Israel has responded to the rocket attacks against her civilians by raining fire down on Hamas in the Gaza strip. The Jerusalem Post reports the response constitutes the "heaviest military strike against the Gaza Strip since the 1967 Six Day War" as "the Israel Air Force bombed over 170 targets on Saturday, killing more than 230 Palestinians." "Operation Cast Lead" is aimed at putting a stop to Hamas rocket attacks against southern Israel.
The Jerusalem Post continues saying that "in two waves, over 100 fighter jets and attack helicopters dropped dozens of smart bombs and hundreds of tons of explosives on Hamas training camps, headquarters, weapons storehouses, underground missile silos and command-and-control centers scattered throughout the Gaza Strip. In response, 80 Kassam rockets, Grad-model Katyushas and mortar shells pounded southern Israel throughout the day. One rocket scored a direct hit on an apartment building in Netivot, killing 58-year-old Beber Vaknin and wounding several others." Reuters reports that "Israel said it had bombed a mosque in Gaza City on Saturday because it was used for 'terrorist activities.'... An Israeli military spokesman said Israel had sought to avoid attacking religious institutions but 'anyone responsible for attacks (on Israel) will not find refuge in any facility.'" 
"There is a time for a cease-fire and a time to fight. Now is the time to fight," declared Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in a statement: "Until now we have shown restraint. But today there is no other option than a military operation. We need to protect our citizens from attack through a military response against the terror infrastructure in Gaza. This is the expression of our basic right to self-defense. Israel left Gaza in order to create an opportunity for peace. In return, the Hamas terror organization took control of Gaza and is using its citizens as cover while it deliberately targets Israeli communities and denies any chance for peace. We have tried everything to reach calm without using force. We agreed to a truce through Egypt that was violated by Hamas, which continued to target Israel, hold Gilad Shalit and build up its arms."
Hamas leaders threatened revenge with Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum declaring they "will continue the resistance until the last drop of blood." Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida said the group will "teach the enemy a lesson they will never forget".
I hope that the Israeli strikes will send a message to the Islamic terrorist in a language they understand. I can only pray that the strikes are successful. Israel should not ever apologize for defending her citizens. If cease-fires and negotiations actually led to peace and security then Israel would be the most peaceful and secure country on earth. Military strikes should not end until terrorism ends. So long as Hamas controls Gaza a state of war exists. The patience of Israel seems to have run out after 200 rockets fell on southern Israel this past week. Rocket attacks that the media will no doubt ignore as it focuses on the suffering of the poor Palestinians. Israel should not feel compelled to wait for over 60 rockets to fall on the country in the course of a single day before responding. The past 60 years are more than enough justification.
The international community, the media, and others, will no doubt want us to extend our sympathy to the Palestinians in Gaza. There will be calls for Israel to show "restraint," though the last time restraint ever stopped a dedicated terrorist foe eludes me. Let us not forget that these are the very same Palestinians that voted in Hamas to take over the Palestinian Parliament. These are the very same Palestinians who allow Gaza to be used as a base for rocket launchings against innocent Israeli civilians, the very same Palestinians who allow for the indoctrination of Gaza children into a cult of death, the very same Palestinians that glorify the suicide bomber from the Mosque pulpit, and the very same Palestinians that use populations centers and human shields as a cover for terrorist activity. Furthemore, this is the very same Gaza which Israel abandoned. Israel withdrew every soldier and settler and gave the Palestinians control of the territory. In fact, greenhouses used by the settlers were left behind for Palestinian use and the Palestinians burned them to the ground. They took the retreat from Gaza as a sign that terrorism works and that the jihad against Israel must continue until the Jewish State is destroyed. Israel today seems to be sending a very different message. If the Palestinians had worked to build themselves a better society in the Gaza Strip instead of continuing their war and terrorism against Israel, there would be no military strike against Gaza today. The peace process has always been irrelevant when dealing with Palestinians that have no desire for peace. Israel is on the front lines in the global battle against radical Islamic Jihadism. I hope and pray that the Israeli response is successful in weakening the Islamoterrorist enemy not only in the short term but in the long term as well.
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Saturday, December 27, 2008
Israel Rains Fire Down On Gaza In Response To Rocket Attacks On Southern Israel
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It almost sounds as if you're suggesting that there should be no sympathy for the civilians of the Gaza Strip. Bear in mind that Egypt, and I thik Israel as well, opened a border crossing to the Gaza Strip to treat those injured in the south of the territory. So the civilians of Gaza really do not seem to be the target - it's the aggression of Hamas that warranted the attacks. Then wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that if Egypt (and Israel) are trying to help the wounded, the Palestinian civilians aren't the target? I would think that those Palestinians who are being helped did not "allow for the indoctrination of Gaza children into a cult of death."
ReplyDeleteIf there is a truly innocent Palestinian that is hurt by the attacks that is obviously a tragedy. However, how many Palestinians do you believe do not want to see the Jewish State destroyed? On the other hand, how many do you think support terrorism and war against Israel? The Jew hatred that appears on Palestinian TV, targeting young children, and the indoctrination that goes on in Palestinian schools is real. There is a "cult of death" that children are being raised into. Lest you forget, Hamas controls Gaza. Lest you forget, Palestinians themselves voted Hamas as the largest party in their parliament. Hamas was not imposed on the Palestinians. Last time I checked, the good people of Gaza did not put an end to the war on Israel when Israel ceded every inch of the Gaza strip removing every settler and soldier. In fact, the good people of Gaza responded by overwhelmingly casting their ballots for Hamas. They continued their war, rockets launching on undisputed Israeli territory targeting Israeli civilians. Palestinian society is one of the most fanatical, radical, and certainly anti-semitic in the world. If you do not believe me, then perhaps you should refresh your memory and watch the unique news reports of Palestinians celebrating 9-11 in the streets.
ReplyDeleteIsrael cannot sit on the sidelines and allow rockets to fall on southern Israel. Sympathy for an innocent person anywhere is appropriate, and the death of a truly peace-loving Palestinian is terrible (especially if there are so few to begin with). But the Palestinians as a whole have done very little deserving of anyone's sympathy and have done very much deserving condemnation and the strongest retaliations.