January 2009

Economy: Sharpest decline in 26 years

January 30, 2009: 11:10 AM ET

THE PROBLEM:

Economy: Sharpest decline in 26 years
Economic activity shrank by 3.8% in last three months of 2008, according to the government's gross domestic product report.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The U.S. economy suffered its biggest slowdown in 26 years in the last three months of 2008, according to the government's first reading about the fourth quarter released Friday.

Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the nation's economic activity, fell at an annual rate of 3.8% in the fourth quarter, adjusted for inflation.

That's the largest drop in GDP since the first quarter of 1982, when the economy suffered a 6.4% decline.

The decline was less than the 5.5% drop forecast by economists surveyed by Briefing.com. The fourth quarter plunge followed a more modest decline of 0.5% in the third quarter.

Still, some economists cautioned that the smaller than expected drop in economic activity wasn't good news, but a warning sign about further weakness ahead.

"Today's GDP report is no cause for celebration," said Jay Bryson, global economist for Wachovia. "The economy is even weaker than the number would suggest..."

-- Source/continues: http://tinyurl.com/erri1229

THE SOLUTION?

A BILL:

Making supplemental appropriations for job preservation and creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009"...

-- Source/U.S. House of Representatives (248 pages):
http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/RecoveryBill01-15-09.pdf

Belgium: Man Goes on Stabbing Rampage at Day Care

Friday, January 23, 2009

Man kills three in Belgium daycare centre attack

By Peter O?Neil, Canwest News Europe Correspondent, Canwest News Service

DENDERMONDE, BELGIUM (Canwest): A Belgium town is gripped by grief and shock after a knife-wielding man with his face painted black and white went on a stabbing rampage Friday that left two infants and an adult dead and at least 10 injured.

The [unidentified] man, believed to be in his 30s, talked his way into the daycare and then immediately started attacking the children.

"The guy just went crazy," Dendermonde deputy mayor Theo Janssens said at a news conference. "There was blood everywhere. It was unbelievable, real carnage."

There appeared to be heroism as well as horror at the bloody scene -- three adults who attempted to get between the infants and their deranged attacker were among the injured. Three of the hospitalized children suffered life-threatening injuries, officials said.

Police had the grim task of taking digital photographs of the children in hospital and then showing them to parents in order to identify them.

Belgium Interior Minister Guido de Padt, who was at the crime scene, said he was "horrified" by what he saw.

"Our thoughts go out to the families and staff," he said. "Many parents are in a state of shock."

Television footage at the daycare showed one official holding a child wrapped in a white blanket. Two women, appearing to be in their late 30s, had faces etched with shock and disbelief.

Dendermonde is a mostly Flemish-speaking town of about 43,000 and about 35 kilometres northwest of Brussels...

-- Source/continues:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1210347

Obama closing Guantanamo as he reshapes US policy

22 Jan 2009 - 15:00 CST

President Obama Announces Closure of Guantanamo Bay

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama moved to reshape U.S. international policy on Thursday, ordering the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison camp closed within a year and naming new envoys to the Middle East and Afghanistan-Pakistan. "We have no time to lose," he said as he welcomed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to help forge what he called "a new era of American leadership" in the world....

Obama closing Guantanamo as he reshapes US policy

Gaza warfare shows 'nasty' face of urban combat

Gaza warfare shows 'nasty' face of urban combat

By Brian Murphy, Associated Press

Published: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009 8:52 p.m. MST

Nearly a decade ago, the U.S. Marines staged mock urban battles designed to test future tactics for fighting in streets and alleys. The war games featured an array of advanced military hardware, including aerial drones with the laser-sharp cameras and micro-robots to scout for mines and potential ambushes.

But the exercises in California and at the Marines' Quantico, Va., base also reinforced the inevitable realities of urban conflict: Troops are drawn into a confusing and difficult arena where hit-and-run guerrillas often have the upper hand and civilians are caught in the crossfire.

"Urban areas can be extraordinary in their level of complexity," said a summary of the 2000-1 maneuvers published by the Rand Corp.

Now, Israel's push into teeming Gaza City has highlighted these risks on a scale and intensity not witnessed since late 2004, when U.S.-led forces launched a grinding, block-by-block showdown against Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah that lasted for nearly three months.

Even as Israel declared Saturday it would halt the attacks opened in late December, the long-term lessons of the incursion are already being weighed by military experts around the world. It's a study in strategies for both sides ? standing armed forces and militia groups such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon ? as urban centers increasingly become the modern battlefields...

