The below article comes from the Sderot Media Center of Israel. It is written by an Israeli, Noam Bedein, who lives near Sderot. Call it biased if you wish, but at least read and consider the points.
http://sderotmedia.org.il/bin/content.cgi?ID=676&q=3
And where is Sderot, you ask? Silly me. I should have mentioned that it is that small town in Southern Israel that keeps getting hit by those Hamas-launched rockets from Gaza. I doubt most Europeans or Americans on the far-left fringe have ever heard of Sderot. Here are a few scenes from a Sderot school in case anyone is interested.
No doubt the standard Palestinian response would be that their children have suffered in refugee camps, and been slaughtered by Israeli-allied militias in Lebanon, so they aren't shedding any tears.
ReplyDeleteThe most consistently humane standard is that we all shed tears for all the children, and try not to subject them to this kind of experience.
"You frightened, wounded or killed my children, therefore I will do so to yours" makes as much sense as the Russian nobleman saying "you struck my Jewish serf, I'll strike yours to get even."
The last few governments of Israel, and the political climate that elects them, has not been helpful in pushing this even handed perspective. Fortunately, the current prime minister in the West Bank is endeavoring to build an economic life and security system which will give people cause to think twice about lobbing shells and volunteering for suicide missions, because they would have something to lose. If only the Israeli government recognized how essential this is to any enduring peace for Israel, and for the children of Sderot.
(I know, Hamas is another story -- but Israeli policy should be geared to robbing Hamas of its base by demonstrating how well those not led by Hamas are getting on in the world.)
Siarlys,
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that the shells are being launched by Hamas from Gaza, not that saint Abbas you describe in the West Bank. (You should catch some of those PATV shows sometime.)