All Times Israel Time
UPDATE (6:00 pm Friday): Palestinian Hamas terrorist missiles fired at Ashkelon Chof region last night. “Rock” throwing at Israeli motorists in Judea and Samaria today.
TODAY’S BLOG:
Do you ever have one of those moments, dear reader, when you shake your head and ask yourself what in the world is going on?
Israeli fuel trucks coming into Gaza today.
This morning Israel transferred 450,000 liters of diesel oil to Hamas in Gaza so that the power plant in Gaza can have enough fuel to operate at full capacity for one day–the first day that it has been able to operate at full capacity during the last month.
A few hours before Israel idiotically made this humanitarian gesture to Hamas, the ‘humanitarians’ in Hamas fired more rockets at the residents of southern Israel–and they will continue to try to randomly kill more men, women, and children in southern Israel tonight.
By what outrageous logic does Israel supply fuel to the very terrorist entity that is trying to kill Israeli citizens?
Remarkably, the transferral of the oil was approved by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Major-General Eitan Dangot, “in view of the dire situation in Gaza.”
“Dire situation”?
If there is a dire situation in Gaza, it is because Egypt has stopped Hamas from smuggling diesel oil in through the smuggling tunnels from Egypt.
But Egypt has not stopped the legitimate sale of oil from Egypt to Gaza.
The simple fact is that Hamas is refusing to pay Egypt the market price for the oil because the smuggled oil is substantially cheaper than the oil sold at the regular market price.
Palistinian women in Hamas Gaza demonstrating three days ago for Egypt to allow fuel smuggling to continue.
And as I have suggested before, Hamas’ refusal to buy the oil begs the question of just how dire the situation really is. Is it really true that Gazan hospitals do not have enough fuel? Is it really true that Gazan homes do not have enough fuel? Or is Hamas just playing the victim card for the thousandth time? Your humble servant sincerely doubts that the situation in Gaza is as “dire” as is being portrayed.
And so what if it is? The people in Gaza voted for terrorist Hamas–and need to live with the decisions that Hamas makes.
And why in the world is it Israel’s responsibility to step in and supply the oil that Egypt refuses to supply? Some in Israel–including the leadership of the IDF–are still living in the past at a time when Israel controlled Gaza.
Why in the world does Israel have an ‘Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories’ that has anything to do with Gaza? Israel pulled out of Gaza over half a decade ago. Continuing to paternalistically “care for” Gaza only reinforces the ridiculous international opinion that Israel is somewhat responsible for what happens there.
Believe me when I tell you, that the decision to supply Gaza with oil has everyone in southern Israel infuriated.
As far as we are concerned, Gaza can rot in hell.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.