War is a back and forth thing
Here’s what Gaza resident Mona El-Farra wrote in a Boston Globe op-ed on July 10 regarding Israel’s offensive against the Palestinian-run city after the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit:
Ostensibly, this bombing campaign started because of the soldier’s capture… He is one soldier who was captured in a military operation.
Here’s what Ismail Haniyeh, the democratically elected Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority wrote in the Washington Post on July 11:
As I inspect the ruins of our infrastructure — the largess of donor nations and international efforts all turned to rubble once more by F-16s and American-made missiles — my thoughts again turn to the minds of Americans. What do they think of this?
They think, doubtless, of the hostage soldier, taken in battle
“Military operation.” “Battle.” On Israeli territory, initiated by Palestinian troops. If you have absolutely no chance of being able to protect your people you really shouldn’t launch a cross-border military operation to battle a vastly superior enemy. One might say Israel has a right to strike back. Since I am of the nationalist persuasion I say she has a duty to retaliate and to try to free Private Shalit.
Apparently, Boston’s Episcopalian bishop thinks Palestinians should be allowed to wage war against Israel without fear of retribution. Says the bishop:
“The message I want to send is that I really encourage the Israeli consulate to communicate to the Israeli government and the Israeli military how critical it is for them to immediately withdraw from the Gaza and to do whatever they can, in a humanitarian way, to take care of the 700,000 people who are without any kind of electricity and to provide the necessary fuel, so that medical care can continue to happen and children can be taken care of.”
The message he should send is to the PA, ecouraging the Palestinians to facilitate the Israeli withdrawal by immediately and unconditionally release Private Shalit to Israel.
