Israel has just completed another weapons-tunnel discovery operation on the Rafah border. ?Operation Root Canal? was pretty routine stuff and there were Palestinian casualties. Arafat?s spokesperson (I hear the Chairman isn?t feeling too well) called the operation a "war crime and a human tragedy." The UN?s Kofi Annan didn?t mince words either, saying that Israel's "disproportionate use of force in densely populated areas is not compatible with international humanitarian law."
But I do have a few questions...
By now, we?ve all heard about the complex system of tunnels that the Palestinians have developed in order to smuggle sophisticated weaponry into Gaza. But why is it that the media rarely speaks about the origins of these tunnels? Do they simply sprout out of nowhere? This is the land of miracles and wonders, but somehow I doubt that these tunnels are spontaneously generated and spew forth AK-47 assault rifles at will.
This leaves us with the following feasible options:
a) The tunnels and the factories producing the weapons have their origins in Hell;
b) The entrance point of the burrows, as well as the source of the deadly contraband, is Egypt; or
c) All of the above
Good Morning, Israel - open your eyes. And you thought Egypt was the land of de-Nile. That?s right, under the watchful eye, and dare I say, encouragement, of the Egyptian authorities, massive amounts of sophisticated weaponry is making its way into the hands of the PA, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Tanzim, Fatah, the Popular Front and every other Palestinian over the age of three (including both male and female law, engineering and medical students).
Now, in case your cerebral wheels are already spitting out rationalizations like, ?well... hey, anybody can quietly dig a tunnel under an Egyptian home in the darkness of the night,? please be aware that these tunnels are not being dug with tablespoons, or even the very best shovels that Home Center has to offer. These subterranean passages are dug with sophisticated machinery (the kind that make lots of noise) and the very best in engineering know-how.
They have an elaborate support system, elevators, electricity, communications systems and even wood-paneling (you didn?t know that those guys behind the masks have a taste for the aesthetic).
Perhaps there was a small clause in the 1978 Egyptian-Israeli Camp David Peace Accords that permits Egypt to slowly bleed us via the border at Rafah. Maybe Israel prefers to play down the Egyptian origins for fear of further endangering the life of Israeli citizen Azzam Azzam, who continues to languish in an Egyptian prison (never mind the lives of every man, woman and child in Israel). I don?t know - there?s so much we don?t know.
But what I do know is that these passages are indeed another mind-boggling and horrifying wonder, produced exclusively in the Middle East; tunnels that are dark at both ends.
But I do have a few questions...
By now, we?ve all heard about the complex system of tunnels that the Palestinians have developed in order to smuggle sophisticated weaponry into Gaza. But why is it that the media rarely speaks about the origins of these tunnels? Do they simply sprout out of nowhere? This is the land of miracles and wonders, but somehow I doubt that these tunnels are spontaneously generated and spew forth AK-47 assault rifles at will.
This leaves us with the following feasible options:
a) The tunnels and the factories producing the weapons have their origins in Hell;
b) The entrance point of the burrows, as well as the source of the deadly contraband, is Egypt; or
c) All of the above
Good Morning, Israel - open your eyes. And you thought Egypt was the land of de-Nile. That?s right, under the watchful eye, and dare I say, encouragement, of the Egyptian authorities, massive amounts of sophisticated weaponry is making its way into the hands of the PA, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Tanzim, Fatah, the Popular Front and every other Palestinian over the age of three (including both male and female law, engineering and medical students).
Now, in case your cerebral wheels are already spitting out rationalizations like, ?well... hey, anybody can quietly dig a tunnel under an Egyptian home in the darkness of the night,? please be aware that these tunnels are not being dug with tablespoons, or even the very best shovels that Home Center has to offer. These subterranean passages are dug with sophisticated machinery (the kind that make lots of noise) and the very best in engineering know-how.
They have an elaborate support system, elevators, electricity, communications systems and even wood-paneling (you didn?t know that those guys behind the masks have a taste for the aesthetic).
Perhaps there was a small clause in the 1978 Egyptian-Israeli Camp David Peace Accords that permits Egypt to slowly bleed us via the border at Rafah. Maybe Israel prefers to play down the Egyptian origins for fear of further endangering the life of Israeli citizen Azzam Azzam, who continues to languish in an Egyptian prison (never mind the lives of every man, woman and child in Israel). I don?t know - there?s so much we don?t know.
But what I do know is that these passages are indeed another mind-boggling and horrifying wonder, produced exclusively in the Middle East; tunnels that are dark at both ends.