In Gaza, Clear All Arabs, And Turn It Into A Park
The time has come to strike definitively at the Gaza Arabs, ousting them from the 25-mile long strip and turning it into a cleared area, a park. With their rocket attacks against Israel, they have proved themselves unfit occupants and thoroughly unacceptable neighbors.
It is unclear where these miserable people can be pushed to, but once strong military operations begin, perhaps they can be helped to breach again the Egyptian border and move, initially, into the Sinai, and perhaps later to Iran, which has assumed responsibility for supplying them with the weapons they have been using to attack Israeli cities.
Gradually, the weapons they use have become longer range and more sophisticated. Iran Grad missiles, smuggled in during the last border breach with Egypt are now striking Ashkelon, a city well north of the border. Disruption of Israeli civilian life has increased, and deaths are occurring.
In Israel, the weak government of Ehud Olmert has temporized with this problem. Its strategy of pinpoint attacks against Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists is killing a few of the terrorists each day, but it has not halted the attacks. Since he is unwilling to take steps to halt the rocket fire, Olmert should resign and give way to a braver leader.
It is clear now that the attempt of the Israelis to withdraw from Gaza and let that area govern itself has been an abject failure -- as if Arab leaders could be trusted at any time.
They cannot be, and if Ariel Sharon, who has been lying comatose for two years since suffering a stroke, were well today and still in charge, he would have taken strong action a long time ago.
Calls for restraint from the Bush Administration are neither helpful nor appropriate. At each time in the past when the Israelis have had a security crisis, the U.S. has always urged restraint, and the United Nations has been opposed flatly to the Israelis defending themselves. And in each case, the Israelis have finally taken necessary action, and the rest of the world has, more or less, gone along, putting in peacekeeping forces, such as along the Lebanese border two years ago, which have quieted the situation.
But no one from the outside world wants to go into the cesspool that is Gaza. This time, once again, the Israelis must initiate action and let the chips fall where they may.
Some will say, don't take collective action against a whole population. But the Gaza Arabs are responsible for their own plight. Rather than try to form a peaceful, self-governing entity, they, as a people, have put extremists in charge and persistently supported violent attacks.
Now has come the time for them to live somewhere else. They must go to a safe area where they can do no further harm.
--
The same might be said of newspaper magnates William Dean Singleton and Sam Zell. They are as destructive as the Gaza Arabs, in a different way. Rather than seeking to destroy Israel, they are conspiring in the destruction of their own newspapers and other holdings.
Certainly, we see that today at the Daily News in the San Fernando Valley. Singleton has pretty much ruined the newspaper already with cutbacks. Yesterday, he forced editor Ron Kaye to announce new layoffs, paring the editorial staff from 122 to 100. Kaye broke down emotionally as he announced the layoffs to the staff. Of course, such cutbacks generate only new losses of circulation and advertising. The Daily News may not survive much longer.
As for Zell, proof comes today that he hates Chicago just as much as Los Angeles. It's announced that he is making plans, before he sells the Chicago Cubs, to first sell the naming rights at Wrigley Field. Maybe, the venerable old stadium, the heart of the Chicago psyche, may soon be called Chinese Import Field, or Hillary Clinton Field, just depending who is willing to pay Zell the most.
It is unclear where these miserable people can be pushed to, but once strong military operations begin, perhaps they can be helped to breach again the Egyptian border and move, initially, into the Sinai, and perhaps later to Iran, which has assumed responsibility for supplying them with the weapons they have been using to attack Israeli cities.
Gradually, the weapons they use have become longer range and more sophisticated. Iran Grad missiles, smuggled in during the last border breach with Egypt are now striking Ashkelon, a city well north of the border. Disruption of Israeli civilian life has increased, and deaths are occurring.
In Israel, the weak government of Ehud Olmert has temporized with this problem. Its strategy of pinpoint attacks against Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists is killing a few of the terrorists each day, but it has not halted the attacks. Since he is unwilling to take steps to halt the rocket fire, Olmert should resign and give way to a braver leader.
It is clear now that the attempt of the Israelis to withdraw from Gaza and let that area govern itself has been an abject failure -- as if Arab leaders could be trusted at any time.
They cannot be, and if Ariel Sharon, who has been lying comatose for two years since suffering a stroke, were well today and still in charge, he would have taken strong action a long time ago.
Calls for restraint from the Bush Administration are neither helpful nor appropriate. At each time in the past when the Israelis have had a security crisis, the U.S. has always urged restraint, and the United Nations has been opposed flatly to the Israelis defending themselves. And in each case, the Israelis have finally taken necessary action, and the rest of the world has, more or less, gone along, putting in peacekeeping forces, such as along the Lebanese border two years ago, which have quieted the situation.
But no one from the outside world wants to go into the cesspool that is Gaza. This time, once again, the Israelis must initiate action and let the chips fall where they may.
Some will say, don't take collective action against a whole population. But the Gaza Arabs are responsible for their own plight. Rather than try to form a peaceful, self-governing entity, they, as a people, have put extremists in charge and persistently supported violent attacks.
Now has come the time for them to live somewhere else. They must go to a safe area where they can do no further harm.
--
The same might be said of newspaper magnates William Dean Singleton and Sam Zell. They are as destructive as the Gaza Arabs, in a different way. Rather than seeking to destroy Israel, they are conspiring in the destruction of their own newspapers and other holdings.
Certainly, we see that today at the Daily News in the San Fernando Valley. Singleton has pretty much ruined the newspaper already with cutbacks. Yesterday, he forced editor Ron Kaye to announce new layoffs, paring the editorial staff from 122 to 100. Kaye broke down emotionally as he announced the layoffs to the staff. Of course, such cutbacks generate only new losses of circulation and advertising. The Daily News may not survive much longer.
As for Zell, proof comes today that he hates Chicago just as much as Los Angeles. It's announced that he is making plans, before he sells the Chicago Cubs, to first sell the naming rights at Wrigley Field. Maybe, the venerable old stadium, the heart of the Chicago psyche, may soon be called Chinese Import Field, or Hillary Clinton Field, just depending who is willing to pay Zell the most.
Labels: Terror attacks
posted by Ken Reich at 7:37 AM
1 Comments:
Oh my god, a name change for Wrigley Field? This might cause the team to not win a World Series for 100 years (oh sorry, that's already happened). They could change the name of Dodger Stadium to Google Stadium and I wouldn't care as long as the team finally wins a playoff series!
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