It's never about a win for Israel, just keeping terror groups in check. It seems slowly Hamas is gaining power, getting more of what they want with each conflict.

If Israel gives in and stops it's blockade, the rockets and weapons will pour in for the next conflict.

Local radio here in north east UK are saying a ceasefire is looking more likely.

Yet if Israel maintains its blockade rockets and weapons still pour in plus Hamas makes a fortune running the black market.

Won't be many marketplaces left if Israel send in ground troops :)

I do not know who trustworthy this story is, it's from RT

http://rt.com/usa/news/us-navy-order-conflict-178/

Markus

The trouble is, the border with Egypt is even more porous than it used to be now that Egypt has a new government which is more pro-Palestinian than the last. So it's going to be even easier to get weapons across into the Gaza strip than before.
For Israel the Arab Spring was a real game changer, it's like the region has been reset to a point just after the Yom Kippor war with a hostile Egypt in the Sinai. The only good thing at the moment for Israel is that Syria is too busy tearing itself apart to consider joining with Egypt for another bash at the Six Day War. That and there are a whole myriad of alliances in the Middle East that are either tolerant of Israel or outright hostile. It's a mess, but until Mubarak fell, Israel could count on Egypt keeping the border secure.

Not now, and that's going to make things difficult for them.

Don't forget though, unlike the time Egypt, Syria et al attacked Israel she is better equipped and now has the nuclear option if being overwhelmed is a possibility.

I do agree though...the region is in a right bloody mess.

It is about a win for Israel. Such a win eliminates the possibility of rockets raining down or their cities. That is the condition for victory. I am confident in saying that regardless of the course of action, that victory, peace, will be impossible.

I doubt there will ever be peace in the region but hope the US in particular remains supportive of Israel....inevitable I suppose considering the size of the Jewish electorate in the US.

Politics....don't you just love it :)

I wasn't aware Hamas led a black market, thought they just stockpiled weapons smuggled from Iran and Libya.

I know they're talking, but I see a ground war coming.

Anyway, the Mid-East will remain a stain on the undergarments of society. You can never have peace there with all the radical Islamic groups.

Eventually Israel will clean the 'undergarments of society' but I'm not sure that is the best outcome/eventuality.

I do not hide my view of Turkey being a very underhanded actor since Erdoghan I. and his fundamentalists took the crown. Now they have gotten a deal with NATO to send Patriots to the border with Syria.

This comes at a time when Erdoghan again fires hate-dripping broadsides against Israel, just having called it a terrorist regime and the Gaza war an attempt of ethnic cleanings, and an attemopt to wipe out the Palestinians.

Unforgotten is his underhanded action about the Gaza flotilla, the provoking of a naval incident, his denial of international law supporting Israel establishing and reasons given for a blockade, his demands for Western action against Israel, his provoking of a incident that led to the Syrian shooting down a Turkish fighter penetrating into Syrian airspace.

I fear he is trying to bring NATO and the Eu into the whole mess against Israel by declaring a case of defence against Syria and thus demanding NATO to defend Turkey, but in fact, at least politically, wanting to push the West into his crusade against Israel.

As I see it, he is a constant liarm cheater and provocateur, and he is even more danewgrous now since the Arab Spring has costed Turkey dearly in influence in the Muslim world, influence that he wants to gain back by lobby<ing against the Jews. which is a natural choice, since Islam is absolutely racist and anti-Jewish/anti-Christian anyway and accepts to tolerate them only when they are on their knees, submissive and obedient.

Syria has not threatened to attack or invade or strike at Turkey in seriousness. No according propaganda. No warnings. The few shots fired into Turkey, were aimed at Syrian revolutionaries retreating into the border region.

It is also known that Turkey wants access to more modern weapons systems, with Patriots being high on their list - it could help them to threaten Israel's air force if it ever strikes at Iran or Northern Syria, and plans approach routes close to the Turkish border. I fear that once Syria comes to rest and the "threat" is gone, those Patriots will be agreed to be left in Turkey, simply.

Heck, it was allright during the cold war to have Turkey in NATO, they were reliable and solid indeed. But that was a Turkey politically differently oriented, and not driven by this damn AKP and its great Führer. The fundamentalists have turned it all into a totally different ballgame. I now hate to have Turkey still in NATO. It will bring serious trouble in the future. If not now, then in the future. Feel free to take me by my word: Turkey will bring NATO into a major crisis sooner or later.

The US hopelessly misjudges its conflict with Egypt and Turkey. Thus it will repeat the mistakes it does with Pakistan: pay the potentially enemy on and on and on and on to buy his "loyalty". That would work if the Us gives up Israel. Will it? Well, in the past US support for Israel was engraved in solid granite. But I think it has been changed against a wooden block recently. Still a solid block, hard and durable. But not as hard and solid anymore as granite. And a wooden block is easier to be lifted and carried away to be replaced with something of rubber, than a granite rock.

This is where I would disagree to some extent. I recognize Israel's right to exist. I also acknowledge the importance of Israel to defend itself from these attacks. Israel must act, and it is acting. However, I do not feel that our countries (the US and Israel) should be tethered together as Israel proceeds down this road. This is a regional conflict, and as with most of those I don't feel that the US should get involved. This is something that needs to play out, and I believe that a lot of the problem comes from the fact that we don't let it play out.

I am still very pissed off about the USS Liberty being mistaken for an egyptian warship, but I also have to forgive according to my faith.

It is a true fact however that if the protection of the United States of America were removed from Israel ... they would only last as long as it would take for their enemies to triumph over them and push them into the sea.

A world without Israel is intolerable to me (no smilie)