-- Source/continues: http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705278398,00.html

29 March 2003 -- "Urban Warfare Considerations; Understanding and Combating Irregular and Guerilla Forces During A 'Conventional War' In Iraq," By C. L. Staten, Sr. National Security Analyst, Emergency Response & Research Institute (ERRI). Can be found on the internet at:
http://www.emergency.com/2003/urban_warfare_considerations.htm

Israel Declares Unilateral Cease-Fire

03:54 GMT, Sunday, 18 January 2009

Israel declares ceasefire in Gaza

GAZA STRIP: Israel has begun a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, three weeks after launching a full-scale assault against Hamas. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel had achieved its goals and Hamas - which has been firing rockets at Israel - had been defeated.

But he said troops would remain in Gaza for now. Hamas said it would not accept one Israeli soldier in Gaza.

Correspondents report the first quiet night in the Strip in 22 days after the ceasefire began at 0200 (0000 GMT).

Nearly 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since the violence began on 27 December. Thirteen Israelis have died.

The US has welcomed the ceasefire, saying it "expects that all parties will cease attacks and hostile actions immediately". U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed relief, saying the ceasefire should be "the first step leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza"...

-- Source/continues:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7835794.stm

NYC response to US Airways landing in Hudson River

January 15, 2009

NYC response to US Airways landing in Hudson
Rescue Called a Miracle by Governor

By DAVID B. CARUSO and COLLEEN LONG, Associated Press/via Newsday

NEW YORK - As the US Airways plane hit the frigid waters of the Hudson River, emergency crews were already headed to the scene, and the swift, dramatic response had an amazing result: All the 155 people on board were pulled to safety.

Emergency crews and commuter ferries sprang into action from New York and New Jersey, and their crews encountered freezing, panicked passengers _ some of whom let out cheers when the boats arrived.

"We had to pull an elderly woman out of a raft in a sling. She was crying. ... People were panicking. They said, 'hurry up, hurry up,"' said Vincent Lombardi, captain of the first boat to get to the plane, the Thomas Jefferson. "We gave them the jackets off our backs."

The fire department in New York got the first emergency call at 3:31, was on the scene less than five minutes later. NY Waterway ferries shuttling passengers to and from New Jersey deployed within moments. In total, 14 vessels responded to the scene, with crews trained to respond to people overboard.

Across the river, Weehawken, N.J., police, firefighters and emergency medical service workers boarded ferries awaiting rush hour and headed to the plane, minutes after the pilot heroically guided the jet into the water after the engine failed.

The ferries pulled up slowly to avoid washing passengers off the plane with the wake. Lombardi said some passengers were already standing on the wing as he pulled up alongside the sinking plane moving swiftly south down the river. Other passengers were in inflatable rafts, and his crew rescued 56 passengers...

...There were no immediate reports of any serious injuries. Fire Department officials said at least half the people on board were evaluated for conditions including hypothermia, bruises and other minor injuries.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson heaped praise on the rescue effort.

"They plan for these kinds of emergencies, they train for these kinds of emergencies and you saw it in action," Bloomberg said. "Because of their fast brave work, we think that contributed to the fact that it looks like everybody is safe."

Paterson said it was a miracle.

"I think that in simplicity, this is really a potential tragedy that may have become one of the most spectacular days in the history of New York City's agencies," he said.

-- Source/continues: http://tinyurl.com/erri1169

Plane Down in Hudson River

- *FLASH* - URGENT

15:00 CST/16:00 EST -- 15 Jan 2009

U.S. Air Flt. 1549 Down in Hudson River

NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY (EmergencyNet News): Dozens of people are believed to be at risk as boats and emergency responders scramble to rescue them from the waters of the Hudson river. According to FAA sources, US Air Flight 1549, traveling from LaGuardia to Charlotte, NC, has gone down this afternoon.

NYPD and NYFD boats, local ferries, and other boats are working to rescue the victims from the chilly waters of the Hudson. Fears are being raised by ERRI emergency service analysts about the dangers of hypothermia involving those in the water.

Video from the scene would appear to show an U.S. Air Airbus that is sinking at the time of this report. Watch EmergencyNet News for more on this developing story...

