Hamas Now Using Dead 'Human Shields'

An Israeli Air Force drone filmed Hamas rocket crews firing missiles at Israeli territory from a graveyard somewhere in Gaza over the weekend.


Israeli Air Force pilots may actually appreciate this helpful gesture, which, a) simplifies heat-signature targeting (since the terrorists and rocket launcher are the only things there that are above ambient temperature - temporarily), and, b) greatly expedites the burial procedure of said rocketeers.

A tad militant of me, I know. Deal.

Elegy For Columbia (A Meditation)

(A meditation on the eighth anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster)

By Dave Bender

“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings...”

"I took it all for granted, that those giant, incredibly complex machines and their crews would always reach their goal, always safely return.

"Until February 1, 2003, when urgent news reports ripped aside the serenity, candles and prayer that marked the close of another peaceful Sabbath in Jerusalem. STS -107, Space Shuttle Columbia was lost, the radio blared, its crew killed upon reentry."

Read more.

(Photo) Netanyahu: 'Sanctions With Teeth' Against Iran (UPDATED)

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu striding towards the podium at the seventh annual Jerusalem Conference, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. (Photo: Dave Bender - All Rights Reserved).

By Dave Bender

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for “sanctions with teeth,” against the government of Iran, including imports of gas, and energy exports, in an address to a packed seventh annual Jerusalem Conference.

"'The argument is over,' Netanyahu said of the possibility that Iran was trying to make a nuclear weapon, and added that Iran was a threat to world peace, and to Israel...."

Meanwhile, in a related item, The Jerusalem Post's Sarah Honig, commenting on the Dubai Hamas hit (that, just to keep in mind, was aimed at stopping a Hamas/Iranian attempt to get even more, longer-range weaponry to use against Israel), says pretty much what I've been telling many over the years - often, unfortunately, to little avail:

"'dam butlab dam' (blood begets blood– but only for some)'

"As in yesteryear, so in the 21st century, it’s axiomatic that Arabs have the right to inflict incalculable harm on Jews, but the Jews’ attempts to deflect such blows are evil, outrageous and deserving of merciless punishment."

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Other conference updates, audio and photos will be posted here: http://www.davebrianbender.com

On Shooting Mickey Mouse in Beirut

A very intriguing discussion in the New York Times among press shooters and editors about a series of photos taken in the aftermath of an Israeli bombing run against Hizbullah targets in Beirut during the 2006 war in Lebanon.

Read the rest:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/it-was-all-started-by-a-mouse-part-1/ War archives:

I was dealing with just these questions from the Israeli side of the border, as well.

My war archives:

• Flickerstream

• Blog Linkdump

• Audio

• Video

Video Profile: Women in The Israeli Army ('Current TV')

Current TV (yes that Current TV of North Korean-reporter "fame") take a close-up look at two female soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces: one, a combat ground forces medic, and the second a UAV operator in the Air Force:

Israel: A Million Stars (video)

On July 24, 2006 Lt. Tom Farkash, 23, was killed along with another pilot when their Apache helicopter crashed en route to a mission across the Lebanese border during clashes with Hezbollah terrorists. Tom was a second generation pilot. Ever since he was a child he'd looked forward to the day when he could join the Israeli Air Force like his father.

The same evening Tom's family received word of his death, his sister Amit, along with a friend, composed a song entitled "A Million Stars" in his honor. It is her farewell song to him.

A Million Stars

You wanted to fly, you wished to go further
With half a smile, you rose higher
A million stars in the sky
Catch and show your colors Give me just one second more to say goodbye to you

You wanted to fly, you went much too far
In all this insanity, there is no one left to care for me
A million stars in the sky Catch and show your colors I wanted just a second more to say goodbye to you

I wanted to sing
You picked up a guitar
And now an angel is playing for me
So with you I am singing
A million stars in the sky
Catch and show your colors
I wanted to sing to you, to bid you a farewell
I wanted a single second more to say goodbye to you
Give me just one second more to say goodbye to you – bye Tom

Translated by Avi Tsur

More on Israel Memorial Day here.

(H-T: Ruminations)

Heads-up: Syria 'retains right to respond' to Israeli overflight (updated)

Update:

Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal:

"Syria retains the right to determine the quality, type, and nature of our response to the Israeli attack," he told Al-Jazeera television. "The Syrian leadership is seriously considering its response."

From Haaretz:

The Syrian army said Thursday that its air defenses fired on an Israel Air Force warplane that entered Syria airspace and "dropped ammunition," the country's official news agency reported.

The Israel Defense Forces had no immediate comment, saying it would look into the report.

"We have no knowledge of anything like this. We will get back to you," an IDF spokeswoman said by telephone from Tel Aviv.

Syrian air defenses fired at the incoming plane, which crossed into Syria after midnight local time, the agency said.

Migh-ty laconic reply there, spokeswoman, considering the tensions over the last few months... umm, or perhaps not.

Ynet News backgrounder here.

More Syria posts here.