Gaza Fires Rockets into Israel

Over the weekend Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired hundreds of rockets into Israel. Led by Hamas the Gaza strip has been free and unoccupied for many years now. It’s leaders have been democratically elected. The next time you think that what the world needs now are democratic elections, think of Gaza… and of Egypt, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Anyway, President Donald Trump and the American administration threw their wholehearted support behind Israel. When Israel responded by firing into Gaza the Trump administration was with them.

When it came to the candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination, guess what, not a single one of them dared utter the least word of support for our most important Middle Eastern ally. If you did not think that the Democratic Party had become the epicenter of American anti-Semitism, disembarrass yourself of your naivete.

It feels almost unnecessary to mention it, but Democratic Congresspeople like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, Jew-haters extraordinaire, declared themselves violently opposed to Israeli occupation. An especially vapid comment, even for them, because Gaza is not occupied by anyone except the terrorists that the people put in power… democratically.

Strangely enough, or perhaps not so strangely, Israel received support from some segments of the press in Saudi Arabia. The Jerusalem Post is careful to point out that most of the Saudi press is reflexively opposed to Israel, but one must also note that the comments must have received the tacit support of that country’s leaders.

So, Saudi Arabia is more pro-Israeli than today’s Democratic Party.

The Jerusalem Post reports:

Several prominent Saudi journalists and intellectuals tweeted their support for Israel in its latest confrontation with Hamas, according to a report from the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Some responses to the battles also blamed Iran for instigating the crisis.

"Our hearts are with you. May Allah protect Israel and its people," wrote Abd Al-Hamid Al-Hakim, former director of the Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Studies in Jeddah.

"We will not let the treacherous hand of Iran and its agents in Gaza reach the Israeli people," he continued. "It's time to say this out loud: confronting the terror of Hamas is the responsibility of all the countries in the region and of the international community [as a whole], not only of Israel. I say to the Arabs...: Do you want these murderers and agents of Iran to rule Jerusalem?!"

Al-Hakim has a history of pro-Israel statements, and a year ago he even tweeted his support for the opening of Saudi and Israeli embassies in the countries' respective capitals. Incidentally, he said the Saudi embassy should be opened in Jerusalem.

As you can see, the Saudis are playing Realpolitik. They understand that the attacks were ordered by Tehran, as a response to the Trump administration sanctions against their country. I suspect that they also noted that Iranian funding for Gaza terrorists was provided by the Obama administration. When Obama send all of that cash to Tehran, why do you think that it had to be in cash. Obviously, this made it easier to funnel the money to terrorist organizations.

The Post quotes two other journalists:

Saudi journalist Muhammad Aal Al-Sheikh asserted that Iran ordered the rocket strikes on Israel from Gaza because of US sanctions: "The Persians are tightening the pressure on the U.S. and Israel in retaliation for Trump's decision [to tighten sanctions on Iran], and the victims are the people of Gaza."

Another author, Dr. Turki Al-Hamad, wrote, ""It's a repeating loop: rockets [are fired] from Gaza into Israel, Israel bombs [Gaza], someone or other mediates, the fighting stops – and the common Palestinian folks pay the price. This is 'resistance,' my friend. Iran and Turkey are in trouble, and the Palestinians are paying the price."

Living in the neighborhood the Saudis have a clear understanding of what is happening. Apparently, such an understanding has not made its way into the minds of today’s Democratic politicians.

The article concludes:

Saudi Arabian media is experiencing a gradual thaw in attitudes toward the Jewish state. According to a previous report in MEMRI, Saudi pro-Israel voices have been making themselves heard for several years now.

The thaw is driven by the recognition among many Saudis that Saudi Arabia and Israel share a common enemy in Iran. Saudis view Iran, which is funding Houthi rebels in Yemen against whom the Saudis are currently fighting, as an existential threat, while they consider Israel to be, at least, the enemy of its enemy.