Palestinian Chutzpa

The Chicago Tribune recently reported that "an Israeli missile strike in the Gaza Strip late Thursday killed a prominent militant who was the security chief of the Hamas-led Palestinian government."

The strike killed Jamal Abu Samhadana, 43, leader of the Popular Resistance Committees, a group responsible for many recent rocket attacks on southern Israel and suspected in the 2003 bombing of an American diplomatic convoy in the Gaza Strip in which three security officers were killed.

To me the important part here is the line: a group responsible for many recent rocket attacks on southern Israel. But wait, this can’t be so! It is just not possible because I read just this past week that Israel was once more threatening the cease fire between Palestine and Israel. But this Chicago Tribune article alludes to “recent rocket attacks” originating in Palestine. If this is true, how can Israel be threatening a cease fire that apparently Palestine is not trying to honor?

This appears to be a common theme with the Western press. Palestine and Israel declare a cease fire, the Palestinians routinely ignore it and as soon as Israel takes defensive action the press screams that Israel is threatening the cease fire.

I also like this part: called the killing an assault on the government and said that militant groups vowing revenge had a right to respond.

OK, so this guy is the head of a group that is responsible for recent rocket attacks against Israel and when Israel kills the person responsible, a Hamas leader says they vow revenge and have a right to respond. That is what Israel was doing, responding to a series of rocket attacks. In part: the group was responsible for a series of deadly attacks on Israeli settlers and soldiers in the Gaza Strip before the settlers were withdrawn from the area last year.

The only word for this is chutzpa!

P.S. for anyone unfamiliar with the word, I found this great definition online: A classic example of chutzpa is someone who kills his father and mother, then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.