Israel moved closer to invading the Gaza Strip, saying Thursday that it had wrapped up preparations for a broad offensive after Palestinian fighters fired about 100 rockets and mortar shells across the border in two days.

Full Article

This, I’m sure, catches nobody by surprise.  Hamas has called off the alleged ceasefire, the rocket launches have increased, so Israel has to act.  Unfortunately, Israel will be viewed as the aggressor and most likely condemned by the UN yet again.

Speaking of the UN:

Israel buckled to international pressure on Friday and opened the Gaza crossings to enable the United Nations to deliver food to the poor. However, it could have done so days ago but refused to ship rice, cooking oil and powdered milk because of the lack of flour.

Full Article

I guess, according to the UN, you can’t cook anything without flour.  Whoever is running the United Nations Relief and Works Agency obviously needs some cooking lessons.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took thinly veiled jabs at the United States, Israel, the United Nations and European powers here as he defended his country’s ambitions to harness and use nuclear power in an address before nearly 200 world leaders.

Full Article

He said the same stuff he’s been saying; Israel and the U.S. are bad, Iran can have nukes, Allah is on his side.  Nothing new here, but you can still check out the clip above if you’re interested.

See also: Bolton on Ahmadinejad’s U.N. Address

U.N. Says Gaza Has World Highest Jobless Rate (Arutz Sheva)

This is a short article, but the gist of it is that Gaza has a ridiculously high jobless rate, and the “useful idiots” idiots at the United Nations are blaming Israel.

Nevermind that Hamas, the elected terrorist government in the region, has neglected the very people that put them in power to wage war with Israel. Nevermind that they’ve used humanitarian aid to further their terror campaign. Nevermind that, as stated in the article, Gaza was doing just fine prior to the second Intifada. The blame is solely Israel’s for closing the border crossings (nevermind that they had to do so to protect themselves from terrorism).

HT: UN Watch

Libya blocks UNSC’s condemnation of Jerusalem attack

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 7 (APP): Libya blocked the UN Security Council Thursday from issuing a condemnation of an attack that killed eight Jewish religious students in occupied Jerusalem, arguing that the 15-member body must also condemn Israeli attacks in Gaza, diplomats said. At least four other council members backed the stand taken by Libya, the only Arab member on the council, they said.

Article Continues… (AP Pakistan)

Again, Israel was retaliating for years of Qassam rocket attacks. Where’s the condemnation for those? Is it impossible for the security council to do something that even slightly supports Israel?

HT: Jawa Report

By Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, speaking before Sunday morning’s weekly Cabinet meeting, staunchly defended Israel’s anti-rocket offensive in Gaza, and delivered a retort to various international elements that offered criticism.

“I do not recall that I heard from those who now criticize us,” Olmert said, “when Israeli citizens in southern Israel were attacked.”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said over the weekend that Israel was using “excessive force” in its battle against the Kassam and Katyusha rocket launchers and terrorist infrastructure.

Article Continues… (Arutz Sheva)

I really don’t get how retalliation for hundreds of rockets launched from Gaza is excessive. Of course, the UN usually describes the very act of Israel defending itself “excessive,” so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

By Michal Lando

The Israeli mission to the United Nations has written a letter of complaint to the UN Security Council, protesting recent remarks by two senior members of the Iranian regime threatening Israel.

Last week, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Commander-General Muhammad Ali Jafari of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps wrote in a letter to Hizbullah head Hassan Nasrallah that he was convinced “that Hizbullah’s might is increasing with every passing day, and that in the near future, we will witness the disappearance of this cancerous growth called Israel.”

Article Continues… (Jerusalem Post)

Condemning someone other than Israel, and at Israel’s request? I don’t think the UN works that way…