Why are Palestinians Still Launching Rockets Over the Heads of Their Attackers?

Sunday, January 11, 2009

As a tactic, shooting over the heads of your most immediate threat doesn't usually win battles. I understand that there are major political, social and even religious issues and strategies involved with the conflict in Gaza, there has been from the beginning. But I have to say something, even if only one person over there hears me;

"Lower your sights!"

Can those rockets be fired horizontally? I understand that rockets have a lot of back-blast when they are launched, maybe they could be fired from an open field or a large parking lot where no-one would get accidentally burned. To be perfectly honest, I've seen quite a few rockets launched ( it was years ago, but I don't think the basics have changed much ), and they really weren't designed with urban combat in mind. So I have to ask;

"When you built those rockets, did you put a sight on them?"

Not to say that weapons without sights can't be accurate, I've seen knee-mortars that are pretty effective. But knee-mortars don't leave smoke trails that give your position away. Let me try to explain this in very simple terms;

"Shooting over your enemy's head, and telling him where you are forces your enemy to decide whether to kill you along with all those standing around you...your buddies."

Knowing your enemy's reputation on the battle-field, I wouldn't give him that option.

Imagine this message to be a real conversation, and ask yourself if it sounds a little childish. That's intentional... 

4 comments:

r_i_d said...

//Why are Palestinians Still Launching Rockets Over the Heads of Their Attackers?//

Perhaps they are not Hamas, in which case they could be launching rockets over the heads of their allies.

Unknown said...

That is something I never thought of! I do know that in that part of the world it is very difficult to determine who is a friend and who is an enemy.

r_i_d said...

I just found this, a pure coincidence, as I was not looking for it. It was published on the website Haaretz, a "progressive" Israeli newspaper, but shortly after it was taken off their page and the following text only remained in a Google cache version of it:

//
Last update - 02:58 11/01/2009
Gaza residents: IDF troops posing as Hamas men
By Amira Hass
Haaretz Correspondent ,
:Tags hamas, israel news, israel

.The testimonies of Gaza Strip residents are revealing new details about the Israel Defense Forces' mode of operation there. In the past two days, Beit Lahia residents forced from their homes said soldiers were posing as members of Hamas' armed wing while advancing on the ground

.The daily pauses in bombing allow Gazans to meet with the displaced - most of whom are housed in an UNRWA school - and hear their stories

".Gaza resident S. told Haaretz he heard several people say they saw armed men wearing the uniforms and symbols of the Iz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, who "called out to each other in Arabic, as if they had caught a collaborator, and then, with the element of surprise, went into the houses

.A Gaza radio station warned that troops posing as locals were driving a vehicle normally used by paramedics. Residents said the radio broadcaster listed the vehicle's license plate number and color

.Haaretz has also learned that one of the army's methods for evacuating a home is to fire a missile toward its upper level. That is how B.'s house in Sajaiyeh was destroyed. It was bombed just a few minutes after a missile struck and 40 shell-shocked family members walked out of the house.

//

try: http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:jZNE7JzH1KIJ:https://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArtStEng.jhtml%3FitemNo%3D1054461%26contrassID%3D1%26subContrassID%3D1%26title%3D%27Gaza%2520residents:%2520IDF%2520troops%2520posing%2520as%2520Hamas%2520men%2520%27%26dyn_server%3D172.20.5.5+Gaza+residents:+IDF+troops+posing+as+Hamas+men&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=13&gl=us

Unknown said...

I follow many sources (rss)and tag them. Tagged 'War Mid-east;
http://www.google.com/reader/shared/user/03256507980052811175/label/war%20mid-east?c=CL6vhOSG_5cC

Copyrights be damned, if you don't re-post them in full when they are first posted, you may not be able to retrieve them later.

Here's an interesting photo site;
http://discuss.flickrfan.org/2009/01/14/0619226.html
The rss feed spans many topics in the news.

Sometimes I think we are all pawns in an obscene chess tournament;
http://www.google.com/reader/shared/user/03256507980052811175/label/Solidarity

Thanks for a good link R_I_D