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1. Hamas Breaks Its Ceasefire 14 Times in 24 Hours
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Hamas has repeated its past performance of declaring a ceasefire and immediately breaking it, firing more than a dozen more rockets and mortar shells on southern Israel Sunday night and Monday morning.
One rocket in the pre-dawn hours hit a building in the Eshkol region, adjacent to Gaza, causing damage but no injuries.
The Israeli Security Cabinet Monday morning stated that the ceasefire is one-sided and that the IDF will continue to attack to stop missile launches. It added that Israel will respond to any more rocket and mortar shell attacks with “pinpoint” retaliation.
The government decision precludes a full-scale ground operation into Gaza, which the opposition Kadima party has demanded.
Hamas declared the truce would go into effect Sunday night after the worst round of terrorism against Israel since the counterterrorist Operation Cast Lead campaign in the winter of 2008-2009.
"Hamas is trying to draw Israel into fighting in [Gaza] to weaken its [Israel’s] power in the international arena in preparation for the Palestinian statehood decree in September," a senior diplomat told Army Radio. "This way Hamas will be seen as leading the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state."
He said that Hamas wants an escalation despite its ceasefire announcement. The ensuing missile attacks on Israel Sunday night and Monday morning may have been an attempt to draw into an escalation.
If so, it did not work.
A large-scale military operation in Gaza, one month before the United Nations discusses the Arab League petition to recognize the Palestinian Authority as in independent country, could play into PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s hands as a propaganda tool against Israel.
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by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Hamas has repeated its past performance of declaring a ceasefire and immediately breaking it, firing more than a dozen more rockets and mortar shells on southern Israel Sunday night and Monday morning.
One rocket in the pre-dawn hours hit a building in the Eshkol region, adjacent to Gaza, causing damage but no injuries.
The Israeli Security Cabinet Monday morning stated that the ceasefire is one-sided and that the IDF will continue to attack to stop missile launches. It added that Israel will respond to any more rocket and mortar shell attacks with “pinpoint” retaliation.
The government decision precludes a full-scale ground operation into Gaza, which the opposition Kadima party has demanded.
Hamas declared the truce would go into effect Sunday night after the worst round of terrorism against Israel since the counterterrorist Operation Cast Lead campaign in the winter of 2008-2009.
"Hamas is trying to draw Israel into fighting in [Gaza] to weaken its [Israel’s] power in the international arena in preparation for the Palestinian statehood decree in September," a senior diplomat told Army Radio. "This way Hamas will be seen as leading the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state."
He said that Hamas wants an escalation despite its ceasefire announcement. The ensuing missile attacks on Israel Sunday night and Monday morning may have been an attempt to draw into an escalation.
If so, it did not work.
A large-scale military operation in Gaza, one month before the United Nations discusses the Arab League petition to recognize the Palestinian Authority as in independent country, could play into PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s hands as a propaganda tool against Israel.
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2. Iron Dome Radar Malfunction Let In Killer Grad
by Gil Ronen
Over 100 rockets have been fired into Israel in the past few days, and the Iron Dome anti-missile system has successfully intercepted dozens of them, according to a report on the IAF Website. A Grad missile slipped through the defenses, however, because of a radar malfunction, causing one death.
The report does not specify exactly how many missiles were successfully intercepted. "I have lost count already," says the Iron Dome unit's commander, Lt. Col. Shabtai Ben-Bocher. "Since the events began in the Eilat sector Thursday, even before the rocket fire began, we beefed up our forces. Since then the two batteries are active continuously, with high intensity and alacrity."
"The combination of highly competent soldiers and commanders and a good weapons system proves itself over and over again in very complicated interceptions," he added.
The Iron Dome operators "encounter new enemy modes of action," he said, and have been able to deal with them well. "Every successful interception, in which we know that we prevented casualties, is a great shot in the arm for everyone here."
And yet the Be'er Sheva Iron Dome unit has also had some misses in recent days. One of these was a Grad missile that slipped through the Israeli defenses, killed one person and injured eight.
