAR in the minds of many in the region.

Someone, somewhere, and I bet I know where, is trying desperately to estimate the growing numbers of IS supporters.

As a movement grinds its way towards your country, city or town, how tempting it must be to the youth, with no future of a real life, to join the march?

The IDF / Hamas conflict is emotional and no one will argue that, but the real story is taking place in a separate region….a region named  Rojava!

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/07/tastekin-rojava-strangle--kurdish-syria-isis-ypg-sunni.html

SOUTH OF BAGHDAD… THE DEAD SEND AN OMINOUS SIGNAL!

As much as the actions in Israel and Gaza are on the minds of just about everyone in the region tonight, I’m going to address a topic that was mostly overlooked; with the exception of one group…..those who have chosen to stay in Baghdad!

Imagine waking up today and hearing the story of over fifty bodies being found murdered in one pile.

Imagine hearing this story and realizing this didn't take place North of where you live in the City, but South.

The South; the area that is Shia controlled!

The Area this is more secure than any other area in Iraq!

What level of fear does this strike in the hearts of those who have chosen to stay in Baghdad?

How incredibly ingenious was this act?

Just imagine the fear it posed to the Shia still in Baghdad.

How does anyone who spends every single waking moment not realize the message this horrendous act sends?

Can any of those who have stayed in the city now not feel surrounded?

What level of fear has this one act created?

Remember my theory on an assault on Baghdad?

Why waste limited assets on an extended campaign to take  a city that will be in ruins by the time the conflict is over?

Why not just lay siege to it and its remaining inhabitants and make what life they have unbearable?

Just today I read several reports about the price and quality of food in Baghdad has deteriorated, if that is possible, in the past month.

Let’s face it; this act was psychological warfare at its best!

How well did it work?

I just have to wonder how many people are now moving towards the Kuwaiti border.

How does Kuwait trust, verify, those who may be about to cross the border?

Where do the people who stayed go?

East?

Do the Iranians open their borders to the millions who may have to leave Baghdad?

In the end, there may not be an actual battle for ownership of Baghdad.

Baghdad may collapse under the weight of the greatest weapon in the region.

FEAR!

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/07/09/Iraqi-security-forces-find-53-blindfolded-bodies-south-of-Baghdad.html

NETANYAHU ORDERS IDF TO PREPARE OPTIONS FOR EVERY SCENARIO!!!

There are days in life where you simply wish you were wrong when you know your right!

In the next 24 hrs the world will know if the battle taking place between Israel and Hamas and its supporters is going truly get out of control.

If anyone is sitting in their house tonight, thousands of miles away from the events of the Middle East and simply saying,’ Oh well… .There they go again”, I wish you well as you blunder through the rest of your life.

 Are the deaths of Israelis and Arabs any more dramatic than the deaths of thousands of Africans in the Congo?

No.

Do the events of the Congo have the ability to lead to a regional war?

Well, even if they did, nobody would probably care and that is that saddest answer of all.

Can the events taking place tonight between Israel and Hamas lead to a regional war?

That was a trick question, you see, the region is already at war.

If this is true, and it is, then what does it matter what takes place between the Israelis and the Palestinians, I mean rally, how could it get any worse?

Trust me it can and it is!

Last night, I made reference to just how desperate Hamas may be.

Who is in their court this time around?

Egypt?

No.

Syria?

No.

Sunni radicals?

No.

Tunnels for supplies are cut off to the Sinai.

Supplies cannot be replenished.

Sisi is more than happy to see Hamas degraded perhaps to the point of no return.

The GCC stands guard against the radicals to their North and South.

So, this time around the future for Hamas is truly in the balance.

Can anyone come to their aid?

Yes?

Enter the real danger.

ISIS and its radical supporters!

Why would ISIS come to the aid of Hamas, a group they see as too liberal and too willing to compromise?

The answer is the most dangerous   part of this discussion.

ISIS may very well enter the event as the “savior”… the night in Shining Armor to a Palestinian population.

A population that may be about to take the full wrath of the IDF and do so for an extended period of time.

Would the ISIS and it’s radical supporters save Hamas?

Again, the answer is no.

What they would be willing to do is wait for Hamas to be crushed and then step into a protracted fight against the IDF all in the name of saving the people of Gaza.

Think this is farfetched?

Think again.

As I told you several days ago, this time around, this event will be different.

You see, if I understand this twist, then so does the IDF.

Regardless if you support the Israeli stance or not, the fact of the matter is, the IDF is the most capable military in the region and if it goes into a full war footing, nothing in the region can stop it!

Will the price be high?

Yes; it always is.

Will the IDF attack the ISIS operations regardless of where they are?

Yes.

Oh ya…. If you thought Hamas old so called friends called Hezbollah might come to their aid, think again.

Hezbollah has one goal in mind now.

Defend it’s base.

Defend Lebanon or at least the slice that is pro Hezbollah.

Who are they doing this against?

The IDF?

Nope.

ISIS?

Absolutely!!!

Ok; IDF fighting ISIS and it’s supporters while Hezbollah fights them in Syria and Lebanon…while the Persians fight ISIS in Iraq?

Didn’t I tell you this conflict was going to be like no other?

Is there any way out of this?

Hamas!!!!!

If they turn off the attacks, will it stop?

Maybe.

The IDF says no, but world opinion would quickly weigh in.

Might the Tsar step and play world hero once again?

Why?

Where did the price of oil go this week and why?

And besides, things didn’t go well for the Tsar in the Ukraine this week and a little payback might just be in the cards for the West.

So, just how bad might this get?

Yesterday, I watched a few talking heads on Al Jazeera “Empire” saying the borders in the Middle East may have to end up changing soon to actually bring peace to the region.

This may be true, but it won’t be the borders of Israel.

Throughout time long standing disputes have often been settled at the tip of a spear.

History is repeating itself as I write this sentence.