So who had the Christmas holiday's in the Israel starts another war sweepstake?

Israel has today launched the first wave of a massive military offensive into the Gaza Strip. Israeli air force F-16 jets have carried out bombing raids on 20 targets across the densely populated region killing over 150 around 50 of whom are believed to be civilian bystanders. Although Israel are attempting to justify the attacks as necessary to prevent Qassam rocket fire the targets include civilian infrastructure such as local government offices and a graduation ceremony for Gazan police officers who have been working to prevent rocket fire from Gaza's desperate militant groups. Hamas, Gaza's ruling party, have ordered a military response and launched rockets into Israel killing one. Fatah, Hamas' main political rival, have publicly condemned the attacks but privately are suggesting that Hamas have brought it on themselves by respecting the results of the Palestinian elections which Fatah lost. All three of the leading candidates in Israel's upcoming general election have stated that they think it is time to invade Gaza to topple Hamas and presumably expand Israel's borders.

It has been reported that this military operation was planned as far back as the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, at the start of October and the initial attack was meant to take place of the Christian festival of Christmas day but fog and cloud cover grounded the Israeli aircraft. If this is true then along with the long awaited delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza on St Stephen's day then it would appear that Israel is trying to manufacture international support for its latest nasty little war.

With most of the Western world taking December 25th off to celebrate Christmas by eating too much, arguing with their families and giving each other presents the Israeli air-strikes would have gone largely unnoticed. Then as people began to return to their televisions on the 26th (St Stephens/boxing day) they would have seen the Israeli's celebrating the birth of Christ by getting into the spirit of peace and goodwill by allowing a convoy of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Then with the traditional Muslim Friday prayers completed the world would have witnessed Hamas launching rockets into Israel not realising that it was a response to a particularly brutal Israeli attack so Israel would be able to turn round to western governments and say;

"You must support our war, look how these Islamists animals treat us! We show them nothing but goodwill and all they do is turn around and try to kill us!"