To those who will read this note: of course my opinion on the situation in Gaza right now is biased by the fact that I am Jewish. I would say it is also biased by the fact that I have family in Israel and so I take it personally whenever someone says Israel has no right to exist, or when a political leader says that because of the IDF's actions, no Jewish child is safe.
Because of this bias, you can think of this more of a side of the argument, rather than an objective report. Since this is an issue that is so close to my heart, and because I have so much bloody time these days since I'm finished giving exams, I read about the offensive in Gaza at least 3-4 times a day, in addition to reading a few different blogs.
One thing I've noticed is that with all the protest websites and everything else condemning Israel, with everyone saying that they do not hate Jews, but only Zionists; it seems that no one really understands what Zionism is. Ask yourself for a moment. Do you know what Zionism is? I'll bet at least one person reading this thinks it's the ultra-right wing Jews who are out for Jewish supremacy in the world. And you would be wrong. Those who know me personally know that I always vote democrat and am most assuredly a centrist if there ever was one, and yet I am a Zionist. A Zionist is nothing more than the idea that the Jewish people should have their own homeland based on the preservation of the Jewish people and their ethnicity and religion. Is such a thing wrong, considering that there is are nations that are built upon preserving the ethnicity of the Spanish, Italians, French, Germans, Russians, Poles, Czechs, Finnish, Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, English, Irish, and Portuguese to name but a few among the many? Or all the nations that are predicated upon the preservation of Islam and those that adhere to it, whether they be Malaysians, Indonesians, Pashtuns, Turks, Arabs, or blacks? Those who are so strongly opposed to Zionism: Are you trying to suggest then that the Jews are the only group who do not have the right to self-determination?
But I digress. Let us state a few facts in this situation.
Fact: Hamas has been firing rockets into southern Israel with the specific intent to kill civilians for the past 3 years. Their effectiveness in doing so is absolutely irrelevant.
Fact: Israel has been making every effort to avoid civilian casualties, as is evidenced by the fact only about 20-25% of the Palestinian deaths since the ground offensive began have been civilian deaths.
Fact: Until the ground offensive began, 75% of Israeli casualties were those of civilians. Now, of course, those casualties only totaled to 4, but the percentage still demonstrates who is being targeted.
Fact: Hamas is well-known for launching its rockets from crowded population centers. I read a report earlier today where two people said they witness Hamas militants firing 2 blocks away from their home. They dared not protest for fear of being labeled a spy. Also, the U.N. school that was recently hit by Israeli tank fire is reported, though not confirmed, to have also had Hamas militants operating within the compound.
Aside from these facts, it's interesting to me to note, again, all the protests. I've read that many people complain about not being able to criticize the situation in the Middle East without being labeled an anti-Semite. Well, when you have protests like these,
http://www.youtube.com/wat
In the video above, in Amsterdam, the protesters are chanting "Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the chambers of gas."
http://www.youtube.com/wat
(note at 3:20 what a girl says the Jews need to "go back to the ovens") I have to wonder: wtf is not anti-semitic about these protests? Now, I understand that these protests should not be taken as representative of all of the protests. But for those of you who protested the current offensive in Gaza: Did you protest even a single time for the past 3 years when Hamas was raining rockets down on Sderot? Or when Hezbollah abducted 2 Israeli soldiers? Or when Hamas seized the Gaza Strip from Fatah by executing all the Fatah personnel? Or have you ever protested when a woman is stoned to death in any of Israel's neighboring countries after being ACCUSED of adultery?