[youtube:125267]
"We always knew that the defense is not hermetic," said Lt. Col. Ben-Bocher. "When it happens, it causes sorrow, just like any person feels sorrow when he hears about a casualty. But we are focused and determined to move on, and every result like this just gives us more alertness and energy to make sure we are making the most of the system's abilities and allowing a minimum of 'leaks.'"
After the killer Grad struck Be'er Sheva, commanders held a talk with the battery's soldiers and gave them details of the failure. The event has been investigated and results of the check were transferred to the defense industries who will continue the process.
One of the commanders, Major Itamar Abo, said that residents feel safe because of Iron Dome and have begun looking at the "light show" from their porches instead of huddling in protected spaces during barrages. This puts them at risk, he explained.
Email readers: to view video click HERE.
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by Gil Ronen
Over 100 rockets have been fired into Israel in the past few days, and the Iron Dome anti-missile system has successfully intercepted dozens of them, according to a report on the IAF Website. A Grad missile slipped through the defenses, however, because of a radar malfunction, causing one death.
The report does not specify exactly how many missiles were successfully intercepted. "I have lost count already," says the Iron Dome unit's commander, Lt. Col. Shabtai Ben-Bocher. "Since the events began in the Eilat sector Thursday, even before the rocket fire began, we beefed up our forces. Since then the two batteries are active continuously, with high intensity and alacrity."
"The combination of highly competent soldiers and commanders and a good weapons system proves itself over and over again in very complicated interceptions," he added.
The Iron Dome operators "encounter new enemy modes of action," he said, and have been able to deal with them well. "Every successful interception, in which we know that we prevented casualties, is a great shot in the arm for everyone here."
And yet the Be'er Sheva Iron Dome unit has also had some misses in recent days. One of these was a Grad missile that slipped through the Israeli defenses, killed one person and injured eight.
[youtube:125267]
"We always knew that the defense is not hermetic," said Lt. Col. Ben-Bocher. "When it happens, it causes sorrow, just like any person feels sorrow when he hears about a casualty. But we are focused and determined to move on, and every result like this just gives us more alertness and energy to make sure we are making the most of the system's abilities and allowing a minimum of 'leaks.'"
After the killer Grad struck Be'er Sheva, commanders held a talk with the battery's soldiers and gave them details of the failure. The event has been investigated and results of the check were transferred to the defense industries who will continue the process.
One of the commanders, Major Itamar Abo, said that residents feel safe because of Iron Dome and have begun looking at the "light show" from their porches instead of huddling in protected spaces during barrages. This puts them at risk, he explained.
Email readers: to view video click HERE.
Comment on this story
3. Netanyahu Warns GOP of Iranian Border Post at Gaza
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told 25 visiting GOP Congressman in Jerusalem Monday that terrorists in Gaza “constitute a forward Iranian post on our borders.”
"Those who fire missiles at Israel are supported by Iran with weapons, money and training,” he said. Just as Iran threatens us, so too it threatens the United States."
The delegation from the House of Representatives was headed by Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Policy Committee Chairman Tom Price.
The timing of the visits by the GOP contingent and an even larger number of Democratic legislators could not have been better for the Netanyahu government. Last week’s terrorist attacks north Eilat and the ensuing missile attacks on southern Israel highlighted for the Congressmen the dangers of an independent Palestinian Authority.
The United Nations next month is scheduled to debate an Arab League proposal, in the name of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, to recognize the PA as a country, based on Abba’s territorial demands.
The terrorist attacks brought out strong support from U.S. politicians, including those who are not on the current junket.
New Jersey Democratic Rep. Congressman Steve Rothman, a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense, State and Foreign Operations, issued a statement saying, “The terrorist attacks by the Sinai border highlight the importance of ensuring that the borders between Israel, Egypt, and Gaza are fully monitored and secured.
“With an uncertain future in the Middle East, it is more important than ever for the United States to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish State of Israel.”
Illinois Republican Rep. Robert Dold said that the attacks “lay bare the tragic reality that our ally Israel is surrounded by hostile neighbors who continue to target Israel’s innocent men, women, and children for murder.
