There was, and for many still is, a considerable amount of Stockholm Syndrome type anxiety amid the general population of Israel when it comes to decisions to mount defensive strategies using offensive engagements.
However, even the most dovish of the Israeli population recognized the inherent risk when the IDF began publically exposing the size, scope and intents of the Gaza Tunnels:

With thirty tunnels found and almost seventy entrances it is now apparent that there was a “second Gaza” under the ground – complete with weapons stocks and everything needed for a combined attack on Israel.

Some of the tunnels had storage facilities with IDF-issued uniforms, helmets and shoes, as well as syringes with tranquilizers and handcuffs, ready for kidnapping Israeli citizens and taking them into Gaza.

Some people have asked me how come Israel never saw these tunnels which have exits inside Israeli territory. The answer is that the tunnels are not fully dug. They leave the last 3-6 feet of dirt intact so that there would be no outward sign of a tunnel being there.

The Hamas plan, it now turns out, was to simultaneously dig out of those tunnels the last 3-6 feet and then attack Israel from 30 or 40 tunnels simultaneously, using hundred if not thousands of Hamas terrorists, some dressed as IDF personnel. Such a massive wave of attack, combined with a barrage of rocket fire, could have had a devastating effect on Israel – had it not been for Operation Protective Edge.

Even the doves within Israel recognized they could not simply attempt defense any longer.  Consequently the internal support for the Netanyahu and IDF response has been overwhelming.   Hamas must be left without the potential to create such a network again.  Against this reality Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to his nation:  (more…)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama administration officials were fuming Monday over a torrent of Israeli criticism of Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest bid to secure a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
In unusually harsh language, officials said the criticism of Kerry could put the relationship between the U.S. and Israel in jeopardy. They also said the personal attacks on Kerry crossed a line and were particularly disappointing at a time of active conflict.
Israeli media commentators have leveled almost nonstop criticism at Kerry in recent days over his attempts to bring Qatar and Turkey — two countries viewed by Israel as strong Hamas supporters — into the cease-fire negotiations. Kerry was also being accused of abandoning some of Israel’s key demands during the negotiations. (more…)

11 Days ago Doctors Without Borders sent a dire message to the Western world: “The Ebola contagion is expanding exponentially and we cannot control the epidemic”. With that announcement they presented the following video:

At the time of production there were approximately 603 confirmed deaths in the region with 90% of those who contracted the virus dying within a week of symptom presentation. Within a week the “known” death toll has risen to 690 and continues to rise.   Far more are suspected to have died in villages where aid workers have not been able to reach.
The most proficient doctor in the treatment of the virus has died, and within the last 24 hours the Western media have been notified of two more aid workers infected.
A doctor from the U.S., and another American, a hygienist who was supporting the efforts, have been diagnosed and are fully symptomatic.
Last night, as a containment measure, the entire border in/out of Liberia was closed. Things are worsening rapidly.

BREAKING NEWS: Ebola outbreak forces Liberia to shut border crossings http://t.co/vLqNkzUFRN

— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) July 28, 2014

(more…)

BREAKING NEWS: Ebola forces Liberia to shut border crossings  (link)

*NOTE*  Did Dr. Kent Brantly’s family anticipate the border closure ? (see article below)

BOONE, N.C. (AP) — A second American aid worker has tested positive for the Ebola virus at the same hospital in Liberia where an American doctor became infected while helping to combat an outbreak of the deadly disease, a relief group official said Sunday.
Ken Isaacs, a vice president of Samaritan’s Purse, told The Associated Press that Dr. Kent Brantly — the 33-year-old medical director for the group’s Ebola care center on the outskirts of the Liberian capital of Monrovia — was stable and in very serious condition.

