Israel Declares War on Hamas
Israel continues to attack Hamas strongholds in Gaza. Yesterday marked the most deadly day of the campaign thus far: some 46 people were killed. More than 100 Palestinians were, reportedly, wounded. Two Israeli soldiers were also killed. “The Israeli attacks, mostly from the air on a clear, bright day, were aimed at stopping rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, the Israelis said, especially after Ashkelon, a large city 10 miles from Gaza, came under fire from more advanced, Katyusha-style rockets of Iranian design,” the NYT points out.
Of course, Israel’s enemies will pretend that she’s the aggressor in this story, but it’s absolutely clear that Israel is defending itself here. Every other country in the world would have done the exact same thing. In fact, one could say that Israel is restraining itself more than most other countries would do in similar situations. Didn’t the US attack Afghanistan en masse after 9/11? 3,000 people were killed that day. How many Israelis have been killed by terrorism?
The Gazan Health Ministry said, as usual, that quite some of the victims were citizens. Firstly, that’s probably not true. We all know that Palestinians / the Palestinian authorities are lying their butts off when it comes to this issue. Secondly, even if true, it’s irrelevant. After all, not Israel but Hamas is to blame. The terrorists hide behind civilians. When those civilians get killed they call them martyrs. Nothing lost then.
Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, threatened “to call off negotiations with Israel over a peace treaty.” He said: “We tell the world: watch and judge what’s happening, and judge who is committing international terrorism.”
We are watching and judging Mr. Abbas, and the answer to your query won’t satisfy you I’m afraid. It’s perfectly clear to all of us that the ones committing terrorism are you, the Palestinians.
Will the Palestinians never learn? Of course they won’t.
Michael van der Galien - When the ‘Occupying’ Zionists kill children you justify it as ‘defencive’. Perhaps if I go and live in your house and call it mine, and you try to kick me out, by your reasoning I should then have the right to kill your family because I am defending myself? Are you a reporter?
Sasha,
What you are doing is basically denying Israel’s right to exist. Study some history, and you will see that Israel did not steal its territory from the Palestinians, but the United nations decided that Israel would be created.
Hamas who don’t stop randomly firing on Israeli territory. If a Mexican terror group would do the same to US territory, I am quite sure the US army would stop them immediately.
Imagine rectifying all of the EU’s hostoric changes or even the US and Australia, it doesn’t make sense. We all know that historically Theodore Herzl had tried to secure a Jewish homeland in Palestine with the consent of the Ottoman Empire and the German Kaiser. He was rebuffed in both cases, and turned his efforts to securing a temporary home for the Jews in Uganda or Argentina or anywhere, a program that was controversial and eventually abandoned by the Zionist organization. Political Zionists then believed in securing a homeland through the efforts of rich and powerful leaders. Chaim Weizmann began the process of convincing Balfour that Palestine ought to be the Jewish national home.
The Balfour Declaration represented the convinced policy of all parties in our country (Britain) and also in America, but the launching of it in 1917 was due, as I have said, to propagandist reasons. (David Lloyd George, Memoirs)
For Israel to exist and have legitimacy it must have the popular support of regional countries and the Palestinian people, this cannot be imposed by outsiders who’s interests are not for the region.
Another important factor is, that I believe an agreement can be made with the Israeli people, but what they have done and shown to the countries of the region is that they are not happy with an agreement that doesn’t forfil their ‘absolute’ aims. Israel cannot impose itself on the region and also be the regional superpower. Only until recently has there been a counter to this by Iran, that is why Iran enjoys popular support within the region by the people from all of the different countries.
For Israel to exist, it has to accept dissarming and negotiated borders that entitle the right to return for refugees across the region, other than this, there is no negotiation and there will be no Israel.