“The strategic relationship that the United States and Israel share is very much a two-way street, which is often overlooked,” he said. “Many think it’s just the United States providing aid to Israel when in actuality the Israelis are providing intelligence and sharing best practices.
“With Egypt’s transition to a post-Mubarak government, the recent accord between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, Syria’s increasing violence against anti-regime protestors, and Iran’s pursuing nuclear weapons, it is critical that Israel stands strong during these volatile times.”
Rep. Dold told the JUF News, “Hamas is a terrorist organization; we must assure that the Obama administration vetoes any United Nations vote on Palestinian unilateral declaration of statehood. We know we have a problem with the U.N., which has been on a steady course to delegitimize the state of Israel for a long time…There is not going to be a two state solution without Israel at the table.”
The Washington-based Politico website noted that the visit to Israel by 81 Congressmen this summer “offers a glimpse into a simmering foreign policy fight that could unify the two parties and cause headaches for the White House.”
Many leading Senators and Congressmen have proposed that American funding for the Palestinian Authority should be halted if it goes through with idea of appealing to the United Nations to circumvent Israel and ask for recognition.
Even Democratic Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said, “There’s no doubt that they [Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad] know that will be a risk.”
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told 25 visiting GOP Congressman in Jerusalem Monday that terrorists in Gaza “constitute a forward Iranian post on our borders.”
"Those who fire missiles at Israel are supported by Iran with weapons, money and training,” he said. Just as Iran threatens us, so too it threatens the United States."
The delegation from the House of Representatives was headed by Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Policy Committee Chairman Tom Price.
The timing of the visits by the GOP contingent and an even larger number of Democratic legislators could not have been better for the Netanyahu government. Last week’s terrorist attacks north Eilat and the ensuing missile attacks on southern Israel highlighted for the Congressmen the dangers of an independent Palestinian Authority.
The United Nations next month is scheduled to debate an Arab League proposal, in the name of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, to recognize the PA as a country, based on Abba’s territorial demands.
The terrorist attacks brought out strong support from U.S. politicians, including those who are not on the current junket.
New Jersey Democratic Rep. Congressman Steve Rothman, a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense, State and Foreign Operations, issued a statement saying, “The terrorist attacks by the Sinai border highlight the importance of ensuring that the borders between Israel, Egypt, and Gaza are fully monitored and secured.
“With an uncertain future in the Middle East, it is more important than ever for the United States to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish State of Israel.”
Illinois Republican Rep. Robert Dold said that the attacks “lay bare the tragic reality that our ally Israel is surrounded by hostile neighbors who continue to target Israel’s innocent men, women, and children for murder.
“The strategic relationship that the United States and Israel share is very much a two-way street, which is often overlooked,” he said. “Many think it’s just the United States providing aid to Israel when in actuality the Israelis are providing intelligence and sharing best practices.
“With Egypt’s transition to a post-Mubarak government, the recent accord between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, Syria’s increasing violence against anti-regime protestors, and Iran’s pursuing nuclear weapons, it is critical that Israel stands strong during these volatile times.”
Rep. Dold told the JUF News, “Hamas is a terrorist organization; we must assure that the Obama administration vetoes any United Nations vote on Palestinian unilateral declaration of statehood. We know we have a problem with the U.N., which has been on a steady course to delegitimize the state of Israel for a long time…There is not going to be a two state solution without Israel at the table.”
The Washington-based Politico website noted that the visit to Israel by 81 Congressmen this summer “offers a glimpse into a simmering foreign policy fight that could unify the two parties and cause headaches for the White House.”
Many leading Senators and Congressmen have proposed that American funding for the Palestinian Authority should be halted if it goes through with idea of appealing to the United Nations to circumvent Israel and ask for recognition.
Even Democratic Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said, “There’s no doubt that they [Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad] know that will be a risk.”
Comment on this story
4. Israel Allows Goods into Gaza
by Gil Ronen
COGAT – the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories – announced Monday that people, goods and construction materials continue to cross through to Gaza, despite rockets launched at Israeli civilians and at the crossings themselves.
