Talk Elections

So far, the body count is Hamas: 3, Israel: 1.

Who's going to mysteriously disappear next? And should we get Liam Neeson on the case?

I just woke up, did Israel finally do that "proportional response" thing the Euros are always asking them to do?

I think it was vigilantes rather than Israel as a state. I hope so, anyway.

Yeah, obviously....I was just poking fun at the "proportional response" guys.

Yeah, I got it. Absolutely, a 'proportional response' to kidnapping and murder of this kind is itself asking for trouble.

10 rockets out of Gaza last night, 4 hitting houses.  Nobody hurt (they were in shelters).

Another 30 today....looks like it's about time for Israel to "cut the grass" again.


...but of course most of you don't want to hear that. (hence the crickets)  When Israel responds though....oh you'll care then.

Apparently they burned him alive.

The Israeli police also beat up the cousin of the dead teenager, who happens to be a US citizen.
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/05/world/meast/mideast-tensions/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

The police say he was part of a masked gang carrying knives.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/american-teen-brutally-beaten-israeli-police-family/story?id=24436457

Hopefully they'll find the culprits behind both kidnap/murders soon so they can all face justice and this will die down.

...30 people kidnapped? What are you talking about?

I think he was referring to 30 rockets being fired?

Yay, the Third Intifada just begun! Wonderful!

::)

Looks like Israel has finally responded after a couple of days of rockets.  Good for them.

What is this thread?

The thread was quiet today (despite the story not being quite), you guys must be still waiting for the next reason to pay attention to this story.  There is still hope, maybe you'll get it tomorrow!

Straw0man's condition is getting so severe he's literally talking to himself at this point.

Shekel0man is really trying desperately to hold up his one-man circlejerk,

Too close to home boys?

Just be patient, you'll have a reason to respond to this thread again...maybe in a couple of days.  Maybe even tomorrow!

Why?  While tragic on a personal level for the people directly affected, the sad fact is that this isn't news.

The fact that people in this thread have no idea how to debate dead0man only shows one thing.

4 kidnapped and murdered Israeli teenagers wasn't news.  1 Palestinian kidnapped and murdered and it's thread worthy.  Rockets from Gaza, not news.  Israel kills a handful of bad guys in response, the Third Intifada just begun!  More rockets, not news.

Yeah, that they're sensible enough not to feed the resident hasbara troll with a "proper" response.

Agreed.  They're not news.  They're titillating factoids that represent absolutely no change in what has been going on.

Shorter Dead0man:

Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll

WHY WON'T PEOPLE PAY ATTENTION TO MY TROLL. LOL LIBERALS ARE HYPOCRITES. TROLL TROLL TROLL

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WHY U LIBERALS NOT GET MY HI-LARE-IOUS TROLL?

Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll Troll

U NO PAY ATTENTION

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O TRI AGAIN

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LOL LIEBRALS SO HYPOCRITES.

...

Oh, sorry, that was actually the long version I posted by mistake. But... not quite the longest. There's a 10-hour version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQB4nAjZIdE)

Ignoring Gully's whinging, at what point does it become news?

Obama writes op-ed for Haaretz.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-peace-conference/1.603324 (http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-peace-conference/1.603324)
Mostly milquetoasty platitudes, calling for peace/two-state solution.

When something that changes the status quo happens.  The ebb and tide of rock and rocket throwing and the events surrounding that aren't news.  Once you get settlements being evacuated, or the Zionists deciding its time to ethnically cleanse the whole West Bank (rather that simply grabbing a few pieces of land here and there) then it'll be news.

So you don't think we should talk about the conflict until one of those things happen?  That's a bit of a high bar ain't it?

No, I think I shouldn't talk about it.  I really don't give a rip whether or not you flap your gums over this or not.  Just don't expect me to join you in wasting breath discussing this until then.

Devils advocate:  Was it readily apparent that the assassination of a certain Archduke would have such an impact?  The conditions are volatile enough that a small war could break out and then grow, true they are always there but all it needs is a spark. I'll quit before I mix some more metaphors and bring in other unrelated historical scenarios.

I didn't know somebody had asked you in here, they were clearly in the wrong.

Yes they were:



My response here wasn't about the "news" from Cisjordan, but about your pleading insistence that others consider it as important as you think it is.


