Blog Posts Tagged ‘Rockets’
Israel & Gaza
The recent offensive by Israel on Hamas targets within the Palestinian Gaza strip have resulted in many labeling the actions by the Israelis as blatant, unprovoked and unnecessary murders of a civilian population. Iain Dale has already pointed out the precarious position Israel has found itself in, namely that of seeking ceasefire and peace agreement while the terrorist Hamas have sent rockets from Gaza into Israeli settlements. Of course the timing of the assault on Hamas was not good, and international opinion will always to be to avoid confrontation, but the actions of the Hamas leadership have forced Israel’s hand.
In what other country would an a rocket attack from a neighboring country not result in a military response? If another country wished yours to be eradicated from the face of the earth, would you not retaliate after a ceasefire had been broken? A lot of this comes down to human nature: if Israel had sat back and allowed itself to be the continuing target the democratic nature of its state have have resulted in either lost confidence in the government or a push for a hardliner response. When dealing with terrorists there is no simple solution and Israel has taken many different journeys over the years in dealing with their threat. From suicide terrorism, the Oslo Accord through to the withdrawal from the Gaza strip there have been a variety of different approaches taken. Many would talk of having ‘good faith’ when entering into negotiations, but where was the good faith from Hamas? A negotiated ceasefire that they alone broke to continue their offensive against Israel.
The usual liberal left will condemn Israel’s actions without reservation, without mentioning the terrorist onsluaght they have faced and continue to face. Everyone wants peace, don’t they? From the Conservative Friends of Israel: (H/T Mr Dale)
Under cover of the truce, Hamas engaged in a major campaign to upgrade its terrorist capabilities, manufacturing and smuggling massive quantities of weapons into Gaza – including rockets, explosive charges and machine guns – and constructing a network of underground tunnels for combat purposes. Israel cannot acquiesce to the presence of a Hizbullah-like organization on its southern border.
I doubt very much that Hamas were preparing for peace.
