Terrorists attacked both Israel *and* Egypt:

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

And as of now Egypt's reverted to an indefinite closure of the border with the Gaza Strip and there were even joint IDF-Egyptian military patrols after this. I think that may actually be a first in terms of official collaboration: Israel working with an Islamist-ruled Arab state to crack down on terrorists. Depending on how you see it this is either very, very good or the prelude to things getting even worse than they already are. So far there is no direct proof that Hamas was behind this one, though my personal opinion is that it's Islamic Jihad which may qualify for Biggest Dumbasses in the region at this point.

As of now the whole Israeli-Egyptian border issue just got very interesting indeed:

http://news.yahoo.com/islamists-kill-15-egyptians-israel-strikes-attackers-003156951.html

Israel, at least according to the Jerusalem Post, is also considering an enhanced Egyptian presence in the Sinai as justfiable. That may also be a first, especially when we remember just which party is controlling Egypt and authorizing both the crackdowns and the closing of the border. It seems the Muslim Brotherhood doesn't like Hamas and Islamic Jihad very much, though both in their usual Baghdad Bob fashion give Israel's government rather more credit than it deserves at this point:

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=280330

This should be interesting........

Comments

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Not again (http://talk-politics.livejournal.com/1506722.html)...

Seems like Iran's proxies Hamas have gone a step too far, and prompting former arch-foes to hug each other across their shared border.

It's an example of unmeasured steps hitting one on their back, this time that one being Iran, not the US. A refreshing fact, for a change.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Yes, unfortunately, and in one of the areas where the Egyptian revolution had actually given it *gains* here. I think that if they actually wind up getting the Israelis to allow Muslim Brotherhood-ruled Egypt to remilitarize the Sinai, that may qualify for Most Unlikely Event of 2012. Hamas does seem to be deliberately doing the dumbest possible actions it can do whenever opportunity to do so even partially presents itself.

[root-fu.livejournal.com]

I heard about this. I even heard about the part where a high ranking member of Hamas accused zionists of orchestrating the killings of egyptian soldiers which led to these circumstances.

Speaking of zionists, how much of the following is true?

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Hamas always blames Israel for everything, even though it's not exactly true. If the Israeli government were this sly it wouldn't be as reliant on a coalition of the misfits as it is. It certainly would not be left to outright incompetents like Nutandyahoo as leaders.

[root-fu.livejournal.com]

The middle east blaming Israel for things is pure comedy.

Iran arrests pigeons claiming theyre Israeli spies (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/3229526/Iran-arrests-pigeons-spying-on-nuclear-site.html).
Israel could be behind deadly shark attack (http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/12/07/egyptian-official-believes-israel-deadly-shark-attack/)

I think they're correct in suspecting Israel sometimes though.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

If we judge by Israeli leaders themselves, including interviews that were censored for decades, then there are quite a few instances where Israel "defended" itself by provoking wars in a masterful fashion but nonetheless the ones to provoke them.

Claiming that the current crop of idiots running the Israeli government could pull this off, however, is pure and unadulterated nonsense. Even Ariel Sharon couldn't do this kind of thing and if any Israeli leader could do it, it'dve been either him or Begin.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind that the Rothschild family is not the best representative of either Jews or the Zionist movement. It is a family whose wealth was born out of the conflict between warring European princes. Czarist jealousy of Rothschild wealth gave rise to the myth of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a favorite anti-Semitic screed of the German National Socialists and their fellow travelers.