There are always sparks, and Lord knows there is plenty of tinder in the area, but I consider obsess over every spark.  It'll either catch fire or not no matter what we do, and it's not as if anyone is doing anything to change either the amount of tinder or sparks.

Wow....k....uhhhh, I hope you feel better.....meanwhile

Hamas tries to attack coastal city with hilarious results (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LL3bpdI7LuQ)


Hundreds more rockets, Iron Dome seems to be doing a great job keeping them away from civilians.  Good for them (and us and the West at large as we share this technology).


The IDF has been a little restrained up until now, but if the rockets keep coming, the gloves are ready to be taken off.  40k reservists called up today.

Thanks, tho how did you know I'd been suffering from a summer cold?  Those are always the worst, and I even ran a bit of a temperature for a few days, but I'm over it now.  Hopefully your own feverish spell will end soon.

ugggg....Summer colds suck (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=SuCGlcisMDo#t=4)

As awful and indiscriminate as the Hamas attacks are, the reaction by the Israeli government has been far worse and has only further shown that the colonists show less and less regard for the basic human rights of any Arab in what they consider their rightful land. And the Western media cheers them on while they bludgeon children to death in "self-defense", of course.

subtle

dead0man, I apologize for my earlier comments in this thread on the off chance that they may have in any way, shape, or form led to this mass of sagery appearing here.  I don't think they did, but even so, I apologize.

Already 41 deaths, including many children in return for 3 deaths...

I know that the situation is extremely complex, but I can't help but feel disgusted.

So you'd rather it be proportional?

I'd rather it not to happen at all...

The Egyptian and the Americans are sharing the blame for this madness continuation. The lethargic effort to negotiate to an already known ceasefire is equally at their doorstep.

I thought I had read that Egypt was trying to talk with Hamas, but Hamas left the table to shoot more rockets.  Hamas is in dire straights, they've lost a LOT of funding in the last couple of years and it's thought that this is just a really loud cry for help.Sure, sure, me too...but when a country is attacked, especially in the barbaric ways this country has been attacked they can't sit on their hands or send an angry letter.The proportional response in this case would be to murder 3 innocent teenagers and then launch hundreds of rockets randomly at civilians, and no sane people would be cool with that.  Going after the launchers, the stock piles, command and control centers and the people running the show seems like a much saner option to me.  If those things are located with little regard for the people and things around them, well it sucks, but it still needs to be done and the fault shouldn't lay at the feet of the people defending themselves.

Maybe there wouldn't be as many bottle rockets (which thus far have done basically no damage, thankfully) if the colony would stop spreading. There's a reason Hamas was elected.

They've done little damage thanks to the Iron Dome and Israelis being good at hiding because they get so much practice.  I do agree that new settlements are a bad idea and many/most of the ones in place now should be removed if that's what would bring peace.

It wouldn't, which is why they'll stay.

So far the Egyptians are dragging leg to see Hamas suffer a bit, whilst there's also a schism between the political branch and the military branch of Hamas. The former seem to want a ceasefire sooner than later and to return to building a unity government the later seemed mindset for a short round. With no strong negotiation (Sissy\Obama) to try forcing an end and with escalating air strikes and longer ranged rockets (futile and inaccurate as they may be) this little adventure could see a ground move that no wants but no one is trying to stop.

I disagree. I think it's obvious that removing the newest settlements and ending the blockade of Gaza would drastically reduce the violence. I don't even think that removing settlements is necessary for now: currently most of the violence comes from Gaza and people there are obviously concerned with their own situation before anything else. So step 1: recognize the new Fatah+Hamas government, step 2: end the blockade of Gaza. Of course it will not totally end violence since there are many other issues to resolve, and there are extremists on both sides.

Also since I consider Israel to be the most educated, the most advanced and the strongest of the two parties, I consider it their duty to make the first move if they really want peace. They gave it a try in 2005 and should continue now.

 

I don't see anything wrong with what I'm saying here.

Why on earth is it anybody's fault but that of the Israelis and of Hamas that y'all are fighting?  Frankly, the sooner everybody directly involved realizes that a lasting peace can only come from within and not from without, the sooner that a lasting peace might be able to happen.  Bribing and/or cajoling people into doing what they already know they need to do doesn't solve the problem, it only masks the symptoms.

Everybody is justifying Israel attacking Gaza by defending themselves.

But why Palestinians rockets aren't considered as self-defence from Palestine? Because they are Arabs?