No? Why then do you protest when the only democracy in the Middle East exercises its right of self-defense? Those who call the Hamas freedom fighters, I would take note that the reason Hamas is such a thorn in Israel's side is simply because of their absolute callousness toward Palestinian civilian deaths. Take this quote, from Jeffrey Goldberg, on the "pornographic interest of Jewish more failure," for example:
"One more thing, speaking of pornography -- we've all seen endless pictures of dead Palestinian children now. It's a terrible, ghastly, horrible thing, the deaths of children, and for the parents it doesn't matter if they were killed by accident or by mistake. But ask yourselves this: Why are these pictures so omnipresent? I'll tell you why, again from firsthand, and repeated, experience: Hamas (and the Aksa Brigades, and Islamic Jihad, the whole bunch) prevents the burial, or even preparation of the bodies for burial, until the bodies are used as props in the Palestinian Passion Play. Once, in Khan Younis, I actually saw gunmen unwrap a shrouded body, carry it a hundred yards and position it atop a pile of rubble -- and then wait a half-hour until photographers showed. It was one of the more horrible things I've seen in my life. And it's typical of Hamas. If reporters would probe deeper, they'd learn the awful truth of Hamas. But Palestinian moral failings are not of great interest to many people. "
One thing that no one seems to be asking in this whole situation, though, is where the hell is Egypt in all this? Egypt, along with Saudi Arabia, is supposed to be a Middle Eastern power broker. And yet, the both of them seem to be largely silent. It is true that Egypt has recently pushed for a cease fire, but considering that Gaza shares a border with Egypt, where are the medical supplies that should be flowing into Gaza? Where are the food rations that should be flowing into Gaza from Egypt?
One thing that is quite obvious to everyone involved is that on the whole, any given Muslim will probably support the Palestinian cause and that any given Jew will support the Israeli cause. But for Muslims who claim to feel the need of the Palestinians, why is there no help being given in the Palestinian time of need?
Clearly, I support the offensive in Gaza. I'm happy the IDF is doing something about it. I am hoping every time I read about the offensive, that there are no Palestinian civilians killed, and I am hoping every time I read about it that I don't have to read about more soldier deaths.
But I absolutely hope that Israel manages to unseat Hamas. With an organization like Hamas in power or even in existence, there will never be peace in the Middle East. The reason being is that Hamas uses an interpretation of Islam that simply cannot accept the idea of a Jewish national identity. They've labeled Jews as being murderous assassins of the prophets and of being descended from apes and pigs. They call the Jews' continued existence an offense against God. How can there be peace with such an organization?
Because of this bias, you can think of this more of a side of the argument, rather than an objective report. Since this is an issue that is so close to my heart, and because I have so much bloody time these days since I'm finished giving exams, I read about the offensive in Gaza at least 3-4 times a day, in addition to reading a few different blogs.
One thing I've noticed is that with all the protest websites and everything else condemning Israel, with everyone saying that they do not hate Jews, but only Zionists; it seems that no one really understands what Zionism is. Ask yourself for a moment. Do you know what Zionism is? I'll bet at least one person reading this thinks it's the ultra-right wing Jews who are out for Jewish supremacy in the world. And you would be wrong. Those who know me personally know that I always vote democrat and am most assuredly a centrist if there ever was one, and yet I am a Zionist. A Zionist is nothing more than the idea that the Jewish people should have their own homeland based on the preservation of the Jewish people and their ethnicity and religion. Is such a thing wrong, considering that there is are nations that are built upon preserving the ethnicity of the Spanish, Italians, French, Germans, Russians, Poles, Czechs, Finnish, Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, English, Irish, and Portuguese to name but a few among the many? Or all the nations that are predicated upon the preservation of Islam and those that adhere to it, whether they be Malaysians, Indonesians, Pashtuns, Turks, Arabs, or blacks? Those who are so strongly opposed to Zionism: Are you trying to suggest then that the Jews are the only group who do not have the right to self-determination?
But I digress. Let us state a few facts in this situation.
Fact: Hamas has been firing rockets into southern Israel with the specific intent to kill civilians for the past 3 years. Their effectiveness in doing so is absolutely irrelevant.
Fact: Israel has been making every effort to avoid civilian casualties, as is evidenced by the fact only about 20-25% of the Palestinian deaths since the ground offensive began have been civilian deaths.
