Cynical

While all attention was focussed on the Gaza Strip and the breakdown of the Egyptian border, other political events were occurring in Israel. The Organization of Bereaved Families of soldiers killed in the second Lebanon War held a meeting in the Knesset on Wednesday, attended by eight Kadima MKs among others, and blasted PM Olmert, calling on him to resign.In the speech he gave at the Herzliya Conference the next day, sponsored each year by the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center, Olmert answered them and many other critics. He basically said that he will not let considerations of politics interfere with his responsibility to negotiate peace with his Palestinian partners. In other words, whatever mistakes he made, and whatever the Winograd Report, to be released next week, concludes, he will hang on to power. This is what we have come to expect from cynical politicians.Friday night there were two terrorist attacks in the Jerusalem area. At Pisgat Zeev north of Jerusalem a border post was fired on by two terrorists, one security guard was killed and a policewoman injured. The gunmen got away. In the south of Jerusalem near Kfar Etzion, two terrorists broke into a Yeshiva, and stabbed two people in the library, but the teacher managed to wrest a pistol from one of the attackers and shot both of them dead! This is life in Israel.Meanwhile the Egyptians have been embarrassed by Hamas and the Palestinians in Gaza, since although they sent in their security forces, prepared to do battle, Hamas merely sent in a bulldozer and opened another big hole in the fence. The free flow of Gazans into Egypt may herald a new relationship that gives more responsibility to Egypt for Gaza and allows Israel "off the hook" somewhat. PM Haniyeh has threatened that he will likewise send 500,000 people to break down the Israeli border. Given the incompetence and stupidity of this Govt. I doubt that they have made any preparations for such an onslaught, but clearly the IDF guards, although they shoot anyone who comes up to the border fence, will not shoot on a crowd of civilians.The main danger in the situation of the open Gaza-Egyptian border for Israel, is that although Egypt signed an agreement with Israel whereby they undertook to control security at the Gaza border, they have not been doing this. So the terrorists, under Iranian guidance, are probably "smuggling" more rockets, and longer range ones, over the border as I write this. No doubt this will result in more Israeli casualties and a deterioration of the situation. Something that Iran wants and Egypt tolerates while pretending to be "moderate." Also, Israel has banned all travel near the Egyptian border for fear of Palestinian terorrists who have escaped Gaza via Sinai and will try to infiltrate Israel to kill and capture innocent Israelis.The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution 50:1 condemning Israel for the "collective punishment" of the Gaza population, without a single reference to the 4,200 rockets and mortars that have been fired into Israel in the past few years. And the 30 other countries present, including most of the EU, abstained rather than voting against! This is as cynical as it gets. The UN Security Council has also been discussing the Gaza situation, and there at least the rockets have been included in the draft resolution. However, because of this, Libya, this months SC Chair, is blocking presentation of this resolution because it contains this "impediment."I say that having withdrawn completely from Gaza, and not owing the Gazans anything, and being in a state of war with them, we should simply stop all supplies and let them rot. Let them get their supplies from Egypt and Iran!