Yet again Israel was made to take action against the terrorist factions of Gaza. Yet again the escalation of rocket fire against Israeli civilian population became unbearable. Yet again Hamas and a variety of other Islamic terror groups have forced Israel's hand. And yet if you open the world media, you are unlikely to find these simple truths. All you're likely to find is "Israel attacking Gaza, killing civilians, murdering babies".
"Oh, no! Behold the tears of a child! The lamentations of a liberal journalist!"
What you're about to read is true and accurate. It's true and accurate now when the operation is only aerial. It'll be true and accurate whether ground forces enter or a ceasefire is achieved. It was true and accurate for operations 'Cast Lead' and 'Pillar of Defense'. It's true and accurate now for operation 'Protective Edge'. It'll be true and accurate two years from now for the next operation. Hopefully, though, two years from now it won't be needed.
Myth #1: "Israel attacked Gaza!" - BUSTED!
Even if you don't know a single thing about the Israeli-Arab conflict, or about geopolitics in general, or about the world - you can still use your brains! Ask yourself, why on Earth would a successful, prosperous, economically stable, democratic country attack a neighboring entity, unless, of course, it's provoked by it to do so?
Hamas terrorists have been firing rockets randomly at civilian Israeli population for some 10 years now. In recent years other "freedom fighting" groups like The Islamic Jihad and ISIS joined them. Their goal is killing as many Israelis (their randomly fired rockets don't distinguish between Jews and Arabs, in case you wondered), frightening all of the Israeli citizens into sitting in bomb shelters and ultimately destroying Israel. Israel TOLERATES these rocket drippings (a concept unimaginable to any other country in the world) for years and years at the expense of their own citizens' safety, who have to live in Gazan missile range (which grows with every year). This year Gazan rockets covered some 80% of Israel from Eilat in the south to Haifa in the north. Thus, the absolute majority of Israelis (and Judea and Samaria Arabs as well) have between 15 seconds to 2 minutes to get into a bomb shelter when the sirens go off. When the rocket "rain" becomes unbearable Israel has no choice but retaliate.
So, for Israel it's not about "attacking Gaza", it's about executing a counter-terrorism offensive. It's about bringing peace and quiet back to the citizens.
Diagram from The Wall Street Journal.
Myth #2: "Israel commits genocide!!!1" - BUSTED!
Israel strikes terror targets in Gaza. Rocket launch sites, arms warehouses, smuggling tunnels, weapon workshops, residences of terror leaders. The problem is all those are hidden deep within civilian population. Israel uses its top technology to make sure the strikes are as accurate and surgical as possible, and that there are as little civilian casualties as possible.
Now, last time I checked, the definition of "genocide" is a deliberate and systematic annihilation of a people. In what universe (besides that of a Haaretz reader/writer, of course) does the aforementioned constitute a "genocide"? Not to mention, "Palestinian" life quality improved and is improving constantly in every aspect under the "evil Zionist occupation" according to the World Development Indicators of the World Bank.
IDF Strike on Concealed Weapons Causes Massive Secondary Explosion
Myth #3: "Israel deliberately kills civilians, children and babies!!!!!!!1" - BUSTED!
Civilians die in conflicts, it's a sad reality of war. Yet, when talking about Israel, two facts must be remembered:
1. No other country ever goes to the extremes Israel goes to protect civilian population: A. Israeli Air Force drops leaflets over areas soon to be attacked with warnings in Arabic, explaining the situation and urging civilians to leave. B. IDF phones each and every apartment in a targeted building and urges them to leave. C. Israel uses "knock on roof" policy, firing a tiny mortar on a targeted roof to let all escape before the building is brought down. D. IDF aborts missions when civilians are in sight. E. Israel sends humanitarian aid to Gaza, while Gazan terrorist wage war against Israel.
Not enough? Too little? Should do more? A legitimate point of view. But if you hold it, tell me what army does more than the IDF to protect and save civilians. No? You know what, tell what other army does at least as much as the IDF! Nothing? Well, then surely you can mention an army that does at least some of the things IDF is doing! Huh?
2. Hamas and friends deliberately operate deep within civilian population and actively use their civilians as human shields: A. They encourage them to come to places that are about to be bombed. B. They locate their bases, arms storages, rocket launchers in hospitals, mosques, schools and playgrounds to make sure they're always surrounded with innocent civilians, to make sure every Israeli attack is a monstrous act in the eyes of the world. C. They specifically forbid their civilians to comply with Israeli warnings and leave a targeted location. They forbid them to save their lives and demand them to sacrifice themselves in order to smear Israel. They don't care about their own civilians. D. They refuse Israeli humanitarian aid, sent in to ease the suffering of Gazan civilians. E. They break ceasefires ushered in to allow humanitarian relief.
