Israeli helicopters strike again
 

As is common, I steal my headline news from FARK.

MSNBC: Israeli strike kills Hamas leader
BBC: Hamas chief killed in air strike
CNN: Hamas leader killed in Israeli airstrike
FOX: Hamas leader killed in Israeli airstrike

Another terrorist down. I can't exactly condemn Israel's latest actions, but at the same time I have to join the masses in wondering if this will only worsen the situation.

Silly, Israel is never wrong.

Sweet, another terrorist rendered into flaming chunks. This, my friends, is a good day.

There's a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe quote that applies here, what was it? Oh yes...

Having not said anything the first time, it was somehow even more difficult to broach the subject a second time around...

Eg - We had our chance to sign on w/ the UN and admonish Israel for the first missle strike. This time, that won't even really be an option. Still, if the US wasn't in Hamas's sights before, I suspect we will be now.

Sky Warrior Bob

whats this? terrorists are just now going to hate us?

can anyone give a good reason why this was bad? im just guessing but i doubt this leader was a poor old murderous quadriplegic.

Viper, lumping all terrorists together isn't very helpful. Hamas, was a regional terrorist, much like that group in the UK was/is. They don't have international goals like Al Queda, and have a specific set of goals they'd like accomplished.

The thing about regional terrorists, is that because of the fact that their goals are specific, you can actually negotiate with them, at least to a degree. Plus, with Israel being especially heavy handed as of late, you can easily get into a martydom here, and give Hamas more support than it had before.

I mean, yes Hamas is bad, but when they seem like the lesser or two evils, they can have more public support. Besides, pushing Hamas underground isn't something you really wanted to do. Having a source that you can go too, allows talks. Also, from a intelligence perspective, it is very helpful in keeping taps on an organization, as long as the organization is on your front door.

Killing can only lead to more killing, and bloody reprisals.

Sky Warrior Bob

I will just say that I agree with Sky Warrios Bob on this, but will not say more cause this was allready discussed on another thread.

While I do not really think Isreal's methods are the best, I must say that I respect their proactive and determined approach. While this situation may be bad, it would only be made worse by indecisiveness of any kind on Israel's part.

oh i see, despite all conventional wisdom, you advocate negociating with terrorists.

yes hamas's goals are specific. Lets take a look at some of these goals that you want to negociate with them about(from the Covenant of Hamas):

• 'Israel will exist and will continue to exist until islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.' (Preamble)

• Egypt was, to a great extent, removed from the circle of struggle [against Zionism] through the treacherous Camp David Agreement. The Zionists are trying to draw other Arab countries into similar agreements in order to bring them outside the circle of struggle. ...Leaving the circle of struggle against Zionism is high treason, and cursed be he who perpetrates such an act.' (Article 32)

• The Day of Judgment will not come about until moslems fight jews and kill them. Then, the jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: 'O moslem, there is a jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.' (Article 7)

• 'Zionism scheming has no end, and after Palestine, they will covet expansion from the Nile to the Euphrates River. When they have finished digesting the area on which they have laid their hand, they will look forward to more expansion. Their scheme has been laid out in the 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion'.' (Article 32)

• 'The HAMAS regards itself the spearhead and the vanguard of the circle of struggle against World Zionism... Islamic groups all over the Arab world should also do the same, since they are best equipped for their future role in the fight against the warmongering Jews.' (Article 32).

• '[Peace] initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement... Those conferences are no more than a means to appoint the infidels as arbitrators in the lands of islam... There is no solution for the Palestinian problem except by Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility.' (Article 13)

good luck negociating with that last one.

That seems to conflict pretty directly with your previous post:


If an organization adds a country of roughly 300 million people to its target list because of something we failed to say, I think it's pretty safe to say that they're quite a hostile group.


Allow me to quote from the Hamas charter (and some corroborating BBC info):


So, yeah, they've got some specific goals.


Rantissi was responsible for and would have continued to be responsible for numerous suicide bombings. That means, to me, that he's a legitimate military target. What they have going on in the Middle East isn't pleasant, and there isn't any easy way to describe it, but it's definitely more akin to war than peace. Granted that continued military action is likely to worsen the conflict at this point in time, but I find it interesting that so many people expect Israel to be the first to unilaterally disarm and then continue to expect them to disarm even when terrorist attacks continue against their people. It's fine to expect Israel to stop shooting, but we cannot expect peace to be a unilateral "agreement."