Israel launches air strikes in Gaza after rocket attack

Hamas is saying it was a stray missile that should have headed out to sea, but landed on Ashdod. They would be disappointed if the Israelis did not fire back, though, I expect.

Incredible photo here: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/rocket-gaza-lands-southern-israel-150526190055947.html

Hamas attacks Israel, but the press report starts with "Israel launches air strikes". The anti-Israel bias in the press is so blatant, it is almost laughable.

The anti-Israel bias in the press is so blatant, it is almost laughable.

Tell me about it. And this only the start. Wait till Hamas hides the stockpiles of weapons in their Mosques and kindergartens & bibi hits those targets. The carnage will be blamed on Israel, no doubt-

Wc626:

" Wait till Hamas hides the stockpiles of weapons in their Mosques and kindergartens & bibi hits those targets. The carnage will be blamed on Israel, no doubt- "

...and the press corps with the Hamas handlers dutifuly reports on bombing mosques and kindergartens, but turns off their cameras when Hamas thugs emerge from the same. That is the usual script. How many times have we seen it... deja vu.

That must be it willi, one big media conspiracy to make poor little Israel look bad.

Poor Palestinians. They pay the price when leaders of both sides show aggression. While the leaders sit in comfort.

If you hide weapons in hospitals and schools it would be reasonable to imagine that an enemy would not attack such targets, after all, there are innocent people in those places. Yes Israel can attack those targets and blame Hamas for using human shields - using human shields is a war crime... but so is attacking civilian targets such as hospitals and schools.

Suppose in downtown LA a bunch of terrorists planted a stockpile of weapons in a large hospital. Would the US then launch an air strike at that hospital? Same in Tel Aviv... would Israel attack a hospital if they knew that there were weapon caches in there?

I'm not pro Hamas at all, I despise all terrorists, but attacking civilian targets to get at the bad guys? It's a bit like shooting a through a hostage to hit the hostage-taker.

"the Ezzedine al-Qassam brigade, the armed wing of Hamas"

These terrorists need to be wiped out.

@Thunderbird2

Suppose in downtown LA a bunch of terrorists planted a stockpile of weapons in a large hospital. Would the US then launch an air strike at that hospital?

There are people here who would support nuking said hospital I don't doubt.

Also, it seems that Israel can have all the weapons it wants. But Palestinians are not allowed to have any. Israel can kill all the civilians it wants, just as long it claims collateral damage while shooting through that hostage, but if a Palestinian so much as hurls a pebble at an Israeli fingernail, they deserve to be burned alive with white phosphorus. along with the child sitting next to them.

And never mind how all those Palestinians became Palestinians, and got herded off their land and into ghettos.

@WilliB

Hamas attacks Israel, but the press report starts with "Israel launches air strikes"

First of all, we don't know who launched the rocket. It could have been a splinter group. It could have been Hamas. It could have been a Mossad plant. We don't know.

Second of all, ONE rocket was launched that day and it went into territory that Israel has been told repeatedly to withdraw from by most of the world, in other words, the post-67 borders. There were no casualties and no damage. But you scream that it was an attack that should be in the press so dominantly, that you should notice without really searching.

And in response to this over-sized bottle rocket that did nothing, Israeli sends in multi-million dollar military jets to pound four separate areas with laser guided missiles, each missile no doubt worth hundreds of over-sized bottle rockets in Palestine. Buildings are destroyed. People die, and if civilians were killed, Israeli jet pilots did not land to verify.

You say nothing of the disproportionate Israeli response, you don't even recognize it, and you, of all people, sit there and accuse others of bias???

And in response to this over-sized bottle rocket that did nothing, Israeli sends in multi-million dollar military jets to pound four separate areas with laser guided missiles, each missile no doubt worth hundreds of over-sized bottle rockets in Palestine.

Goes to show that Hamas or those "splinter groups" shouldn't take a knife to a gun fight. Do you think bibi is playing around? Allow "over-sized bottle rockets" to fired without any consequences? Bet you hundred bucks Hamas would use laser guided missiles too, if they had air capability.

It's not disproportionate. It is what it is.

Operation Protective Edge

Operation Pillar of Defense

Operation Cast Lead

The Sabra and Shatila Massacres

It's not disproportionate. It is what it is.

More to come if they don't stop pressing bibi's buttons too.

The principle of proportionality wasn't designed to assist weaker opponents in waging perpetual war against a stronger one. People seem content to use it like a crutch to help Palestinians wage war.

Wow. Well said . . . . . SuperLib turning to the "dark side?" -LoL

@SuperLib

People seem content to use it like a crutch to help Palestinians wage war.

Some war they are waging. A little rocket that did no damage.

Some war they are waging. A little rocket that did no damage.

Should not have fired a little rocket then. That in itself shows a hostile intent. What are they plotting next? A vehicle plowing through morning pedestrians or maybe a suicide bomber riding the evening bus.

@Wc626

Should not have fired a little rocket then. That in itself shows a hostile intent. What are they plotting next?

Who is they? You don't seem to have any clue in the world that Palestinians are not a coherent group and we still don't know who launched that single rocket.

Do you have any idea how many mortars have been lobbed over the DMZ between the two Koreas? Yet, revenge attacks on this scale have not occurred.

If cooler heads can prevail on the Korean peninsula, why not in Israel?