Israel and the Gaza Conflict

Let's get one thing straight here, I am pro-Israel. I support the Israeli operation in Gaza and what they're trying to do. I am against what the Palestinian militant Islamic group (Hamas) is trying to do. I'm not so sure that Mahmoud Abbas is much better with his PA group, Fatah. However, for now he seems to just be watching.

That being said, war sucks. I truely wish there was a way to avoid this type of armed struggle. War is just an extension of politics by other means -- that is the truth. It is tragic when one innocent life is lost on either side of a conflict. Unfortuantely there have been far too many losses from both sides to keep an accurate count.

I grow tired of the whimpy European and Arab countries and their calls for peace. Why didn't they work on something BEFORE Israel started this escalation? This is not news. It has been boiling over for months. Why wait until now when there really is a problem (read: war)? If they were truely interested in peace in this area, they would have been all over Arab countries getting them to talk with Hamas to stop the rocket attacks against Israel and the arms smuggling. They would have been meetings with the UNSC to see if the blockade of the Gaza strip could be lifted. But, no. They wait until it is too late, and then hope against hope that they can step in to stop this.

Word to all of the wusses who would do nothing before: It is too late! Israel cannot trust their fate and security to your never-ending committee meetings, high-minded simpleton solutions, and holier-than-thou cease fires.

Israel has every right to defend themselves from an entity that is bent on destroying them and will never stop resisting what they believe is Israeli occupation of their land (from the sea to the river).

Everyone who has any type of interest in this conflict will know these simple truths:

1. Hamas wants Israel destroyed. Whatever else happens (ceasefires, lulls in the resistance, etc.), this main fact will forever remain.
2. Hamas is resisting Israeli occupation. All the land of Israel belongs to Palestinians, not Israelis; therefore, resistance is justified. Because Israel occupies this land (not just the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but Palestine -- from Galilee to the Dead Sea, from the Med Sea to the Jordan River) they need to be destroyed. Resistance is a noble pursuit to Hamas (and others) and all forms of it (suicide bombing, qassams/grads/katyusha rockets, attacks on Jewish settlers and Kibbutzim, etc.) are not war crimes, but glorifiable duties of Palestinians.
3. Israel evacuated the Gaza Strip of all Jewish settlers in late 2005. Israel hoped that giving up all of this land would help Palestinians see that they (Israel) were willing to work with them. It resulted in around 6,000 rockets fired into Israel. Nice response Hamas (ungrateful gift recipients).
4. Hamas rested power from Fatah in June 2007 in a bloody battle.
5. Since June 2007, Israel has tried to restrict the military gains of Hamas by blockading the Gaza Strip and controlling entry to it. It hasn't worked. Hamas has armed itself with weapons and rockets (you can thank Hezbollah and Iran for this) and continued firing them even during the blockade saying that the blockade was the reason they resisted. Um, no that's not correct. You resist because that's what you do.
6. A 6 month "cease-fire" between Hamas and Israel -- yeah right -- ended Dec. 19, 2008. Because Hamas was tired of what they believed were Israeli lies, they did not renew the cease-fire (they didn't like the blockade of the Strip). They began ratcheting up the rocket fire into southern Israeli cities.
7. December 28, 2008: Israel attacks the Gaza Strip with the stated goal of trying to limit the rocket fire and provide security for its citizens.
8. Israel, having learned its lessons from the 2006 summer conflict in Lebannon against Hezbollah (which was a victory, but felt like a defeat), has decided to defend itself. Hamas threw the first punch (set of them -- rockets), and now Israel is striking back.

A word about war crimes and proportionality:

What other country engaged in a war notifies people in the war zone BEFORE dropping bombs? That's crazy, but Israel does it.

What other country would suspend a war to let humanitarian supplies in that will certainly find their way to the enemy? That's crazy, but Israel does it.

If there are any war crimes, Israel isn't committing them. People die in war, that's the cold hard truth. Civilians, soldiers, and children. Like I said before: War sucks. After waiting 3+ years, Israel has finally responded with force (that's restraint).

What is one Qassam rocket worth? Is it worth one Israeli guided missile or one JDAM dropped from an F-16? If one Israeli is killed, should only one Palestinian be killed? If this proportionality equation is followed, the conflict will never end. Although I hate to say it, the bombs dropped in Japan saved more lives than they took. I'm not advocating dropping the bomb here, but the point is sometimes it's better to beat the crap out of your enemy so that they surrender and lives are saved. Hamas only understands force: Well, Israel is giving it to them -- in spades! They are showing Hamas that each rocket fired has a severe response. Stop the rockets, and the violent response will stop. It's that easy.

I'll close this post with a favorite saying:

If Israel lays down its weapons and stops fighting, it will be destroyed.
If the Palestinians (and Arab militants) lay down their weapons and stop fighting, there will be peace.

Here's to hoping for a long and lasting peace in the Middle East!