J-Post.com

Two new polls show that Americans strongly back Israel over Hamas in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

A McClatchy/Ipsos poll found that 44 percent of Americans support Israel’s use of force, in comparison to 18% who think Hamas’s use of force is appropriate. And 57% think the latter is using excessive force - something only 36% believe Israel to be doing.

The poll also found that more Americans now oppose rather than support creating a Palestinian state, with 45% saying the US shouldn’t favor one, versus 31% who said it should and 24% who didn’t know.

In addition, the majority of Americans (51%) are not confident that President-elect Barack Obama will be able to forge a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians once he takes office: 32% said they were somewhat confident, and only 10% said they were very confident.

A large plurality, 49%, put the blame for the current conflict squarely on Hamas, with only 14% blaming Israel and 29% undecided. Nine percent said both, and 4% said neither.

A recent poll by the pro-Israel advocacy group The Israel Project also found that more Americans (55%) hold Palestinians responsible for the violence rather than Israelis (11%), with 23% blaming both and 5% blaming neither. They also fault Palestinian leaders over Israeli ones for the humanitarian crisis (66%-17%), and see the latter as working toward peace more than the Palestinians (48%-5%).

The people surveyed identified the conflict as stemming more from ideology and religion than land (73% versus 19%). Between 87% and 91% of those questioned agreed that stopping Iran from training and funding terrorists, and Palestinians from firing rockets and teaching hate, was important to bringing about peace. A much lower percentage - 38%-41% - felt it was important for Israel to stop building settlements and to give Palestinians land, open the Gaza borders and stop the military incursion in the Strip to bring peace.

The Israel Project survey as was conducted among 800 registered voters from January 10 through January 12, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5.

The McClatchy/Ipsos poll was conducted from January 6 through January 12 among 1,054 Americans 18 and older. The margin of error was +/- 3 percentage points.

We have your back, Israel!

Hat Tip: Israel Matzav

Note the swastikas that represent the helicopter’s rotors, because everyone knows what Nazis the Jews have always been!

Proof writes:

This picture was taken at a UK pro-HAMAS rally. I am continually amazed that, as Ann Coulter points out in her new book, it is often the victims who are accused of being the oppressors. The Jews, who suffered millions of casualties under Hitler’s regime, are the last people on the planet to be compared with the Nazis…unless like the Nazis, you need to dehumanize them before you destroy them! In which case, these HAMAS (Hide Among Mosques And Schools) sympathizers know exactly what they’re doing!

Note, too, the bomb “Made in USA”, complete with American flag, being dropped on the Giant Baby Bottle of Blood! (I would think, a baby bottle of blood as big as a helicopter could be a frightening thing, but who am I to judge? )

Would it be too much to ask these people to get off their duffs and protest all the rockets being fired into Israel which bring about the Israeli response? There is video posted of Israeli pilots who actively avoided civilian casualties while hunting down the animals that target their families. You can see it here. So, the image of Israelis bombing children is merely a base and baseless calumny from the pro-HAMAS protesters. But, as propaganda, to the “victims” who are in reality the oppressors dedicated to wiping Israel off the map, no lie is too big. No slander is too great. This is merely another in a long line of lies.

Proof says all that needs to be said.

Hat Tip: Proof Positive

Remember when angry Hamas supporters burned posters of Barack Obama?

Well, they threw shoes at Barack Obama posters, too.

Shoe chucking is not so funny now, huh, liberals?

Here is the video:

While chucking “freedom sneakers” at Obama’s poster, Hamas supporters also “Death to Obama!”.

Lovely.

Hat Tip: Gateway Pundit

Israel National News

The so-called “Iranian Unit” of Hamas has been destroyed, according to Gaza sources cited Thursday by the Haaretz daily. The sources said most of the unit’s 100 members were killed in fighting in the Zeytun neighborhood of Gaza City.

The terrorists had been trained in infantry tactics, the use of anti-tank missiles and the detonation of explosives, among other skills, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard at Hizbullah camps in Lebanon’s Beka’a Valley, as well as sites in Iran.

The IDF Southern Command has reportedly stepped up ground operations in Gaza, in anticipation of a ceasefire declaration in the near future. Senior officers said Thursday that there are probably no more than a few days until the end of the fighting.

Hamas: We Didn’t Expect It.

Two captured terrorists interviewed by Maariv/NRG say that Hamas was not expecting Israel’s response to the escalation in missile attacks on Israeli targets that preceded Operation Cast Lead.

One of them, a 52-year-old victim of a premature detonation who had already done time in an Israeli jail, said:

“Hamas took a gamble. We thought, at worst Israel will come and do something from the air - something superficial. They’ll come in and go out. We never thought that we would reach the point where fear will swallow the heart and the feet will want to flee. You [Israel] are fighting like you fought in ‘48. What got into you all of a sudden?”

The second terrorist, a 21-year-old, said Hamas brought order to Gaza, but also brought fear. He noted that it was dangerous in Gaza for non-Hamas members, citing an instance of his being beaten and another in which he saw a friend killed when he went to get gas. “Now they’re all gone,” he said. “There have been no Hamasniks in the streets since the start of the campaign.”