Hamas' stated goal is the extermination of Israel and as many Jews have to die in the process.

There can be no such thing as self-defense from Hamas any more than there can be self-defense from Al Qaeda.

And the schemers in the Knesset seek to recolonize their rightful lands from those they see as subhuman and will clear out whoever needs to be cleared out to do so. The moderates want to stop at the Jordan River and starve out the Arabs in ever-smaller bantustans; the rising radical nationalists have taken a hint from their former oppressors and will soon unveil their goal:

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which will need even more clearing out of the undesirables. As the Germans planned with Ukraine and the Volga basin, many will be killed outright (perhaps we'll see this done through the nuclear stockpile that they will finally acknowledge exists), some sent to hard labor camps, and some made house slaves (a program tried by the Nazis which, predictably, did not pan out as well as they wanted).

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So basically hypothetical conspiracies about Israeli master plans for conquest and mass murder vs. the actual Hamas charter.

Kay.

I'd say the mass murder is already underway.

It's a war in painfully slow motion, with occasional nasty flare-ups when Hamas decides it's a good idea to bite.

If there was a mass murder going on, you'd know it. The Palestinian population is growing, which kind of contradicts any ideas of Israel trying to wipe them out. If that's their goal, they're basically the sh**ttiest supervillains ever.

Wiping them out isn't necessary yet--just wiping them away and occasionally smacking down the ones causing trouble. Look at how long South Africa was able to hold on to its similar system.

And Israel has spent many millions on upgrading their bombs and tactics to avoid civilian casualties, they actually do a great job of it, considering how their enemy fights.

Perhaps the blurry distinction between military and civilian targets comes from the nature of the Gaza strip; eighty percent of its population consists of refugees from the original cleansing of the former British Palestinian Mandate, and for a decade now Israel has mounted a total blockade of their open-air prison. If you want I could swat down any other Western media narratives you can parrot.

Up to (and most likely well after) the open extermination campaign begins from Baghdad to Cairo, the American political and media elite will continue to have you wired up, though. They're God's chosen people, after all.

And it looks like at least two of my recent posts have been reported. Israel is even under attack on an internet forum!

A blockade so total that the Palistinians living in Gaza are the fattest people in the Middle East (8th in the world) and have many hundreds of rockets.  A blockade so complete that they receive more aid per capita than any other group in the world.  Weird.::)

Yeah, contrast the growth of the Palestinian population with what we'd get if Hamas had as much power as the Israeli government.

Well you have revealed in several posts that you're a bigot, so that shouldn't be surprising to you.

Cite?

And sure they can eat, as long as they don't get any ideas about developing infrastructure.

Well they had a cool water park once, for about 2 weeks before it was destroyed.

Typical Zionist. Anyone critical of Israel must be a bigot.

In dead0man's defense, the anti-semiticism in Snowstalker's posts were pretty blatant, and I am no fan of Israel by any means.

The sarcasm was also blatant though. I think he's just calling out the hypocrisy of the average westerners views on this issue.

Quit the trolling snowstalker. Internet 'debate' on this topic is noxious and obnoxious enough; it does not also need to provide the backdrop for one of your ridiculous onanistic cabarets.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/11/house-israel-resolution_n_5578649.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/11/house-israel-resolution_n_5578649.html)

Anyone care to comment on this besides the Ayatollah Snowstalker and Holy Joe dead0man?

Well, there is nothing special there. The findings are quite well-known facts and I doubt anyone would disagree than Hamas should stop launching rockets.

I would prefer if the resolution mentionned the fallings and the extremists on both sides, but I'm fine with that resolution. Not than it's relevent in the conflict (that resolution will have no effect at all).

No it isn't you don't get to blame anybody else. Yes USA could force a ceasefire through, but if USA decided to do that, it would be because they threated Israel with a boycot and recognised Palestina.

Maybe not, but when people begin justifying the murder of civilians and ethnic cleansing with the fact that some Palestinians want to drive most Israelis into the Sea (meaing deporting them to Europe), it's fair to look at the thoughts of some Israelis. The Israelis who want a border at the Nile and Euphrates may be rare than the Palestinians who want to drive "the Jews" out, but I doubt the later are much more common, than the number of Israeli (and foreign Zionists) who to drive the Palestinian of the West Bank east of the river Jordan. 

