We post excerpts from Israeli Strike Kills 2 Hamas Members, published in The New York Times along with bracketed comments.
JERUSALEM — An Israeli airstrike killed two members of the Hamas military wing in the northern Gaza Strip early on Saturday, and three Qassam rockets fired by militants from Gaza landed in and around the Israeli border town of Sderot, causing no casualties.
[Israel goes after terrorists; Hamas goes after civilians.]
The Israeli military said its actions were aimed at distancing “terrorist organizations, particularly Hamas,” from the border fence, and at reducing rocket fire into Israel. More than 130 rockets were fired at Israel since Tuesday, the army said, with about half landing in Israel.
[Imagine what the United States would do if 130 rockets were fired within a few days from Canada, aimed at Detroit. Imagine what we would do if thousands had been fired at Detroit, the way thousands have been fired at Sederot from Hamastan.]
A United Nations official in Geneva on Saturday condemned Israel’s actions, particularly the bombing on Friday of an empty Hamas Interior Ministry building in a Gaza City neighborhood. Shrapnel from the missile strike killed a woman and wounded up to 46 people, some of them children, who were celebrating at a wedding party next door.
[When terrorist headquarters are located within civilian areas, it's impossible to avoid some consequences.]
The official, John Dugard, who works on human rights in the Palestinian territories,
[Dugard doesn't work on human rights; he works on denigrating Israel.]
said the Israelis who were responsible “for such cowardly action” resulting in civilian casualties “are guilty of serious war crimes and should be prosecuted and punished for their crimes.” He said that the attack on the building “near a wedding party venue” was carried out “with what must have been foreseen loss of life and injury to many civilians.”
[He might want to consider that when terrorists locate facilities within civilian areas, they must have "foreseen loss of life and injury to many civilians."
When bystanders are harmed because they were near terrorist facilities, the blame rests with those who locate those facilities in civilian areas.]
When bystanders are harmed because they were near terrorist facilities, the blame rests with those who locate those facilities in civilian areas.]
An Israeli Army spokeswoman said that Israel “had attacked a Hamas headquarters,” and nothing else, in the raid. In response to some of the earlier civilian deaths, military officials said that Israel attacked only militants, but that they often operated from civilian areas in Gaza, while the rocket fire from Gaza was directed at Israeli civilian centers.
[Hamas, of course, looks at all civilian casualties, as a victory. When it murders Israelis, Hamas considers that a victory. When Palestinian Arabs are harmed as Israel tries to defend itself, Hamas considers that a propaganda victory.
For Hamas, having people die is a win-win situation.]
For Hamas, having people die is a win-win situation.]
Mr. Dugard also criticized Israel’s closing of its border crossings with Gaza as a violation of “the strict prohibition on collective punishment contained in the Fourth Geneva Convention.”
[Dugard interprets the Geneva Convention as requiring Israel to facilitate terrorist attacks against its own people.
There were no goods crossing between Gaza and Israel during the 1948-1967 period when Egypt occupied Gaza and used it as a base for attacks against Israel; however, since at that time it was an Arab state preventing commerce, Dugard obviously considers that acceptable.]
There were no goods crossing between Gaza and Israel during the 1948-1967 period when Egypt occupied Gaza and used it as a base for attacks against Israel; however, since at that time it was an Arab state preventing commerce, Dugard obviously considers that acceptable.]
A spokesman for the Israeli Defense Ministry, Shlomo Dror, said Saturday that “there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza and there won’t be one.”
[Israel continues to see to the welfare of the very people trying to destroy it.]
He said, “It won’t get to that stage.” But he added, “It doesn’t mean that we will make an easy life” for Hamas.
[Let's hope not; unfortunately, Israel has made things far too easy for Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah and the other Palestinian Arab terrorist groups operating out of both Gaza and the West Bank for too long.]
Mr. Dror noted that merchandise passed from Egypt into Gaza “all the time” through tunnels under the border.
[Hamas has no difficulty transferring the means of death into Gaza/Hamastan; it would have no difficulty transferring in the means of life if it so chose.
Dugard's continued employment by the United Nations essentially depends on his continuing to vilify Israel; he has been doing it for years and has gotten very good at it.
Unfortunately, he has not been very good at what should be his job, making the lives of the Palestinian Arabs better and promoting peace rather than conflict.]
Dugard's continued employment by the United Nations essentially depends on his continuing to vilify Israel; he has been doing it for years and has gotten very good at it.
Unfortunately, he has not been very good at what should be his job, making the lives of the Palestinian Arabs better and promoting peace rather than conflict.]
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