“We are hopeful and prayerful,” Isaacs told AP by telephone from the group headquarters in Boone, North Carolina. He said the doctor quickly recognized the symptoms and sought speedy treatment.
Isaacs identified the second American, Nancy Writebol, as a worker with an allied aid group SIM, or Serving in Mission, which runs the hospital where Samaritan’s Purse has an Ebola care center on the grounds. He said she was in stable and serious condition.
(more…)

“We need to raise our voices, make ourselves citizens, sign up to vote and punish those who speak ill and criminalize children who come to our border”
~ Congressman Luis Gutierrez (in Spanish to rousing cheers)

CALIFORNIA – Authorities in California are searching for a fugitive homeless man who has refused treatment for tuberculosis and may be contagious.  An arrest warrant has been issued for Eduardo Rosas Cruz, 25, of Mexico.
Mr Cruz was diagnosed with the illness at a local emergency room in March but fled when asked to remain in the area for treatment. Health officials are concerned he may be infected with a drug-resistant strain of the illness.
“We need help getting him in,” San Joaquin County public health officer Dr Alvaro Garza told US media. “We’ve not been able to find him in places he’s told us he’s going to be.”

(more…)

…. and now we know why Kerry was so insistent on a cease fire.  Hamas was getting their asses kicked, they need time to recover and reconstitute.

(TJP)  Operating behind enemy lines in Gaza during the conflict with Hamas, the elite Maglan unit has attacked dozens of terrorists cells that fired on the IDF, destroyed areas used to launch rockets at Israel, and killed and injured 40 terrorists in recent days.
A senior source from the unit revealed that its members have targeted Hamas gunmen waiting in ambush for the IDF’s Ground Forces, striking the threats right before Israeli forces pass by the ambushes.
The Maglan unit has detected and destroyed forward Hamas posts and rocket launchers. It has detected a cross-border underground attack tunnel leading into Israel from Gaza, and found 20 bomb-laden, booby-trapped homes in Gaza. The unit also uncovered a very large quantity of weapons, and enemy intelligence files in raids. (more…)

When the state wages war against its people … It is time for the people to replace the state.

“We need to raise our voices, make ourselves citizens, sign up to vote and punish those who speak ill and criminalize children who come to our border”
~ Congressman Luis Gutierrez (in Spanish to rousing cheers)

Despite the threats of violence and bombs thousands of Pro-Israel supporters joined Pam Geller to show unwavering support for Israel:

Wolverine Pam Geller has lots more pictures HERE:

Meanwhile in Boston (more…)

Last week we shared the story of reports from inside the Border Patrol who refused to participate in removing the Murietta protesters.   When DHS riot squads were called into action by the Obama administration the Border Patrol warned they would ‘stand down’ and not enforce -or participate in- the aggressive tactic.
In response to that article many people said such a position was hard to believe because the current federal government has so radicalized and militarized so many agencies – people simply find it hard to believe the BP law authority would refuse to obey.
I kept quiet and chose not to argue the point.    However, what many people forget is how the Obama regime began their tenure.  Remember Brian Terry, or Fast n Furious?   The Obama administration has been openly and specifically hostile to the U.S. Border Patrol boots on the ground.   The BP know this administration does not care about their personal safety.   Today’s border activity is yet another example of why, if push comes to shove, the Border Patrol will side with citizens, not the administration:

FOX EXCLUSIVE: RINCON PENINSULA, Texas — U.S. Border Patrol agents on the American side of the Rio Grande were forced to take cover Friday night when high-caliber weaponry was fired at them from the Mexican side of the river, sources told FoxNews.com.
The weapons were fired at the U.S. side of the riverbank in the area of the Rincon Peninsula across the Rio Grande from Reynosa, Mexico, at about 8:30 p.m., sources said. Bullets ricocheted into an area where Border Patrol agents were positioned, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, told FoxNews.com.  (more…)

It should be anticipated the Muslim Brotherhood will intensify calls for further attacks against Egyptian authorities – especially given the el-Sisi support for Israel’s efforts against Hamas.    The Brotherhood and Hamas are ideological brethren.   With Libya in a state of civil war and crisis, the Eastern Libya border to Egypt will be used by the severe Islamists as an incursion zone to attack.   

Remember the most hated man in the region (by the terrorists) is not Benjamin Netanyahu, it is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi .  President el-Sisi has deconstructed the terror networks, arrested the brotherhood members, and jailed the violent extremists.

VIA BBC – Gunmen have killed at least 15 soldiers in an attack on a checkpoint in western Egypt, security officials say.

The attackers used grenade launchers and heavy machine guns when they attacked the desert post some 390 miles (630km) west of Cairo, officials said.  It is not yet clear who carried out the assault.  Militants have intensified a campaign against the security forces since the Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was ousted from power just over a year ago.  (link)
(more…)