There are deranged extremists on all sides, of course. But snowstalker is only doing this for attention and because he thinks doing so is funny. I would argue that discussion of this topic is enough of a disaster area without people doing that...

Whenever I think our house is run by mad men I can always look at the American one and relax, there are worse. Obama's ineptitude in restraining Aipac. is a mockery.

Now can the administration start brokering a ceasefire? too many people already died.

The Forward's J.J. Goldberg has an excellent article on how this whole mess is at least partly Netanyahu's fault.

http://forward.com/articles/201764/how-politics-and-lies-triggered-an-unintended-war/ (http://forward.com/articles/201764/how-politics-and-lies-triggered-an-unintended-war/)

The article focuses on how 1) The government implemented a gag order on the news of the deaths of the three teens (which they learned of the day after the abduction), and 2) immediately denouncing this as a Hamas operation and a result of Hamas-Fatah unity. In fact, the Hamas in Hebron is generally independent from Hamas in Gaza. Both of these dangerously inflamed right wing sentiment, so that when the bodies were finally found, Netanyahu found himself between a rock and a hard place with respect to his Jewish Home ministers.

Anyone and everyone who brings up that issue is labeled as a an "anti-Semite". A coalition of Jewish and Christian Zionists have taken over American foreign policy discourse on this issue, but God help you if you mention it. They are one of those groups you "aren't allowed" to disagree with. It's pathetic. And they have the gall to wonder why so many people think there is a "Jewish conspiracy" to control American foreign policy. It's one of those things where it's like "Well, yeah kinda".

Obviously most American Jews are rather liberal on this issue but you can see where the narrative comes from.

But most of the hardcore Zionists are Christian, rather than Jewish.

There are also rumors abound that the Israeli authorities on some level may have deliberately forsaken an opportunity to rescue the victims because having them end up dead would provide an excuse to demolish some Palestinian houses while having them alive and held hostage would possibly have ended in a prisoner swap they really didn't want to do. Supposedly one of the teens called the police and managed to stay on the phone long enough to trace the call, but whatever police department it was did not attempt to pursue their location and didn't take any further action until their parents actually reported them missing.

wow.....

Anyway, the Iron Dome has been awesome.  I think even the anti-Zionist can agree this is a very good thing.

Egypt and (probably) Qatar put together an initial draft of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Hamas says no. (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4542059,00.html)

They ain't done yet.  That don't have a blown up apartment building to show the world yet.  They've tried using old pictures and videos from Syria, but that's stupid and was quickly shown to be the bull sh**t it was.  I'm not sure why they try that tactic still....I guess it works on certain gullible segments in the west and the broader Muslim world that only see what they want to see or are happy to be lied to if the lie reinforces their world view.

Of most certainly, I know many of them. The irony being that most American Jews are actually much more liberal on the issue then Conservative Christians.

oh that reminds meobviously the full on bigots aren't going to like the Iron Dome.

there could be no rescue, they were shot dead shortly after being taken (it's on tape when one of the lads called a police line)

The president has his ability to enforce his will on foreign policy, and considering most of the Jewish and\or democratic vote is not that hard line a showdown during his tenure to assert his position and platform on a band of renegades who cause more damage here than there would have been the way to go.

He was elected as a left-wing hope on  foreign policy as well (even here we had such high hopes of suddenly having an American president with the guts to do what's right) but through his tenure he proved to be frail. Kerry as SoS improved the American foreign policy act from the dire Hillary years, but still Obama's 8 years will be remembered as a failure in the foreign field and especially in the ME theatre.

I agree pretty much on what's posted above. The sad thing is that civilians always pay these foreign policy fiascos, no matter if we talk of Gaza, Tel-Aviv, Damascus or Baghdad. Pitiful.

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So this is a suggestion that we should start treat Israel like any other middle eastern tin pot dictatorship, well I don't see a problem with that.

woosh?

The Final Solution to the Palestinian Question is beginning. (http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israeli-commander-declares-holy-war-palestinians)

The question of "why doesn't Obama restrain AIPAC" boils down to "He tried in 2010. He became the first President to ever lose a PR battle with a foreign country".

Also, I have sigs turned off, so I missed the repugnant cartoon by raging anti-semite Carlos Latuff in Snowstalker's sig. That really says it all.

Hoping this latest round of shooting will end soon. Nothing will change in this situation in the long run, and then ideally the hysterics will die down.

