Israel acting in self-defense

Life would improve for both Palestinians living in Gaza and Israelis living around the Strip if Hamas’ presence in the region was diminished

Daniel Zimmerman
Daniel Zimmerman

It’s not what you’d expect from a government claiming to have the best interests of the Palestinian people in mind.

Instead of spending money on developing the Gaza Strip into a viable state, Hamas spends money on arming itself with increasingly sophisticated rockets to attack Israeli cities and towns.

Instead of ensuring the well-being of its citizens, Hamas uses them as human shields in addition to using mosques, schools, hospitals and universities as rocket launching and storage facilities.

Instead of co-operating with other political parties, Hamas initiated what was essentially a civil war with Fatah, its Palestinian political rival, expelling Fatah from Gaza and from the government. This resulted in the killing and wounding of more than a thousand Palestinians.

Is it any wonder that Canada designates Hamas as a terrorist organization?

It’s the third week of Israel’s war with the Hamas terrorist regime in Gaza—an act of self-defense, aimed at stopping Hamas rocket fire and weapon smuggling by targeting Hamas and its terrorist infrastructure.

Many seem to think Israel had a choice in the matter, that further diplomacy was an option, that Hamas could be reasoned with. The surge in Hamas rocket attacks targeting Israeli civilian populations following Hamas’s decision not to renew this summer’s cease-fire (during which rockets continued to fall) is a clear indication of its intention to continue its holy war until it obliterates Israel.

This aim is clearly articulated in the Hamas charter in which it states in the introduction that “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” The charter also rejects any possibility of a peaceful resolution when it states in article 13 that “initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas]. … There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad.” Unlike their moderate Palestinian rivals, Fatah, Hamas places the destruction of Israel above the peace and prosperity of the Palestinian nation.

It is difficult to understand how one could expect Israel to reach a durable truce with a terrorist organization that refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist, refuses to cease terror attacks and even refuses to recognize previous Palestinian agreements with Israel. Nevertheless, Israel has made numerous concessions in the hopes of peace.

In 2005, Israel withdrew its military and civilian presence from Gaza. Israel left behind only greenhouses and synagogues, which were summarily destroyed. In response to this act of peace, Hamas rocket fire increased dramatically following the withdrawal. Since the withdrawal, more than 7,000 rockets and mortars have been fired into Israel from Gaza, placing more than one million Israelis within rocket range. As well, Israel agreed to a truce this summer, which Hamas exploited to strengthen its terrorist infrastructure and smuggle in ammunition and more sophisticated weapons through Egypt.

As U.S. President-elect Barack Obama noted during his July visit to Israel, “If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do anything to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing.” After years of continuing rocket fire, Israel exhausted all options to reach a durable truce with Hamas. The only remaining course of action that Israel, like any other responsible state, could pursue was force. Israel had no other choice but to take military measures in order to ensure its citizens’ safety.

As expected with any armed conflict, civilians are inevitably put in danger, and a humanitarian situation will ensue. There can be absolutely no doubt that Palestinian civilians in Gaza are suffering.

In an attempt to prevent Palestinian civilian casualties, Israel drops leaflets in Arabic and phones Palestinians prior to operations in the area.

Hamas, however, continues to fire and store missiles in schools, mosques and houses in densely populated areas, and use civilians as human shields. On Jan. 12, Hamas even raided 100 aid trucks that entered Gaza that day, stealing their contents and selling them to the highest bidders.

Palestinians, as much as Israelis, are victims of the Hamas terror campaign. A better life for both peoples will not emerge until that campaign is halted, and a responsible Palestinian partner commits to peace.

Daniel Zimmerman is the President of Israel on Campus (Queen’s Israel Peace Initiative).

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

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