COGAT noted that since Thursday, the terror organizations have launched more than 147 rockets, mortar shells and Grad missiles towards the Israeli civilian population. During these attacks, one Israeli was killed and 13 others were injured, including one severely.
These attacks began after a series of terror attacks near the Egyptian border north of Eilat, in which eight Israelis were killed.
In spite of these attacks, Israel has approved the opening of the crossings between Israel and the Gaza.
Erez Crossing:
Since the beginning of the escalation 156 people have passed through the crossing, despite the two rockets that were launched at the crossing:
100 patients and companions exited for medical treatment in Israel
56 foreign international organization staff members crossed though the crossing (28 entered Israel and 19 exited to Gaza)
Kerem Shalom Crossing
The crossing operated, despite a rocket launched at it yesterday.
The crossing operated for a few hours, under threat, for the transfer of 80 truckloads of goods (2,554 tons) and 46 tons of cooking gas:
13 truckloads of fruits and vegetables 5 truckloads of meat and fish. 3 truckloads of dairy products 23 truckloads of mixed grain for animal feed 9 truckloads of mixed food products UNRWA transferred 21 truckloads of construction materials and 6 truckloads of flour.
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by Gil Ronen
COGAT – the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories – announced Monday that people, goods and construction materials continue to cross through to Gaza, despite rockets launched at Israeli civilians and at the crossings themselves.
COGAT noted that since Thursday, the terror organizations have launched more than 147 rockets, mortar shells and Grad missiles towards the Israeli civilian population. During these attacks, one Israeli was killed and 13 others were injured, including one severely.
These attacks began after a series of terror attacks near the Egyptian border north of Eilat, in which eight Israelis were killed.
In spite of these attacks, Israel has approved the opening of the crossings between Israel and the Gaza.
Erez Crossing:
Since the beginning of the escalation 156 people have passed through the crossing, despite the two rockets that were launched at the crossing:
100 patients and companions exited for medical treatment in Israel
56 foreign international organization staff members crossed though the crossing (28 entered Israel and 19 exited to Gaza)
Kerem Shalom Crossing
The crossing operated, despite a rocket launched at it yesterday.
The crossing operated for a few hours, under threat, for the transfer of 80 truckloads of goods (2,554 tons) and 46 tons of cooking gas:
13 truckloads of fruits and vegetables 5 truckloads of meat and fish. 3 truckloads of dairy products 23 truckloads of mixed grain for animal feed 9 truckloads of mixed food products UNRWA transferred 21 truckloads of construction materials and 6 truckloads of flour.
Comment on this story
5. Ramat Migron Youth Fail Bail, Still in Jail
by Gil Ronen
Five of the youths arrested at the Ramat Migron outpost Saturday are still incarcerated because their parents have not succeeded in raising 10,000 shekels to deposit as security.
Most of the 18 youths who were arrested on Saturday were released without conditions Monday. However, with regard to five of them, Judge Mirit Forer determined that they would remain under house arrest for seven days.
The judge also ruled that each youth would have to deposit 10,000 shekels as security – as a condition for release to house arrest. She refused to allow them a time extension for raising the money after their release from jail.
Honenu, the NGO that helps Jewish nationalist prisoners, commented that the sum for deposit is an exceedingly steep one, which is usually only meted out in cases where there is a risk of flight from Israel. The youths have no criminal records, and four of them are minors.
Attorney Naftali Wirtzberger, who represents the youths on behalf of Honenu, appealed the verdict but the District Court refused to interfere in the Magistrates' Court decision.
The matter is to go back to the Magistrates' Court Monday for a renewed hearing.
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by Gil Ronen
Five of the youths arrested at the Ramat Migron outpost Saturday are still incarcerated because their parents have not succeeded in raising 10,000 shekels to deposit as security.
Most of the 18 youths who were arrested on Saturday were released without conditions Monday. However, with regard to five of them, Judge Mirit Forer determined that they would remain under house arrest for seven days.
The judge also ruled that each youth would have to deposit 10,000 shekels as security – as a condition for release to house arrest. She refused to allow them a time extension for raising the money after their release from jail.
