"Palestinians Dig In"?

The Washington Post tries to make a ragtag army of terrorist irregulars into a stubborn fighting force:

Israeli tanks and bulldozers edged deeper into a crowded residential neighborhood here Friday amid stiffening resistance from Palestinian gunmen....

Stiffening? Why, has the Israeli advance into Gaza been halted at all?

The small Israeli armored force carved more space between the fields in this western Gaza city used by Palestinian gunmen to launch rockets and the southern Israeli towns that are their target. But it did so slowly against gunmen outwardly undaunted by the beating they took a day earlier when at least 21 Palestinians were killed, many from the armed wing of the governing Hamas movement

No, only slowed, so it likely took them a few more hours to reach their objective point than it might have. Most likely, and most ironically, it was done to limit Palestinian casualties, for certainly a few easily executed bombing runs could have cleared any area they wished to enter.

Seems like more than a few Palestinians know the difference between rhetoric and action, however:

Although the Hamas interior minister called Thursday for Palestinians to fight the Israeli forces, the more than 70,000 members of the Palestinian security services did not appear to heed it.
"If they get into this, it will mean the total destruction of the Palestinian Authority," said Abu Mohammed, 30, an al-Aqsa gunman. "All due respect to the minister, but I think he just wants to get them killed."

Good idea, Abu. Maybe if you finally taste firsthand the true military force of your neighbor, perhaps you will learn to stop shooting missles into their backyard. It's been a tough lesson to pound into your head, especially when the Europeans keep pushing you into the trenches by blaming the Jews:

“The EU condemns the loss of lives caused by disproportionate use of force by the Israeli Defense Forces and the humanitarian crisis it has aggravated,” Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said in a statement...

Yeah, OK, dhimmi, whatever you say... The Palestinians always engage in provocative actions, then run and hide behind a viciously anti-semitic United Nations, counting on condemnations and resolutions (and moral support from a terrified Europe) to halt Israeli retaliation.

But do you know what? Despite quislings like our EU President above, it doesn't seem like the world has the stomach for much more of Hamas' games. Looks like the Palestinians are going to have to fight this one out for themselves; and despite the Washington Post's dubious claims of "stiffening resistance", I believe the Palestinians are going to have to re-think their strategy, once they pick their teeth off the ground...