EmergencyNet News *FLASH* Report

01/15/2009 - 2:39:52 PM CST

Plane Down in Hudson River

(Between NY and NJ) We are receiving very preliminary reports of a "plane down" in the Hudson River adjacent to New York and New Jersey. Several emergency service agencies are responding to the scene. Live video shows a commuter plane in the middle of the river and it appears that people are in the very cold water. Few official details are currently available. This is a preliminary notification from EmerencyNet News...

A Call for Jihad to Stop the Aggression on Gaza. The message of Sheikh Osama Bin Laden

January 14, 2009

Bin Laden: U.S. Decline Fueled Gaza Attack
Israel Attacked Because Of America's Fading Dominance, End Of Bush Mandate, Al Qaeda Boss Says

This story was written by CBS News' Khaled Wassef and CBSNews.com's Tucker Reals.

LONDON, ENGLAND (CBS): Al Qaeda boss Osama bin Laden says the decline of America's dominance on the world stage was one of the main factors which prompted Israel to launch its offensive in Gaza.

"The great and swift decline in America's influence is one of the most important motivations for Israelis to wage such a barbaric attack on Gaza, in a bid to try and make use of the last days of (President) Bush's mandate and the neo-conservatives," he says.

The message was delivered in a speech downloaded Wednesday by CBS News from a Web site frequently used to disseminate al Qaeda propaganda. The audio was produced by al Qaeda's media wing, as-Sahab.

It was impossible to confirm the authenticity of the recording, but the voice appeared to be that of the terror group's leader. The audio has not been heard before. The last known audio address from bin Laden was released on May 18, 2008.

The audio, about 22 minutes long, is titled: "A Call for Jihad to Stop the Aggression on Gaza. The message of Sheikh Osama Bin Laden to the Muslim Ummah."

"Israelis are in a rush to get rid of their enemies in Gaza, and replace them with (Palestinian President Mahmoud) Abbas and his administration, in order for him to protect their backs. They thus carried out this horrific butchery before the end of Bush's term in office before the American weakness shows even more."

Its release came on the 19th day of Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip targeting Hamas militants, which Palestinian doctors say has left 940 people dead, less than half of whom were combatants.

Bin Laden says Mr. Bush has left President-elect Barack Obama with "two bitter choices," and wonders aloud whether the next American leader will be able to keep up the fight against al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

"Can America keep up the war with us for more decades to come? All reports and analysis indicate that this is not possible. In fact, 75 percent of American people are happy with the departure of the president who got them into wars they could not possibly win."

Bin Laden goes on to say President Bush "drowned" the American people in economic woes and "left his successor a difficult legacy, and left him one of two bitter choices? The worst heritage is when a man inherits a long guerrilla warfare with a persevering, patient enemy - a war that is funded by usury. If he (Obama) withdraws from the war, that would be a military defeat, and if he goes on with it, he'll drown in economic crisis."

The terrorist leader calls for Jihad, saying it is the only way to defeat the "Zionists" and liberate the Gaza Strip.

Bin Laden calls on Muslims worldwide to support the cause, and reissues his plea for donations. "Your duty is to support the Mujahideen with money and men. I have experienced Jihad myself and I know how costly it can be. The Zakat (tithe) of one affluent Muslim merchant is enough to finance all the Jihadi front against our enemies."

Bin Laden said the current global situation offered a good opportunity to purge Muslim countries of Western influence. "Oh, Muslim Ummah (nation), those wars and crisis represent a great opportunity, and wise men would not let it slip away from them. You have a great chance now to overthrow the injustice and the tyranny that has overwhelmed you for decades."

Bin Laden closed his speech by addressing Palestinians in Gaza. "My brothers in Palestine, you have suffered a lot, and your fathers before you, for nine whole decades. Muslims sympathize with you, for what they see and hear. We, the Mujahideen, sympathize with you, too, much more than anyone else? Because the Mujahideen lead the same kind of life that you lead; they are bombed the same way you are bombed, from the same airplanes, they lose their children just like you do..."

Article continues at: http://tinyurl.com/erri1157

ERRI analyst comment: This audio tape, if proven to be authentic, clearly points out what importance Mr. Bin Laden attaches to the concept of "economic warfare" and using financial or other indirect methods to attempt to defeat the United States and Israel. ERRI continues to investigate and closely examine possible links between the financial woes of the West and militant Islamicists.