Honenu, the NGO that helps Jewish nationalist prisoners, commented that the sum for deposit is an exceedingly steep one, which is usually only meted out in cases where there is a risk of flight from Israel. The youths have no criminal records, and four of them are minors.
Attorney Naftali Wirtzberger, who represents the youths on behalf of Honenu, appealed the verdict but the District Court refused to interfere in the Magistrates' Court decision.
The matter is to go back to the Magistrates' Court Monday for a renewed hearing.
Comment on this story
6. Google Street View Comes to Israel
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The government has given permission for Google Street View to operate in Israel but is requiring automatic blurring to protect privacy.
The Justice Ministry cleared Google Street View service in Israel, allowing viewers a panoramic picture of streets and even of people and vehicles through Google Maps, Globes reported.
"The panoramic photographs of public spaces randomly capture people and other objects that can identify a person, such as motor vehicles' license plates and residences,” the ministry stated. It emphasized that Google automatically blurs details, a condition stated in the agreement with Google.
The license also states that although the service is based in the United States, Israel can sue the company if it violates the agreement.
Google agreed not to challenge Israel’s Law, Information and Technology Authority’s power to take action against Google if there are violations.
Google also must advertise in newspapers and on the Internet that the public has a right to ask for additional blurring and must be told what streets can be photographed. Google also is required to clearly mark its vehicles, equipped with panoramic cameras that take the pictures that appear online.
“The registration terms we approved enable the operation of this high-value service without damaging the Israeli public's right to privacy,” said Law, Information and Technology Authority director Yoram HaCohen.
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by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The government has given permission for Google Street View to operate in Israel but is requiring automatic blurring to protect privacy.
The Justice Ministry cleared Google Street View service in Israel, allowing viewers a panoramic picture of streets and even of people and vehicles through Google Maps, Globes reported.
"The panoramic photographs of public spaces randomly capture people and other objects that can identify a person, such as motor vehicles' license plates and residences,” the ministry stated. It emphasized that Google automatically blurs details, a condition stated in the agreement with Google.
The license also states that although the service is based in the United States, Israel can sue the company if it violates the agreement.
Google agreed not to challenge Israel’s Law, Information and Technology Authority’s power to take action against Google if there are violations.
Google also must advertise in newspapers and on the Internet that the public has a right to ask for additional blurring and must be told what streets can be photographed. Google also is required to clearly mark its vehicles, equipped with panoramic cameras that take the pictures that appear online.
“The registration terms we approved enable the operation of this high-value service without damaging the Israeli public's right to privacy,” said Law, Information and Technology Authority director Yoram HaCohen.
Comment on this story
7. Libya: Rebels Take Green Square in Tripoli
by Elad Benari
The Libyan rebels took Tripoli’s central Green Square early Monday morning, the British Guardian reports.
The rebels waved opposition flags and fired guns into the air in jubilation after reaching the square, said the report, adding that local residents were seen pouring into the streets to celebrate and greet the rebel fighters. They renamed it Square of the Shaheeds.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor of the international criminal court confirmed earlier reports that Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, one of the sons of leader Muammar Qaddafi, had been detained.
There had also been reports that Qaddafi’s eldest son, Mohammed, and the presidential guard had surrendered but that Qaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound was still under the control of the regime.
Mohammed Qaddafi spoke to Al-Jazeera television early Monday morning and confirmed that he had been captured and was being held under house arrest. Israel's Second Radio said that this is not definite and that there may yet be hidden pockets of Qaddafi's loyalists.
Earlier on Sunday it was reported that Libya’s rebels had launched a daring mission to penetrate the capital, which until Saturday night had been considered Muammar Qaddafi’s last stronghold.
An advance party “from Misrata reached Tripoli this dawn by sea and joined the Tripoli rebels,” said Abdullah Melitan, a spokesman for the rebels. The capital was overrun in 72 hours.
Meanwhile, Qaddafi said he would stay in Tripoli “until the end” and previously vowed to "blow Tripoli up" should the rebels enter the city. Some analysts don't believe he intends to surrender.
In an audio message broadcast on Libyan state television, Qaddafi called on his supporters around the country to help liberate the capital from a rebel offensive.
