From the Hidden - Weekly Column

Operation Cast Lead: About Time

By Anne T. Garcia

Suppose the Mexican Army began shelling San Diego, hitting homes and schools. How long do you think it would take for the U.S. military to kick butt and take names?
Well, the southern Israeli towns of Sderot and Ashkelon have been taking it on the chin from Hamas for almost two years. Finally at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, Israel responded with Operation Cast Lead. It's about time.

Using both manned air planes and drones, the Israeli Air Force unleashed deserved fury on their neighbors to the south. The Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip were genuinely surprised.

According to the Drudge Report thousands of Gazans had received Arabic language messages on their cell phones from the IDF. The heads up was "leave homes where militants might have stashed weapons."

If you've got a heart, you've got to love Israel's attempt to decrease civilian casualties.

Contrast that with the bold, brave Muslims who regularly use their women and children as human shields. Hamas is also threatening to kidnap Israeli officials.

Operation Cast Lead was ordered by Israel's Kadima Party, which is presently in power. New elections are slated Feb. 10. Kadima is trailing in the polls to the Likud Party and its standard bearer Benjamin Netanyahu.

Kadima's Tzipi Livni wants to be the next prime minister. Let's pray the Israeli electorate remembers she was one of those who favored giving Gaza to the Palestinians in the first place. It proved to be a colossal error.

Since "land for peace' has never been successful, one wonders if the shell-weary Israelis will return the hawkish Netanyahu to power. He has vowed to never give up an inch of Jerusalem or the Golan Heights.

Meanwhile the Western world weighed in on the current crisis, with the usual suspects sympathetic to Hamas. France decried Israel's "disproportionate force," while the EU and UN secretary-general called for an immediate cease fire.

Britain's Gordon Brown equivocated: "I am deeply concerned by continuing missile strikes from Gaza on Israel and by Israel's response today."

Only the good ole USA remained staunchly in Israel's corner. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe offered this response from the Bush White House: "Hamas' continual rocket attacks into Israel must cease if the violence is to stop." Secretary of State Condolezza Rice also blamed Hamas.

President-elect Barack Obama's office, citing the "one president at a time" rule, declined to comment. Friends of Israel (read that: Conservative Christians) and Jews all over the world are on the edges of our seats, waiting for post Jan. 20 White House Middle East policy.

The reaction to the Gaza attack on the Arab street was telling, illustrating again the schism between the Shiites and the Sunnis.

Iran's Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a fatwah, ordering Moslems to defend Palestine "in any way possible." He castigated Sunni Arabs for their lack of response, complaining, "The even greater catastrophe is the encouraging silence of some Arab governments who claim to be Islamic."

The silence of the Sunnis was addressed by Meir Javedanfar of the Jerusalem Post: "Pro-American Arab governments, such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, together with Gulf states, are trying to become involved in the negotiations over Iran's nuclear program . . . An increase in Hamas capability [if Israel failed to crush Hamas] . . . would have increased Iran's popularity on the Arab street."

Although Hamas is not an Iranian creation, as is Hezbollah, continued Iranian support is

drawing them into its orb.

Expect the Gaza Offensive to conclude in a "hudna." Wars with Muslims have ended with hudnas since the days of Mohammad. In a hudna the Muslims agree to a cease fire, getting the best terms they can, and promise to live in peace. Then they rearm to the teeth, hoping the next time they will win it all.

One day they really will-for three and a half terrible years