Thousands in Europe, protest Gaza war

10 Jan 2009

Thousands in Europe, protest Gaza war
Lebanon joins European nations in demonstrations against Israeli offensive

From: MSNBC

Updated 2 hours, 32 minutes ago

BERLIN - Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in cities across Europe and in Lebanon Saturday, shouting protests against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Protesters burned Israeli flags in Sweden and threw shoes at the U.S. consulate in Edinburgh, Scotland. In central London, two officers were hurt when demonstrators attempted to topple barriers outside the Israeli Embassy and clashed with police. One officer was knocked unconscious.

But in Innsbruck, Austria, volunteer security personnel arranged by the Islamic organizers of a demonstration moved quickly to surround and protect an elderly man after he suddenly unrolled an Israeli flag in the middle of the protest.

Israel says its two-week-old offensive is intended to stop Palestinian Hamas rocket attacks on southern Israel. Palestinian medical officials say more than 800 people have been killed.

A crowd of 12,000 gathered in London's Hyde Park carrying placards marked "Gaza: Stop the massacre" and chanting "free, free Palestine."

Scores of marches were held across France, the biggest of them in the capital, where police estimated 30,000 people took part. Paris police scuffled with a small group toward the end.

Police estimated that 30,000 people protested in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona, some carrying bloodstained blankets and mock dead bodies of children. The demonstration had been called by around 300 Catalan groups who have asked the Spanish government to back cease-fire initiatives and to stop all trade, especially arms, with Israel.

In Italy, several thousand people carrying Palestinian flags marched in Milan, Florence and Venice to protest the Israeli offensive. In Milan, protesters burned a white sheet with the Star of David on it, and some participants carried posters with the Israeli flag and a swastika on them, the ANSA news agency reported.

In Germany, some 8,500 people rallied in Berlin's Alexanderplatz and then marched to the city's main train station. Hundreds of police were deployed along the route, and several Hamas flags were confiscated from the protesters. No serious incidents were reported, however, police said. In the western German city of Duisburg, 10,000 people marched. "We want to show our solidarity with the victims in the Gaza Strip, and signal our opposition to the oppression and violence in Gaza," said organizer Engin Karahan.

Nearly 20,000 people marched through the southern Lebanese town of Nabatiyeh in a protest organized by the militant Hezbollah group, a strong ally of Hamas that fought its own war with Israel in the summer of 2006...

-- Source/continues:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28593438/

IL. House votes to impeach Blagojevich

09 Jan 2009

IL. House votes to impeach Blagojevich

Posted by Ray Long and Rick Pearson - last updated at 10:40 a.m.

SPRINGFIELD, IL: In a historic vote, the Illinois House has impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, directing the Senate to put the state's 40th chief executive on trial with the goal of removing him from office.

The vote by the House was 114-1 and marks the first time in the state's 190-year history that a governor has been impeached, despite Illinois' longstanding reputation for political corruption.

Rep. Milt Patterson (D-Chicago) was the lone vote against impeaching the governor. Patterson, from Chicago's Southwest Side, said after the roll call that he didn't feel it was his job to vote to impeach the governor. He declined comment on whether he approved of the job Blagojevich is doing.

A Blagojevich spokesman said the governor will not resign. A 2 p.m. news conference with the governor is scheduled today for the James R. Thompson Center in downtown Chicago...

-- Source/continues: http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/
clout_st/2009/01/live-blog-of-il.html

U.S. Officials: Mumbai a Turning Point in Terrorist Tactics

Jan. 8, 2009

U.S. Officials: Mumbai a Turning Point in Terrorist Tactics
FBI Official: Despite Focus on the Esoteric, 'For Most Terrorists, They're Looking for What Works'

By JASON RYAN, ABC News

Although terrorists have targeted aviation and mass transit in deadly attacks in recent years, top U.S. intelligence and security officials said today that the low-tech mass killings of the November Mumbai attacks could be a turning point in terrorism tactics.

The deadly attacks, which left 164 dead and injured hundreds, showed that 10 gunmen were able to seize the world's attention as the attacks unfolded for nearly three days.

"Terrorists are very attuned to the media and they saw the success. ... Some groups may look to this as a model," said the FBI's chief intelligence officer, Donald Van Duyn, at a hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. "We sometimes focus on tactics that may be exotic and esoteric, but for most terrorists, they're looking for what works."

The attackers were skilled with firearms, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told the committee. "When our liaisons toured the hotels and railway stations," he said, "they saw from bullet holes that shots were fired in groups of three aimed at head level."