“The time is now to fight for your politics, your oil, your land,” Al-Arabiya quoted Qaddafi as having said. “I am with you in Tripoli - together until the ends of the earth.”
Libyan information ministry spokesman Moussa Ibrahim has also insisted that Qaddafi’s forces would stand and fight, being quoted by the Guardian as saying, “We are still very strong. We have thousands and thousands of fighters who have nowhere to go but to fight.” Fighting is stlll going on in Brega.
The rebels, meanwhile, have reportedly said they would halt their offensive if Qaddafi announced his departure and added that they would give Qaddafi and his sons safe passage out of the country. One source even said they would let him stand for election.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
The Libyan rebels took Tripoli’s central Green Square early Monday morning, the British Guardian reports.
The rebels waved opposition flags and fired guns into the air in jubilation after reaching the square, said the report, adding that local residents were seen pouring into the streets to celebrate and greet the rebel fighters. They renamed it Square of the Shaheeds.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor of the international criminal court confirmed earlier reports that Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, one of the sons of leader Muammar Qaddafi, had been detained.
There had also been reports that Qaddafi’s eldest son, Mohammed, and the presidential guard had surrendered but that Qaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound was still under the control of the regime.
Mohammed Qaddafi spoke to Al-Jazeera television early Monday morning and confirmed that he had been captured and was being held under house arrest. Israel's Second Radio said that this is not definite and that there may yet be hidden pockets of Qaddafi's loyalists.
Earlier on Sunday it was reported that Libya’s rebels had launched a daring mission to penetrate the capital, which until Saturday night had been considered Muammar Qaddafi’s last stronghold.
An advance party “from Misrata reached Tripoli this dawn by sea and joined the Tripoli rebels,” said Abdullah Melitan, a spokesman for the rebels. The capital was overrun in 72 hours.
Meanwhile, Qaddafi said he would stay in Tripoli “until the end” and previously vowed to "blow Tripoli up" should the rebels enter the city. Some analysts don't believe he intends to surrender.
In an audio message broadcast on Libyan state television, Qaddafi called on his supporters around the country to help liberate the capital from a rebel offensive.
“The time is now to fight for your politics, your oil, your land,” Al-Arabiya quoted Qaddafi as having said. “I am with you in Tripoli - together until the ends of the earth.”
Libyan information ministry spokesman Moussa Ibrahim has also insisted that Qaddafi’s forces would stand and fight, being quoted by the Guardian as saying, “We are still very strong. We have thousands and thousands of fighters who have nowhere to go but to fight.” Fighting is stlll going on in Brega.
The rebels, meanwhile, have reportedly said they would halt their offensive if Qaddafi announced his departure and added that they would give Qaddafi and his sons safe passage out of the country. One source even said they would let him stand for election.
Comment on this story
8. Analysis: The Inevitable in Libya Came Sooner than Expected
by Amiel Ungar
The way the Civil War ended in Libya provides a good start, but the hard challenge for the rebels is just beginning.
There should be no doubt, however, that without the Western intervention, the results would have been completely different.
Firstly, Western airpower in a country ideally suited for an aerial campaign deprived Moammar Qaddafi's forces of mobility and the ability to concentrate forces. They were compelled to fight from fixed positions, surrendering the initiative to the insurgents.
Secondly, as long as the West could maintain its aerial intervention the best that the Libyan dictator could hope for was a draw because without effective resupply, his forces were doomed to become weaker, while his enemies, nourished increasingly with arms and money, were getting stronger. This created a sense of inevitability.
Countries and governments facing such a situation inevitably crack, unless they retain a hope of outside intervention, as Britain did during the Second World War.
They will fight on if they are controlled by a fanatical regime whose indoctrinated supporters are determined to fight to the death or if supporters are convinced that the fate that awaits them upon surrender is so terrible that they should persevere in the fighting.
The Libyan intervention was criticized strongly by China and Russia as well as by the African Union. It became, however, increasingly clear that this criticism would not trigger a counter intervention or attempts to break the blockade that was slowly starving the Qaddafi forces.