All admirable acts of "freedom fighters", right?
Myth #4: "But the Goldstone report proved the Israelis are bloodthirsty animals!!!!11" - BUSTED!
Richard Goldstone is a South African judge who led a fact finding mission mandated by the UNHCR to look for evidence of Human Rights violations in Gaza after the 2008 Israeli operation Cast Lead. His report stated that violations probably took place on both sides, that both sides should make their own investigations and that Israel deliberately targeted civilians. Two years later, upon learning the facts (that are stated above), he retracted his initial report, emphasizing that "civilians weren't targeted as a matter of policy", claiming that "if he had known then, what he knows now, the Goldstone report would have been a different document". Golstone then also mentioned that Israel actively investigated over 400 allegations of operational misconduct, while Hamas did no such thing within themselves.
Watch Egyptian Anti-Israeli TV host expose the true face of Hamas.
Now, how come Israel is submitted to different standards then any other country, by being submitted to International Human Rights Law, while International Criminal Law would be much more appropriate during a war, is beyond me. You see, from a Human Rights point of view any loss of civilian life is a horrendous act of monstrosity, yet Criminal Law has far better tools to distinguish between unfortunate civilian death and targetting civilians as policy. In other words this is what Criminal Law does, this is its specialty, while Human Rights Law was originally designed to deal with other issues.
What is also beyond me, is how the same person releases a libelous document against Israel, and then negates it two years later? Why, as the head of a "fact finding mission", wasn't he able to find any facts on time? If, ideed, he wasn't, why did he still produce a report? If, indeed, Israel didn't collaborate with his mission, what facts did he base his report on? Those presented by Hamas?
Good questions all, but I'm no psychologist to answer them. It is, however, interesting to know that back in the Apartheid days Goldstone was responsible for sentencing 28 black South Africans to death...
Myth #5: "During this current escalation Israel already killed hundreds, and the terrorists succeeded in killing only one, therefore Israel's acts are disproportionate!!! Israel is the real terrorist!!!11" - BUSTED!
This one is probably my favorite! No other cliché exposes both the mental and the moral bankruptcy of the radical left-Antisemite coalition better!
What is proportionate? How does this term work in your mind? Should Israel turn off its Iron Dome defense system, so hundreds of Israelis would die as well, to meet your deluded ideas of proportionality? Should Israel, perhaps, fire rockets randomly in the general direction of Gaza, to meet your liberal unicorns-and-rainbows concept of proportionality?
The truth is the concept of proportionality in International Law doesn't exactly work the way you imagine it in your fantasies. There is no notion in International Law, that forbids you from winning absolutely and decisively. There is no notion, that forbids you from being more technologically advanced than you enemy. There is no notion, that the amount of your casualties must equal that of your enemy. The concept of proportionality in International Law actually talks about making the harm if need be inflicted on civilians proportionate to the military advantage secured. Israel, as already explained, tries to secure the safety of its citizens from random rocket fire, as Professor Eugene Kontorovich, an expert on International Law from Northwestern University, explains. Listen to the interview with him if you wish a better understanding of actual legal concepts versus childish liberal dreams mixed with Antisemitic delusions.
The Palestinian envoy to the UNHRC "is not a candidate in any Palestinian elections", so his take on the legality of Hamas attacks versus the legality of the Israeli attacks might surprise you.
Myth #6: "Israel still occupies Gaza, therefore it's all the fault of Israel's occupation and oppression!!!!!11" - BUSTED AGAIN AND AGAIN!
Been there, done that, read here!
For conclusion, the eternal questions always rise:
Why nobody cares when Arabs kill hundreds of Arabs every day, but when Israel has to protect itself the world goes crazy?
Why nobody cares when terrorists deliberately fire rockets unto civilians? Why the general feel from their actions is "it's okay, it's normal, it's natural"? Why the racist double standards towards the Arab people? Why the racist "higher standards" towards Israel? Why should it hold an even higher standard, than the higher standard it already acts upon?
Food for thought.
Next time you hear baseless lies about IDF conduct, call them out!
If you hear mistakes, correct them!
If you hear how "IDF is the most moral army in the world", nod your head quietly in agreement!
And don't stop using your brains!
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