Wow!

The Israeli Defense Forces are going for the jugular.

They are going to destroy Hamas.

Keep kicking ass, IDF.

Hat Tip: Instapundit

UPDATE 1: Ed Morrissey at Hot Air adds:

This comes as a severe blow to the prestige of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, as well as Hezbollah. If their best can’t stand up for a week against the IDF, then their own enemies will look at their military as much less of a deterrent against action. Since their nuclear program appears close to fruition, this is the wrong time to send that kind of message about Iranian capabilities.

Ha’aretz also reports that Hamas badly miscalculated the effect of their renewed missile attacks on Israel. After watching the Olmert government in action in 2006 against Hezbollah and the political reaction to it, they assumed Israel would just return fire by air and cause “superficial” damage to their organization. Surprise!

Really, what got into Israel was the narrowing options for dealing with Hamas. They’ve tried just about everything, including cease-fires and the aforementioned air strikes, with no success. Invasion and absolute confrontation was about all they had left short of complete surrender. If Hamas leadership had paid attention, they might have realized this.

The Israelis are widely expected to bring the offensive to a halt in the next few days, but I’m not certain they will. They’re starting to do tremendous damage to Hamas both in Gaza and worldwide. They have restored the reputation for their military efforts that got damaged in 2006. The IDF and Israeli government should consider completing the rout of Hamas rather than worry about timetables at this point.

Sweet. Exactly what I said, but with better sentence structure.

Again, the IDF should just go for the jugular against Hamas and set an example if Hezbollah thinks about attacking Israel again.

Plus, the Hamas supporters ran over the Obama flag with their cars.

But I thought these people wanted Barack Obama in the White House?

I guess not.

Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin

Well, there is more news than the plane crash on the Hudson River.

Check out this amazing video!

Live Leak

Had to add the translation again as it wasnt part of the video file.

“Soldiers from the IDF Golani Infantry Division get ambushed by terrorists and respond by killing them.”

You don’t expect to see anything like this anywhere other than in the movies. Fair play to the IDF soldier, takes some guts to do that. Speaking of which I’d imagine there is a fair amount spread over the desert after that grenade went off.

Ace writes:

The video (QUALITY) is less than awesome, as you can’t see a damn thing, really.

But the narration — just imagining — is perfect. (I’ll take their word for it that the little black squibbles on the screen are doing what they say they’re doing.)

He turned a Hamas terrorist into his own human shield. Explosively ironic.

Israeli Defense Forces - 1,000,000

Hamas - 0

Hat Tip: ACE OF SPADES HQ

UPDATE 1: AllahPundit at Hot Air does not think the video is real.

Secretly, he knows it is real.

What a bunch of cowards.

Hamas leaders are hiding out in Gaza hospitals, too. I am sure they are using the sick and wounded as human shields.

Hat Tip: The Jawa Report

Zombie Time

Plus, liberals at the rally are already mad at Barack Obama. Apparently, Obama is not left-wing and radical enough for their tastes!

The only pro-Israel supporter at the rally was asked by the police to leave as pro-Hamas terrorist supporters burned flags.

The family that hates together, stays together!

Scoop This still stands with Israel.

Hat Tip: The Jawa Report

Breaking News…

Developing…

UPDATE 1: There is a report that the Israeli Defense Forces may have hit some type of warehouse with Hamas rockets, which caused huge explosions deep inside of Gaza.

Developing…

UPDATE 2: breitbart.com

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stood within Hamas rocket range Monday and warned Islamic militants that they face an “iron fist” unless they agree to Israeli terms for an end to war in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas showed no signs of wavering, however, with its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, saying the militants were “closer to victory.”

Despite the tough words, Egypt said it was making slow progress in brokering a truce, and special Mideast envoy Tony Blair said elements were in place for a cease-fire.

As Olmert spoke in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, Israeli tanks, gunboats and warplanes hammered suspected hiding places of Hamas operatives who control the poor, densely populated territory just across the border.

After nightfall, flares and explosions lit up the sky over Gaza and heavy gunfire was heard in parts of the coastal territory of 1.4 million people.

Fighting has intensified on both sides. Israeli forces continue to drive deep into Gaza.

Hamas leaders are hiding inside hospitals. They know their time is running out.

My friend Eric Golub of THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS attended a pro-Israel rally in Los Angeles this past weekend. There was also a simultaneous pro-Hamas rally.

Here is part of his report:

Over a 24 hour span, I attended one Pro-Israel rally and one anti-Israel gathering of terrorist murderers.

To describe the stark differences between the human beings that rallied for Israel on Sunday and the savage animals that congregated the day before would be akin to describing night and day. Like night and day, the differences should be self evident.

I was interviewed by FOX Los Angeles, although they edited out my more strident comments about wanting Iran and Syria to have their government buildings turned into 50,000 hole golf courses.

Unfortunately I was labeled as a “Pro-Israel Protester” instead of a “Pro-Israel Supporter.” Then again, this is local news. They did not have time to do the story about the escaped Panda from the zoo.

Besides, the Palestinians in these crowds would have most likely shot the infidel fuzzy critter.

Check out the video of Eric being interviewed!

Video link: My FOX LA.