It’s so sad to witness the current state of the world: wars/conflicts in the Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen, Congo, India/Pakistan, Israel/Palestine and Syria … to name just a FEW.
In Syria’s civil war alone, troops from Russia, Iran, the United States and Turkey are also actively involved, and more than 300,000 have been killed, including 12,000 children dead or injured.
But in ALL these terrible conflict zones, there is ONLY ONE jurisdiction … the Palestinian Territories … where those in power openly allow unauthorized ARMED TERRORIST factions to roam free, organize killing squads, assemble, store and fire off thousands of rockets and missiles DELIBERATELY aimed at neighbouring CIVILIANS in Israel (including homes. kindergartens, schools, shops, offices and even farmers’ markets).
In fact, it’s even worse than that: when TERRORISTS operating from Palestinian territories organize and successfully carry out attacks (shootings, stabbings) in Israel against innocent CIVILIAN victims (lately, killing a teenage student from Canada and a mother and her two daughters from the UK), Palestinian officials organize street celebrations/dances and throw candies to the crowd, celebrating the CIVILIAN killings as “sweet” victories.
And to this day, Palestinian schools, text books, summer camps and childrens’ television programs (many funded by Western aid and the United Nations!) still preach hate against Jews … ANY Jews ANYWHERE … and praise the “martyrdom” of TERRORISTS killed or captured carrying out attacks in Israel against not only Jews, but Christians as well … ANY tourist, in fact, visiting that country.
It’s so bad, according to Palestinian Media Watch, graduating students at one Palestinian High School ceremony were told the “real” rewards won’t go to them, but to 16 other students who had been killed over the years carrying out TERRORIST attacks against Israelis. Imagine hearing that as you graduate from high school!
Two months ago the Palestinian Authority televised the funeral of a 14-year-old killed carrying out a TERRORIST attack, serenading the dead child with music: “Oh Mother, come look at me! This is the most beautiful day” … ie having achieved the highest reward: becoming a “Shaheed” martyr and dying for Allah.
What kind of barbarians deliberately teach their CHILDREN almost daily … not to get the best education, jobs and work towards peace and prosperity … but instead to hate and “martyr” themselves by carrying out terrorist attacks?
I’ll tell you: tyrannical corrupt Palestinian regimes that haven’t held elections in 17 years, are ruled by “leaders” who often live in luxury in Qatar or Iran and don’t dare negotiate peace with Israel because they know the extremist, violent TERRORISTS in their own backyards will kill them if they do!
And then, there’s the Palestinian Authority’s own “pay for slay” program that REWARDS families of imprisoned or killed TERRORISTS with monthly cheques (thanks to foreign aid?) that pay more than many Palestinians earn. The total shelled out each year by the Palestinian Authority to reward terrorist acts: more than $400 million!
No wonder in the West Bank governed by the PA and in Gaza, ruled by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Fatah, Abu Nidal and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine OPENLY walk around, recruit new terrorists, steal away precious goods from legitimate infrastructure or civilian projects to instead assemble, build and store explosives, rockets, missiles … thousands of them.
In fact, over the past several months, BEFORE the latest conflict eruption, TERRORIST-inspired civilian shooting and stabbing attacks inside Israel were taking place, and DOZENS of rockets had also been fired from Gaza, Syria and Lebanon aimed DELIBERATELY at Israeli civilians.
And neither the Palestinian Authority nor Hamas made a single move to detain, arrest or stop ANY of them. To the contrary!
The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza have protected TERRORIST groups/factions and even rewarded their actions, day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year.
And the number of innocent DEAD CIVILIANS in Israel, including women, children, even foreign workers/visitors had been piling up.
So how could the Palestinians (and the world) feign surprise when finally Israel struck back … with pin-point strikes taking out one, two, three, four and then five Islamic Jihad Commanders?
It is NOT Israel’s fault that these criminal terrorist leaders … knowing they will eventually be targeted for their rocket attacks … take up residence in high rise apartment blocks, filled with innocent families, women, kids, seniors!
And how could these terrorists, who spent their days plotting, organizing, smuggling weapons and firing rockets, trying to kill Israelis, be so dumb (or arrogant) as to surround themselves with their wives and kids and grandparents each night, instead of hiding out somewhere underground or in a safe house?
In the latest conflict alone, Islamic Jihad fired more than a THOUSAND rockets at Israeli cities.
They truly deserved what they got back.
The Israeli Defence Forces no doubt saved many innocent lives of their own citizens and visitors (Jewish, Christian, Muslim) by taking out these TERRORISTS.
And although I saw only one media report it, apparently the Israeli Defence Forces also saved MANY Palestinian lives by phoning (as they have previously) neighbours of the Islamic Jihad Commanders and telling them to flee the building moments before they struck.
What other army does that?
The RESPONSIBILITY for any civilian victims in the Israel/Palestinian conflict … on either side of the border … lies squarely in the lap of Palestinian TERRORISTS … and governing Palestinian officials .
It’s THEIR job to curb the TERRORISTS in their midst.
And if they won’t, don’t blame the Israelis when they do.
Harv Oberfeld
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