On Wednesday in Washington, White House Homeland Security Advisor Ken Wainstein said the attackers were "very well trained" for such a low-tech operation.

"They economized on ammunition and maximized the death that they left," he said.

Although more people -- 209 -- were killed in a July 11, 2006 attack aboard an Indian train in another act of terrorism, DHS Chief Intelligence Officer Charles Allen noted that the Mumbai attackers "were able to galvanize the world for 72 hours."

Recently released transcripts of phone calls between the attackers and their handlers show how keenly aware they were of the impact of their actions.

In one of the intercepts a handler says, "The media is comparing your action to 9/11. One senior police official has been killed. ... Everything is being recorded by the media. Inflict the maximum damage. Keep fighting. Don't be taken alive."

In another excerpt, one of the handlers says to one of the gunmen, "Kill all hostages, except the two Muslims. Keep your phone switched on so that we can hear the gunfire..."

-- Source/continues: http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/
Terrorism/story?id=6606078&page=1

Initial Series of "Real Time" Reports Concerning Shooting and Explosive Attacks on Mumbai (Bombay), India 26-30 Nov 2008

Can be found: http://www.emergency.com/2008/
mumbai_attk_2008a.htm

U.S. Official Says al-Qaeda Near Defeat

January 07, 2009

U.S. Official Says al-Qaeda Near Defeat

From: Military.com

by Christian Lowe

WASHINGTON, DC: The head of counterterrorism operations for the U.S. Department of State said the al-Qaeda network is largely broken and has lost the ability to conduct large-scale terrorist operations.

While the U.S. has still been unable to kill or capture the organization's top leaders, they have nevertheless been "beaten back into a hole" by relentless pressure from special operations, law enforcement and drone attacks.

"They are scratching their heads, realizing they took on a pretty savvy opponent who went after them kinetically very fast, pulled out the rug from underneath them, put them on the run, put them in a area where they didn't have the assets they had before," said former Army special operations commander, Amb. Dell Dailey, who now heads the State Department's counterterrorism office. "Bin Laden can't get an operational effort off the ground without it being detected ahead of time and being thwarted."

Dailey cited the foiled terror plot to bring down as many as 10 U.S.-bound commercial jets in 2006 as an example of al-Qaeda's diminished capability to launch dramatic attacks.

"Their ability to reach is non-existent," Dailey told military reporters during a Jan. 6 breakfast meeting in Washington, D.C...

-- Source/continues: http://tinyurl.com/erri1124

U.S. State Dept. on the Web: http://www.state.gov/

Hamas Ready For Bitter Urban Battle

ISRAELI INCURSION INTO GAZA - CONTINUING COVERAGE

14:15 GMT, Sunday, 4 January 2009

Hamas ready for bitter urban battle
Hamas is thought to have made improvements in its military capability

By Martin Asser, BBC News

ISRAEL/GAZA (BBC): Israel's move to ground operations in the Gaza Strip gives Palestinian militants their first chance to trade blows on a more or less equal footing with the Israeli army in the current conflict.

Until now the militants have been impotent to counter Israel's air, sea and ground bombardment - spheres where it enjoys total military superiority.

Hamas and other militant groups have launched dozens of rockets at Israel but - while these are occasionally lethal and cause considerable disruption and sap civilian morale - they are ineffective militarily.

But if the conflict transfers to the narrow alleyways of Jabaliya camp, or any of Gaza's teeming urban areas, it will be a different story.

"Hamas has few tools compared with the Israeli army," says Nicolas Pelham, Senior Analyst with the Middle East Program of the International Crisis Group.

"But the Israeli operations in built-up urban areas will eliminate some of that huge difference," he added.

Israel possesses formidable tank forces, armored bulldozers, uncontested use of air power and all the paraphernalia of a modern army, such as night vision and thermal imaging equipment.

But Hamas has had months to prepare for bitter urban warfare which will give its fighters a chance to inflict casualties on the Israeli military.

Israeli troops spent 38 years occupying Gaza, but withdrew in 2005

However, analysts believe it has considerably enhanced its military capability since taking control of the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007.

The takeover handed Hamas the limited arsenal of the routed Palestinian Authority. But more importantly it gave Hamas freedom to operate throughout Gaza without interference from the PA, which was committed to disarming militant groups.

Hamas has had to smuggle all its other weaponry into Gaza - which is under a complete blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt in the south.

