From a local physician who is Israel Affairs chairman of his synagogue:
Chaverim: It goes without saying that our thoughts and prayers are with Israel at this time. And I am sure many of you would like to know that my daughter A_____, who is in Israel this summer, is safe (having spoken with her yesterday), and so too is my sister S_____ living in Haifa.
Some of you have read that Nahariya has again been hard hit by rocket fire. This is the town near the Lebanese border where I go periodically to train in disaster medicine at the Hospital of the Western Galilee. They are using their underground hospital for the first time since it was built. They are able to maintain services in a limited fashion in this way…and they even have underground operating rooms to use.
Those who said it was folly to leave Lebanon only be replaced by Hezbollah and their Iranian handlers and their rockets, are now saying ‘see I told you so.’ The same scenario and critique has been repeated in Gaza. Others are saying that at least now we have the moral authority to do what we need to do and the world can see who is the guilty party in all of this.
But alas it is not so. It has never been so in the past. It will not be so in the future. The Jews are always at fault. Ask France. Ask the EU. Ask Russia. Ask Kofi Annan. Ask them all. Israel should sit still and take it – or perhaps make meaningless halfhearted gestures back at the terrorists. Israel is ‘overreacting’ to a reign of rockets on its cities, terrorist border crossings, and hostage taking. If Israel were ever defeated and destroyed, they would cry for us…but until that moment (may it never come) they will flay us….I am copying for you an analysis of the situation written by Stratfor, a strategic think-tank with particular expertise in the Middle East:
MidEastWeb – PEACE – 07/16/2006 Fog of War in Lebanon and Israel: Rumors and misunderstandings
The events in Lebanon and northern Israel largely speak for themselves, and as the situation changes and unfolds from hour to hour, any commentary is like to be misleading, or to reflect the momentary passions of war. However, a few rumors and canards and misunderstandings must be clarified.
As usual in any crisis, the Middle East rumor, prevarication and excuses mill has been working overtime. A canard circulated by supposedly respectable people claims that the Hezbollah kidnapping of Israeli soldiers was “legitimate” because the Israeli patrol had entered Lebanese territory. So let us be absolutely clear about this…