Everyone seems to be waiting for the other side to blink. Hamas and Israel are still just as far apart. No real hostage exchange on the horizon. And lots of diplomatic pressure being exerted everywhere. The alternatives appear to be more war, more fighting, and more casualties. A military move to free hostages is just … More Gaza War 5 Mar
The talks about a hostage release deal are continuing (although I’m not sure why). It still looks to me like there really isn’t much chance of an agreement. Israel wants kidnap victims released. The only price Hamas wants in return is a complete permanent cease-fire (or anything else that leaves them in charge in Gaza). … More Gaza War 4 Mar
Ramadan is coming. It’s the time when Hamas usually claims that Israel is taking over Al-Aqsa mosque. What really happens is that /Israel places limits on the number of Muslim worshippers that are allowed to go in. The mosque and courtyard have limited space. Israel also screens out potential rioters by age. In the past, … More Gaza War 3 Mar
A new hostage exchange deal still looks far away. But Hamas is still not completely eliminated. They even managed to launch another rocket yesterday. The estimated cost was about 450 dead terrorists in dozens of little firefights. They still have a lot of tunnels, and probably close to 3000 men they can field as combatants. … More Gaza War 1 Mar
This morning I heard a set of extraordinary claims from an aid worker on CNN, The heart of the stories she presented was that Israel was responsible for the ‘starvation’ and suffering of Palestinians in Gaza who were not receiving the aid being sent to them. If you’ve been following my posts you will probably … More Gaza War 29 Feb
Almost all the reservists called up for the war have now been released. The war is being fought by the regular active duty army. There is still a constant exchange of fire on the northern border, Hezbollah sends rockets (and occasional drones) Israel replies with artillery and air attacks. The commander of the UN forces … More Gaza War 28 Feb
One of the saddest items seen this morning was the report that a young USAF Airman went to the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, and set himself on fire. He died in hospital. When he did it, he reportedly said he would no longer be a part of Genocide. His death is a tragedy. It … More Gaza War 27 Feb
It looks like all the major players are putting out propaganda statements for their various audiences. The US is trying to please everybody (a strategy that usually fails) by promising Israel “iron-clad security guarantees” while denying them the opportunity to create their own guarantees. The US is asking Israel to protect Palestinian civilians (something the … More Gaza War 26 Feb
There are a lot of “leaks” regarding the discussions about a new hostage exchange arrangement. A number of the parties involved would be happy to see some kind of agreement reached before the Muslim fast month of Ramadan. This results in a lot of optimistic data getting out to the media, even when there is … More Gaza War 25 Feb
There is currently an ongoing case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague dealing with a Jordanian/Irish claim that Palestinian rights to have a state are denied by the “illegal” Israeli “occupation” of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel is not attending. Therefore most of the current proceedings are a litany … More Gaza War 23 Feb
Wetherhorn 