This is done via tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border, which have furnished Hamas with the medium-range rockets that have hit Israeli cities up to 25 miles (40km) away.

Explosives and the ingredients for explosive and rocket propellants are even more easily smuggled into Gaza.

Mortars, anti-tank weapons and some anti-aircraft weapons - not effective against modern jet fighters, but possibly so against older helicopters - are also thought to have come through the Rafah tunnels.

So it was an unsurprisingly bellicose Khaled Meshal, Hamas's Damascus-based leader-in-exile, who spoke in an Arabic TV interview before ground operations began on Saturday night.

"Soldiers of the enemy... you must know that a black destiny is waiting for you, and you will either be killed, injured or imprisoned," he told al-Jazeera television.

Lessons of 2006

The Hamas military wing - the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades - is thought to have about 15,000 members. It is therefore vastly outnumbered by Israel's total military capability.

But there is no shortage of weapons in Gaza or people who might want to pick up a gun against Israelis forces.

Standards of training and discipline for the Brigades have been raised recently, and it is believed to have fairly sophisticated communications systems.

The organization has clearly learnt lessons from the 2006 Lebanon war, when Hezbollah bloodied Israel's nose in a bruising encounter in terrain ideal for guerrilla warfare against a conventional army.

Since then, a number of Hamas members are thought to have spent time with Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards movement - leading to improvements in its military training regime and organizational system.

The geography of Gaza may not be as advantageous as south Lebanon, but doubtless many Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades members will be hoping to deal a blow against the Israeli army and be rewarded with what they consider glorious martyrdom in the process.

Israel too, however, appears to have made changes since 2006, analysts say.

Its forces have trained hard for just such an engagement, as well as working on improvements to civil defense, supply lines, planning and public relations.

But the important question now is what does Israel want to achieve from ground operations. The stated Israel aim is to deal a blow to Hamas and prevent rocket fire.

But if the army does seek to retake urban areas it could play directly into the hands of Hamas - especially the longer its heavy armor remains there. And what happens when Israel pulls out?

"There's no guarantee even if Hamas is removed from power in Gaza that rocket fire will not continue," says Nicolas Pelham of the ICG.

"The fact is that more rockets were being fired from Gaza before the Hamas takeover, not least in the era of chaos, than afterwards."

What seems certain is that Hamas' desire to fight in the heavily populated urban areas, and Israel's apparent willingness to prosecute its war there, could have a devastating affect on Gaza's long-suffering civilian population who have nowhere else to go.

-- Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7810506.stm

ERRI counter-terrorism/military analyst comment:

We believe that at least four facts should be given consideration when discussing Hamas and the Israeli incursion into Gaza:

1. Hamas is not part of the recognized Palestinian Authority. They actually defeated Fatah (PA) and took over Gaza in a military operation in 2006...after criticizing the Palestinian Authority for negotiating for peace with Israel.

2. Hamas has been formally designated by the United States, and several other nations, as a "known terrorist organization."

3. Hamas is a known surrogate/proxy of Iran, who's president (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) has publicly vowed to "wipe Israel from the face of the earth." Please note in the BBC article above that that Hamas members are being trained by Hezbollah and Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

4. Hamas has fired numerous unguided rockets into Israel since they declared an end to a cease fire with Israel. Recently, the smuggled rockets being used by Hamas are of a larger caliber (122mm), have a longer range, and a larger warhead than the home-built Kassam rockets previously used in attacks by Hamas. It is believed that the rockets are coming from/through Iran, Syria, and Lebanon.

Israeli Defense Forces Begin Incursion into Gaza

1/3/2009 1:00:04 PM CST

EmergencyNet News *FLASH* Report

Israeli Defense Forces Begin Incursion into Gaza

CHICAGO, IL (EmergencyNet News) According to Major Avital Leibovich, of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), Israeli ground troops are entering the Gaza Strip to attack sites they say are being used to launch rockets into Israel.

The exact size of the incursion is not presently known, but at least one column of IDF military vehicles was seen by witnesses as it rolled into Gaza.

The incursion had been expected by some analysts, as IDF armor and other troop deployments had been seen gathering on the Gaza border for several days.

Meanwhile, militants in Gaza fired more rockets into southern Israel on Saturday, one of which hit the port of Ashdod, injuring at least two people.

EmergencyNet News is monitoring events in this developing story and we will bring you additional reports as circumstances warrant...

Several wire and internet services contributed to this report.