the true self defensive war was the one put up by Hamas. Similar to the senario in Lebanon in 2006, the continuation of rockets fired into Askelon ended the pogrom. I am with Micheal Neumann on this:

http://www.counterpunch.org/neumann01132009.html

http://www.counterpunch.org/neumann01132009.html

Now why do these guys in the pictures wear masks? I mean it can't be because they fear identification and subsequent punishment by Israel, since Israel punishs everybody anyway.

Why bother with the masks?

May be some of these "Islamists" are false-flag agents. Paid mercaneries/Mossad operatives that provide the pretext for Israeli aggression and land grabbing.

Of course it's just a theory, but it's not out of the realm of possibilities right?

Everyone is so damned careful to preface any criticism of Israel with a statement about Hamas' "criminal" act of shooting firecrackers into the Negev.

Until they read Henry Siegman's excellent article Israel's Lies in the upcoming London Review of Books here:
link to lrb.co.uk
/>

May be some of these "Islamists" are false-flag agents. Paid mercaneries/Mossad operatives that provide the pretext for Israeli aggression and land grabbing.

Of course it's just a theory, but it's not out of the realm of possibilities right?

Not a theory. Ha'aretz reported this about 10 days ago. I dont have a link. I downloaded the article but can't find it because I didn't put it in the right folder.

Then there is this:

January 11-12, 2009 — Little-reported statement of Hamas imam links Israeli Mafia to arms supplies to Hamas

A Hamas imam, who recruits for Hamas in the West Bank, was reported to have told Die Presse Vienna that elements of the Israeli army provided his group with weapons. The comments of Iman "Ali" were made during an undated interview with Die Presse and the interview was reported on December 3o, 2008.

When asked where Hamas gets its weapons, "Ali" replied, "Smuggling, for example from Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood supports Hamas. But the Mafia in the Israeli Army also sold us weapons during the Intifadah. Israel does that to this day. It often happens that Israeli soldiers lie that they have lost their weapons. In reality they sell them to Hamas. And Hamas takes them because it must have weapons, it makes no difference who they come from. Hamas is poorly armed. The explosives are handmade, just like the Qassam rockets."

When asked why Israelis would want to pass weapons to Hamas, Ali responded, "Israel's interest is that Hamas be well-armed so that the world sees that Hamas is militarily fully equipped. Two things can be said on that: First of all, Hamas knows about it. Second, Hamas has a weak army. The strength of Hamas is the loyalty of its members. They would not cheat the army. But Israel makes the press, the propaganda. For everything that happens Israel has a scapegoat: Hamas. Israel tends toward exaggeration only to show that Hamas is a terror movement."

It is well known that Hamas was created by Mossad to act as a foil against Yasir Arafat's Fatah movement. Apparently, the links between Israel and Hamas continue to this day.

Hamas fighter sporting Magen David

also on digg

Weapons are smuggled into Gaza from Israel,
says Egyptian human rights official,
Daily Star (Egypt), Jan 23 2009
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/01/24/two-gaza-narratives.html#comment-37114 <p>The question is not whether these weapons come from Israel or Egypt. The question is Can Hamas as the democratically elected government of Palestine owns weapons. and Can they use the rockets to break the siege which itself has been an ongoing act of war since its beginning in 2007. <br /> according to Michael Neumann, yes Hamas has the right to have weapon and use it, even against Askelon and Sedrot. I tend to agree with him. <br /> http://www.counterpunch.org/neumann01132009.html<br /> </p> The question is not whether these weapons come from Israel or Egypt. The question is Can Hamas as the democratically elected government of Palestine owns weapons. and Can they use the rockets to break the siege which itself has been an ongoing act of war since its beginning in 2007.
according to Michael Neumann, yes Hamas has the right to have weapon and use it, even against Askelon and Sedrot. I tend to agree with him.
link to counterpunch.org
/>