Again, the topography and geography helped. Libya is not Iraq, bordered by Syria and Iran, which would provided the ability to funnel in supplies and fighters.
Qaddafi may have inspired fear, but not fanatical loyalty, and nobody was going to fight to the death for his ridiculous Green book.
His attempt to belatedly mobilize Islam against the insurgents met with derision and the mosques played a role in the final battle against his regime.
While the regime change will undoubtedly produce winners and losers, this is not like the Syrian situation where the minority Alawites can expect economic and probably physical retribution, to say the least, should the Assad regime fall.
One element that has worked out well is the uprising is the final act in Tripoli and the myth of the popular uprising. This provided the revolution with its historic moment: the insurgents raising the old flag in Green Square, the epicenter of the Qadaffi Regime.
This is in stark contrast to the scene in Baghdad where the American troops, albeit encouraged by Iraqi crowds, toppled the statue of Saddam Hussein from its perch. It would have been wiser had the final scene been left for the Iraqis, just as the Allied forces liberating France in World War II realized that the first troops to enter Paris should be General de Gaulle's Free French forces.
It was also important to give Tripoli its share of the limelight to balance the prominence enjoyed up to now by Benghazi.
Now the hard part begins, with attempting to reunite the country. The fight against Qaddafi served as a glue holding the insurgents together in a country of tribal loyalties. Now that he and his family are effectively out of the picture the tricky task of allocating power and rewards begins.
Comment on this story
by Amiel Ungar
The way the Civil War ended in Libya provides a good start, but the hard challenge for the rebels is just beginning.
There should be no doubt, however, that without the Western intervention, the results would have been completely different.
Firstly, Western airpower in a country ideally suited for an aerial campaign deprived Moammar Qaddafi's forces of mobility and the ability to concentrate forces. They were compelled to fight from fixed positions, surrendering the initiative to the insurgents.
Secondly, as long as the West could maintain its aerial intervention the best that the Libyan dictator could hope for was a draw because without effective resupply, his forces were doomed to become weaker, while his enemies, nourished increasingly with arms and money, were getting stronger. This created a sense of inevitability.
Countries and governments facing such a situation inevitably crack, unless they retain a hope of outside intervention, as Britain did during the Second World War.
They will fight on if they are controlled by a fanatical regime whose indoctrinated supporters are determined to fight to the death or if supporters are convinced that the fate that awaits them upon surrender is so terrible that they should persevere in the fighting.
The Libyan intervention was criticized strongly by China and Russia as well as by the African Union. It became, however, increasingly clear that this criticism would not trigger a counter intervention or attempts to break the blockade that was slowly starving the Qaddafi forces.
Again, the topography and geography helped. Libya is not Iraq, bordered by Syria and Iran, which would provided the ability to funnel in supplies and fighters.
Qaddafi may have inspired fear, but not fanatical loyalty, and nobody was going to fight to the death for his ridiculous Green book.
His attempt to belatedly mobilize Islam against the insurgents met with derision and the mosques played a role in the final battle against his regime.
While the regime change will undoubtedly produce winners and losers, this is not like the Syrian situation where the minority Alawites can expect economic and probably physical retribution, to say the least, should the Assad regime fall.
One element that has worked out well is the uprising is the final act in Tripoli and the myth of the popular uprising. This provided the revolution with its historic moment: the insurgents raising the old flag in Green Square, the epicenter of the Qadaffi Regime.
This is in stark contrast to the scene in Baghdad where the American troops, albeit encouraged by Iraqi crowds, toppled the statue of Saddam Hussein from its perch. It would have been wiser had the final scene been left for the Iraqis, just as the Allied forces liberating France in World War II realized that the first troops to enter Paris should be General de Gaulle's Free French forces.
It was also important to give Tripoli its share of the limelight to balance the prominence enjoyed up to now by Benghazi.
Now the hard part begins, with attempting to reunite the country. The fight against Qaddafi served as a glue holding the insurgents together in a country of tribal loyalties. Now that he and his family are effectively out of the picture the tricky task of allocating power and rewards begins.
Comment on this story
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