AIPAC isn't that bad. They are more moderate than the Canada's foreign affairs minister, which more or less said than wanting a cease-fire is supporting terrorists. (Not than it's surprising, there a common saying than he is "Israel First, Canada Second", which is wierd considering he has no link with Israel.)

And besides, the Christian Zionists are just as big if not a bigger influence in US support for Israel, for their own purposes.

AIPAC is mainly Jews supporting Israel, and the focus on it - especially any talks of how it should be "cracked down on" makes me uneasy.

So because it is mainly "Jews supporting Israel" it should be immune from criticism?

Of course. Remember the concentration camps, goy!

As was stated a month or two ago, our friend Ray seems to live his life in eternal fear of the goyim.

The defenders of democracy take out another terrorist hotbed! (http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/israel-fires-warning-missiles-gaza-city-geriatric-hospital)

They certainly don't deserve more scrutiny or "Crackdown" than any other advocacy group in the United States. The overemphasis as them as "power brokers" while the Christian zionists get less attention is a bit disturbing.

Because they're the strongest single lobby for a foreign country's interests in the United States?

CUFI isn't as powerful, though. There may be far more Christian Zionists than Jewish Zionists in America, but Jewish Zionists still have the "loudest voice" so to speak.

To be frank, as long as they're following the law, their voice should be of no concern to anyone. And aside from the sketchy Bush-era prosecutions of two officials, I don't believe they've been involved in any legal issues.

People are free to disagree with their agenda, but the attempt to make them some sort of threatening boogeyman has always had some disturbing overtones. Especially when it gets into implications of them having too much power or influence over the government.

Right wingers attack left wing demonstrators in Tel Aviv

I agree that Christian Zionists don't get enough attention. I also think Jewish Zionists need to realize that people who support Israel for particularly nasty reasons (i.e. anti-Islamism, anti-Arabism, a desire to foment Holy War in the Middle East, a desire for the Jewish people to face End Times destruction and forced acceptance of Christ) aren't really their friends.

Agreed. Any port in the storm and all that is convenient, but some of these people are our enemies as much as the radical left can be.

How do you feel about the 1980's ANC?

This is a dilemma for the other side too. I abhor anti-Semitism for the same reason I abhor any blanket hatred for a religious or ethnic group; so the support that occasionally bubbles up from paleoconservatives for the Palestinian cause based on whacky fears of internationalist Jewish bankers or whatever is support I'd just as soon do without. The same applies to the regressive Gulf Arab monarchies and Islamic states like Iran and Pakistan that have never been wronged by Israel but use them as a bogeyman for their own shortcomings and care nothing about the Palestinian people apart from using them as a bloody shirt to "bait the rubes" in Muslim society.

While I do agree that this thread does show off dead0man's strawtastic trolling, I should take a moment real quickly and just state this for the record:

Snowstalker, will you please SHUT THE FUCK UP?!
(mods, I will accept the infraction points)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Can we talk about the title of this thread?

Dead memes are awful, yes.

And these posts have not been trolling, only a bit hyperbolic.

Whatever you say, Mr. Dees.

There is a line that shouldn't be crossed, and you went about 100,000 dead babies over it.

Ceasefire to be announced tomorrow 09:00 (GMT+2) and enforced by 21:00.

If Hamas agrees (and that's a big IF...last I heard they were still saying no truce without release of some prisoners and opening of border with Egypt (so they can rearm)), is there any chance a third party can/will come in to make sure Hamas doesn't get more rockets so they can't do this again in 18 months?

All I've seen in the news is that Egypt has proposed a ceasefire, but not that either side has indicated they would consider it, tho I think Hamas would have to be utter fools not to do so before the Israelis invade Gaza.

Kerry told them not to.



edit-I mean, Kerry told the Israelis not to do a ground offensive.

Hania confirms there negotiations, ISraeli cabinet to vote on the blueprint tomorrow morning. Bennet and Liberman will probably rage a bit to get extra credit with the right wing base but this is happening.

Israeli Government has agreed to the terms of the Egyptian cease fire plan.

Hamas isn't ready to admit defeat yet (http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/15/world/meast/mideast-crisis/index.html?hpt=hp_t1)Hamas has been firing rockets non-stop since the cease-fiire time.

