OK, this is Israel and at some stage, you have to get political. For me that stage is now.
We've all see the news coverage of the latest violence between Israel and the Palestinian "Hamas" government in the South of Israel and the Gaza strip. World TV coverage shows horrifying pictures of dead and mamed women and children in Gaza. Heart rending scenes of fear, pain and suffering. Along with these pictures are shown scenes of Israeli fighter planes, tanks and soldiers, waging war on the civilian poulation whilst trying to kill some poorly armed "feedom fighters".
Obviously, If I lived in the UK or any other country, thses scenes would appall me and I would violently denounce the inhuman acts of the Israeli military and government. But I live here, in Israel and know what really goes on.
Let me go back a year and a half. The Hizballah in Southern Lebanon, invaded the northern part of Israel and captured 2 soldiers. Israel mounted a counter raid to try and recapture these 2 men. Hizballah retaliated by indiscriminately firing over 3000 rockets at Israeli cizilan targets - villages, towns and cities. Many of these rockets where fired from within Lebanesse villages and even the back yards of family homes - a cynical and deleberate attempt to utilse civillians as cover for their indiscrimate attacks. The end result was massive bombing by the Israeli Airforce of military targets in Lebanon - military targets used by the Hizballah. Whenever there was to be a strike against an area where there was a risk if civillian casulties - leaflets where dropped urging the civillians to leave. I didn't notice the Hizballah doing the same with the Israeli settelments they bombarded. And by the way - till this day the Hizballah refuse to divulge any information as to the fate of the 2 Israeli soldiers.
Today, In Gaza, the Hamas uses much the same strategy. Firing rockets indiscriminately on Israeli settlements from within densly inhabited Gaza suburbs. Their reasoning is that Israel will not destroy all points of launch for fear of civillian casulties and if they do - the photo oportunity of women and children being rushed to hospital will be invaluable. In this last escalation, the Hamas has even put groups of children on the roofs of arms manufacturing facilities to prevent the Israeli forces from destroying them. Who abducted an Israeli soldier - Gilad Shavit - almost 2 years ago and apart from on letter has refused any contact with him - even by the Red Cross?
So who is inhumane? Who cynically and cold heartidly uses inocent people as cannon fodder to further their polital aims. Who sends suicide bombers. some just teenagers, to blow themselves up, not at military instillations but in crowded shopping centers? Who, when Israel cuts back on the amount of electricity it supplies to Gaza cuts the power to hospitals even though there is more than enough self produced power to supply essential services?
This is a terrible ongoing tragady! For more than 60 years a bloody war has raged between the Palestinians and Israel. Both sides use useless rhetoric and fail to sit down together and solve the problem once and for all.
Israel is here to stay. The Palestinians are here to stay. On both sides there are those who still think that viloence will win out and that the enemy will "dissapear" But it just isn't true. History shows that a people with its backs to the wall will resist and make unbelievable sacrifices to win their freedom or to secure peace. We can't make the Palestinians go away or accept our solution by means of force. The Palestinians wont make Israel dissapear or capitulate even if they sent 100 suicide bombers a day and throw 100 of rockets at civillian targets. Bothe peoples have their backs against the wall, both have everything anf nothing to loose. The sooner the leaders on both sides realise this and sit down to talk and solve the problem, the better for everybody!
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