Fact: Until the ground offensive began, 75% of Israeli casualties were those of civilians. Now, of course, those casualties only totaled to 4, but the percentage still demonstrates who is being targeted.
Fact: Hamas is well-known for launching its rockets from crowded population centers. I read a report earlier today where two people said they witness Hamas militants firing 2 blocks away from their home. They dared not protest for fear of being labeled a spy. Also, the U.N. school that was recently hit by Israeli tank fire is reported, though not confirmed, to have also had Hamas militants operating within the compound.
Aside from these facts, it's interesting to me to note, again, all the protests. I've read that many people complain about not being able to criticize the situation in the Middle East without being labeled an anti-Semite. Well, when you have protests like these,
http://www.youtube.com/wat
In the video above, in Amsterdam, the protesters are chanting "Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the chambers of gas."
http://www.youtube.com/wat
(note at 3:20 what a girl says the Jews need to "go back to the ovens") I have to wonder: wtf is not anti-semitic about these protests? Now, I understand that these protests should not be taken as representative of all of the protests. But for those of you who protested the current offensive in Gaza: Did you protest even a single time for the past 3 years when Hamas was raining rockets down on Sderot? Or when Hezbollah abducted 2 Israeli soldiers? Or when Hamas seized the Gaza Strip from Fatah by executing all the Fatah personnel? Or have you ever protested when a woman is stoned to death in any of Israel's neighboring countries after being ACCUSED of adultery?
No? Why then do you protest when the only democracy in the Middle East exercises its right of self-defense? Those who call the Hamas freedom fighters, I would take note that the reason Hamas is such a thorn in Israel's side is simply because of their absolute callousness toward Palestinian civilian deaths. Take this quote, from Jeffrey Goldberg, on the "pornographic interest of Jewish more failure," for example:
"One more thing, speaking of pornography -- we've all seen endless pictures of dead Palestinian children now. It's a terrible, ghastly, horrible thing, the deaths of children, and for the parents it doesn't matter if they were killed by accident or by mistake. But ask yourselves this: Why are these pictures so omnipresent? I'll tell you why, again from firsthand, and repeated, experience: Hamas (and the Aksa Brigades, and Islamic Jihad, the whole bunch) prevents the burial, or even preparation of the bodies for burial, until the bodies are used as props in the Palestinian Passion Play. Once, in Khan Younis, I actually saw gunmen unwrap a shrouded body, carry it a hundred yards and position it atop a pile of rubble -- and then wait a half-hour until photographers showed. It was one of the more horrible things I've seen in my life. And it's typical of Hamas. If reporters would probe deeper, they'd learn the awful truth of Hamas. But Palestinian moral failings are not of great interest to many people. "
One thing that no one seems to be asking in this whole situation, though, is where the hell is Egypt in all this? Egypt, along with Saudi Arabia, is supposed to be a Middle Eastern power broker. And yet, the both of them seem to be largely silent. It is true that Egypt has recently pushed for a cease fire, but considering that Gaza shares a border with Egypt, where are the medical supplies that should be flowing into Gaza? Where are the food rations that should be flowing into Gaza from Egypt?
One thing that is quite obvious to everyone involved is that on the whole, any given Muslim will probably support the Palestinian cause and that any given Jew will support the Israeli cause. But for Muslims who claim to feel the need of the Palestinians, why is there no help being given in the Palestinian time of need?
Clearly, I support the offensive in Gaza. I'm happy the IDF is doing something about it. I am hoping every time I read about the offensive, that there are no Palestinian civilians killed, and I am hoping every time I read about it that I don't have to read about more soldier deaths.
But I absolutely hope that Israel manages to unseat Hamas. With an organization like Hamas in power or even in existence, there will never be peace in the Middle East. The reason being is that Hamas uses an interpretation of Islam that simply cannot accept the idea of a Jewish national identity. They've labeled Jews as being murderous assassins of the prophets and of being descended from apes and pigs. They call the Jews' continued existence an offense against God. How can there be peace with such an organization?
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