Gareth Smith, Byron Bay
Why is Israel attacking Gaza, terrifying its residents and traumatising its children? Yesterday [13 August], an Israeli jet fired a missile full of shrapnel at an elementary School in the Al-Shati camp. Missiles and artillery are blasting large areas of Gaza around Rafah and Khan Younis.
Israeli warplanes targeted a group of citizens in the Al-Nahda neighborhood, east of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip and even agricultural land in Sejaiya is under attack.
Stop this barbarous blitzkrieg on civilians using advanced weapons of war! This violates international law and must stop.
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Gareth Smith looks at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from one angle and thus his view is badly distorted. Gaza was handed back to the Palestinians by Ariel Sharon in 2005. In 2007 the Battle of Gaza, also referred to as Hamas’ takeover of Gaza, was a brutal military conflagration between Fatah and Hamas, that took place in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. The battle resulted in the dissolution of the unity government and the de facto division of the Palestinian territories into two entities, the West Bank governed by the Palestinian National Authority, and Gaza controlled by Hamas.
Since Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, terrorists have fired more than 15,000 rockets and mortars into Israel, putting nearly one million Israeli citizens under direct threat everyday.
Today Palestinian militants are deploying incendiary ballons as weapons against Israel, causing dangerous fires to break out in Israel damaging the landscape. Hamas has spent huge amounts from the aid money it has received for the purpose of helping its people on the construction of terror tunnels built for the purpose of kidnapping innocent Israelis to be used for ransom. Now the Palestinians are diverting their sewage sludge into Israel, using the waste Gazans produce as a weapon to poison Israel’s environment, causing a potential ecological disaster.
This is not an issue of international law. That is the propaganda line that Smith keeps touting as he ignores completely the reason why Israel attacks Gaza. Israel needs to defend itself against the belligerent assaults regularly instigated by Hamas and Islamic Jihad against it.
Hamas is hell bent on Israel’s destruction as apparent by its own charter. Israel has had no choice but to deploy its Iron Dome system and ensure that all Israeli citizens have access to a bomb shelter when necessary for their protection.
Gareth Smith, take off your blinkers and observe the reality of Gaza, the ever-present threat against Israel’s very existence that it represents.
Joe Silver, you speak the truth. Hamas has
simply used the Palestinians to cover their
own tracks – they’ve been doing it for years.
The Bias on this conflict is overwhelming
Dont know to much regarding the history
However the Arabs have had a headache
Since the 6 day War .. !! And quiet frankly
If i were Jewish i to would be protecting
The territory and its people considering what
Occurred in World War 2 ..