That is what the Times Online is reporting (via Power Line)
ISRAEL’s new defence minister Ehud Barak is planning an attack on Gaza within weeks to crush the Hamas militants who have seized power there.
According to senior Israeli military sources, the plan calls for 20,000 troops to destroy much of Hamas’s military capability in days.
The raid would be triggered by Hamas rocket attacks against Israel or a resumption of suicide bombings.
This could very well be a report designed to attempt to warm Hamas off, judging by the third paragraph, which is almost contradictory to the first. Of course, as the story points out, an attack by Hamas is almost unavoidable.
John at Power Line writes
Left unsaid is what Israel might do with Gaza if it is able to quell Hamas there. Re-occupy the strip? Turn it over to Fatah once again? The options don’t seem attractive.
While I agree, I think a bigger question is being missed: what will all the Israel hating leftists around the world do with this information? Give a few weeks, they can muster plenty of anti-Israel sentiment, culminating with petitions and protests, similar to their "stop war with Iran NOW" campaign.
While peace is certainly preferred, giving in, and giving up, to people who do not share our values, who find human life to be worthless (at least other people’s lives), who are stuck in a 14th century barbarism, is ill advised. Refusing to acknowledge a threat, and take action when necessary, led to World War II, the Cold War, 50+ years of two Korea’s, and a China who, as Chinese are want to do, taking the long view in world domination. They should have been smacked, and smacked hard, when they sent 600K troops across the borders of North Korea.
Ask Chamberlain how his appeasement worked out. Or 6 million Jews. Millions of Christians, Gypsy’s, Hungarians, Russians, Americans, and so on, how a simple appeasement worked.
Yeah the right wing should have confronted Hitler a lot sooner but they liked him because he hated commies and unionists.
Wow. Did you graduate from grade school, John?
WT – Know it all Ryan forgets that a few days after the Japs attacked US at Pearl Harbor, Der Fuhrer declared WAR on US? Again Blackbeard, when it comes to US History 101 FACTS…the liberals get smoked every time on every issue! One thing for sure Mr. Ryan, the Waffen SS would have secured Baghdad by now, eh? By the way, what would Hitler and Stalin do with … illegal aliens Mr. Ryan? And with left-wing loonies too? – Death Star II Crew
& General’s George S. Patton Jr. & Erwin Rommel; Panzer Power – “Never estimate the power of the right side!”