Netanyahu: Hamas rejection of truce gives Israel legitimacy to expand operation (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4543685,00.html)Is this end game for Hamas?  Are they going all in?  They had a way out, but they couldn't take it and save face.  Other than 3 teens murdered in cold blood, a few dozens of injuries and a few million inconvenienced(a Neil Young concert was canceled for funks sake)/scared Israelis, they have nothing to show for all their shenanigans.  Well, they showed how effective the Iron Dome is.  And they got some human shield deaths (not as many as they would have wanted), which is always good fodder for certain groups.  But they didn't get a hostage and despite 800+ rocket attacks, their first use of drones and a beach landing, have nothing of substance to brag about.

and all their friends are dead, very busy or have tired of their sh**t.

Is the rat finally cornered?

Since a Hamas rocket finally managed to kill someone, they might possibly be willing now to accept a cease fire, but I doubt Israel would now.  Don't really think Hamas would either.  Hamas seems to have decided that they need a ground invasion to be able save face now. Idiots!

They seem to be very confident.

*assuming you are talking about Hamas*

Well yes, because they know that anything short of a total land invasions and occupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel will leave them in power and with fresh bodies to rally the cause around.

and still broke and friendless.

Netanyahu has just sacked deputy defense minister Danny Danon, for criticism of Pillar (ie they didn't send ground troops in)
http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-fires-danny-danon-over-criticism-of-gaza-war/ (http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-fires-danny-danon-over-criticism-of-gaza-war/)

First sane thing he's done in a LONG time.

His handling of this mess has been insane so far?

Seeing a lot of rinky dink Jewish websites retroactively attributing the break up of Likud Betanyu to Lieberman wanting to invade Gaza.

Considering that Netanyahu did as much as possible to inflame the situation (gag orders plus wagging tongue touching off on Fatah-Hamas unity government), the answer is clearly yes.

So the worst he's done so far is a gag order and breaking up Fatah and Hamas?  Weird.

So, the UN suggested ceasefire was agreed to by Israel (no surprise) and Hamas (sorta surprise) and started about 18 minutes ago.

Umm... they knew about the teenagers deaths the ENTIRE time the "search" was going on. The entire search was just a highly transparent attempt to break up Hamas in the West Bank, which is ironic, because a) he completely failed, b) Hamas proper had nothing to do with the kidnapping, and c) Hamas in retaliation started firing rockets. So yes, I do agree that the entire mess is 80% Netanyahu's fault.

So you're suggesting they SHOULDN"T have been looking for the bodies?  They shouldn't have been trying to arrest the people responsible?  How do you know Hamas "proper" (whatever that's supposed to mean) had nothing to do with the kidnapping?  Did you know Hamas (and pals) had fired 119 rockets between Jan 1 and the date of the kidnappings?

To address your questions:
1) When they found out the teenagers were dead (aka the DAY AFTER the abduction), they should have announced it, and not have placed a gag order on it. If I remember correctly, in the SOS phone call, one of the teens even identified the location they were at. What this shows is that Netanyahu did not give a rat's tail whether the teenagers were alive or dead, he wanted to use the "search" for the boys in order to break up Hamas in the West Bank, which did not have anything to do with the kidnapping.

2) In retrospect, it should have been clear that Hamas did not order the kidnappings. Why? Because, contrary to typical Hamas procedure, they never claimed responsibility. It is now known that the so-called "Hamas in Hebron", a semi-independent Hamas cell, was behind it, did not receive orders from Hamas headquarters, and moreover is known more as a terror crime family than as an integrated subgroup of Hamas.
This is not the first time they've tried to play Israel and Hamas against each other. In 2003, they staged a terror attack in Jerusalem to sabotage a ceasefire. Israel being Israel, they conduct the assassination of the Hamas number 3 man, who opposed suicide bombings.  It seems they have succeeded yet again. http://blogs.forward.com/jj-goldberg/201172/unruly-hebron-clan-pushes-hamas-and-israel-to/? (http://blogs.forward.com/jj-goldberg/201172/unruly-hebron-clan-pushes-hamas-and-israel-to/?)

3) You seemed to have your facts slightly messed up. There were rockets fired, but almost none were by Hamas, rather by other local jihadi outfits. Hamas has (semi-competently) played the cop in Gaza, grudgingly dismantling rocket launch sites when they find them.

EDIT: Essentially this whole thing has been: Hamas in Hebron shooting Hamas in the chest, with Israel picking up the gun and shooting its own foot.