WEATHER: Will Hamas’ Plans Go Up In Smoke If Sprinkles Move In?
Illustration: Burning Tires by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
So the Hamas border ‘protesters’ chose the wrong day to burn tires. Another warm day brought light northeasterly winds, and a fairly stable boundary layer. This combined (I believe) to push the smoke back over Gaza. However, winds will be switching to the west as a series of weak storms pass through our area through mid-week. Each could bring some showers, and even some measurable rain. However, the mid-week storm is now forecast to be weaker than originally thought — so these are more "nuisance" rains, rather than rain that could bring a real soaking.
Image credit: The Jerusalem Herald
Still, the showers could reduce crowds at the border fence.... It is interesting to note that the West Bank 'Palestinians' insist that Israel withdraw to the old 1948 border, which was the border up until the 1967 Six-Day War, in which Israel conquered more area to build new towns and added a layer of protection in the Jordan Valley and Golan.
However, everyone knows that when they say "old borders" they really mean no borders. That's why they insist that the descendants of people who left the Land return to homes they lost in the 1947-49 War of Independence. Until now, you might have thought that in contrast, the international community meant that Israel's borders were those that the Palestinians don't really accept. By saying that everything outside the 1948 border is “occupied territory,” they imply that everything within is not. But, then lo and behold, we see that's not even true. When Israel defends itself from border incursions during these demonstrations along the Gaza fence, it's being told to act "proportionally," which really means not at all. In other words, one might wonder if the international community (like the EU and Britain) really recognize Israel within any borders. Are we really supposed to just let the Gazan 'Palestinians' break down the fence and move in mass over the border? Apparently, the answer is yes. I hope that we've learned an important lesson. When push comes to shove, politics trumps all — even so-called international law — and it would be better politics for them if we simply disappeared.
Dr. Lynn is a lecturer at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Earth Sciences Department. He is also CEO of Weather It Is, LTD, a company that specializes in reducing weather risk.
