Israel has finally decided to join the war in the South.

Initiating what has been called a surprise attack (surprise, because no one thought for a second that this government would ever react to the continuing attacks against the country), it has given a decent enough first strike against Hamas targets.

(I heard all the jets flying this morning and was wondering what that was about).

But the questions are, what comes next, and what is the goal?

Is the goal to achieve a short term quiet? To remove Hamas? To reinstate Fatah? To create a unified Palestinian Terror State whose goal is to replace Israel (one way or the other)?

It certainly won't be to return our settlements or to remove the enemy population.

Will this be an excuse to delay or cancel elections? (Already most of the major parties have announced they have stopped campaigning while the war is going on).

Meanwhile Israeli Arabs (the ones in Israel) are busy rioting against Israel's actions. No surprise there.

The next questions are, will Hizbollah join the fray, and what about the Arabs of Judea and Samaria.



Stay tuned as we learn if this is for real, maneuvering ahead of elections, or even good for the Jews.

Regardless, let's pray for the safety and success of our soldiers who are finally being given a chance to defend our country (and perhaps find Gilad Shalit).

I'm posting updates over at the Muqata.