Text of e-mail response to a form protest letter from Israel's Prime Minister's Office.
The following text provides Israel's rationale for attacking Gaza.
(Received January 11, 2009. PMO: "There is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip.")
We acknowledge receipt of your e-mail regarding the IDF campaign to protect the residents of
southern Israel.
For the past eight years, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have lived under the specter of
incessant and indiscriminate rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. While people in other
countries have carried about their normal routines, sending their children to school and
walking their dogs in the park, the people of Sderot and its neighboring communities have
been denied such luxuries – for fear of being hit by incoming missiles (http://switch3.castup.
net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=58&ar=panic02-V&ak=null). No sovereign nation should be expected to
tolerate the daily targeting of its people, and yet the State of Israel has exercised maximum
restraint and worked relentlessly to achieve a peaceful solution with the Palestinians.
Since seizing control of the Gaza Strip by way of a violent coup in June 2007, Hamas – a
terrorist organization allied with Iran, Syria and Hizbullah – has escalated its assault on the
State of Israel. Even a truce with Israel was abused by Hamas which persisted in attacking
Israeli towns, while also conspiring to upgrade its terrorist capabilities, manufacture and
smuggle massive quantities of weapons into Gaza and construct a network of underground
tunnels for combat purposes. Now, after Hamas has unilaterally abandoned this ceasefire and
expanded the range of its missiles to threaten close to one million Israelis, the State of Israel
must act decisively to defend its citizens.
In 2005, the Disengagement plan brought an end to Israel's presence in the Gaza Strip, with
the hope and aspiration that its Palestinian residents would begin to govern themselves and
prosper. Israel has no desire to re-establish its hold over Gaza, but has resolved – in self-
defense – to gain control over areas from which rockets are being launched on Israeli towns,
and to significantly disable the Hamas terrorist infrastructure. Ultimately, Operation Cast Lead
aims to produce lasting change in the security predicament affecting residents of Southern
Israel, and Israel expects the international community to lend its support in the fight against
Hamas terror. Terrorism is terrorism no matter where it occurs.
At the same time, the IDF is taking great pains to direct its activities exclusively against
terrorists. Hamas, however, callously places Palestinian civilians in harm’s way, using schools,
mosques, other public institutions and even private homes as arsenals and bases of operation
– effectively taking the Palestinians of Gaza hostage and using them as human shields.
Responsibility for injury to civilians in Gaza rests solely with Hamas. In contrast, the State of
Israel is doing its utmost to minimize any harm to the Palestinian civilian populace; hundreds of
trucks carrying humanitarian aid have been allowed passage into Gaza and this assistance will
continue. There is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
The State of Israel seeks peace and will remain steadfast in its pursuit of a two-state solution
that will allow Israelis and Palestinians to live together as neighbors in harmony.
Sincerely,
Prime Minister’s Office – E-Correspondence
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The following text provides Israel's rationale for attacking Gaza.
(Received January 11, 2009. PMO: "There is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip.")
We acknowledge receipt of your e-mail regarding the IDF campaign to protect the residents of
southern Israel.
For the past eight years, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have lived under the specter of
incessant and indiscriminate rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. While people in other
countries have carried about their normal routines, sending their children to school and
walking their dogs in the park, the people of Sderot and its neighboring communities have
been denied such luxuries – for fear of being hit by incoming missiles (http://switch3.castup.
net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=58&ar=panic02-V&ak=null). No sovereign nation should be expected to
tolerate the daily targeting of its people, and yet the State of Israel has exercised maximum
restraint and worked relentlessly to achieve a peaceful solution with the Palestinians.
Since seizing control of the Gaza Strip by way of a violent coup in June 2007, Hamas – a
terrorist organization allied with Iran, Syria and Hizbullah – has escalated its assault on the
State of Israel. Even a truce with Israel was abused by Hamas which persisted in attacking
Israeli towns, while also conspiring to upgrade its terrorist capabilities, manufacture and
smuggle massive quantities of weapons into Gaza and construct a network of underground
tunnels for combat purposes. Now, after Hamas has unilaterally abandoned this ceasefire and
expanded the range of its missiles to threaten close to one million Israelis, the State of Israel
must act decisively to defend its citizens.
In 2005, the Disengagement plan brought an end to Israel's presence in the Gaza Strip, with
the hope and aspiration that its Palestinian residents would begin to govern themselves and
prosper. Israel has no desire to re-establish its hold over Gaza, but has resolved – in self-
defense – to gain control over areas from which rockets are being launched on Israeli towns,
and to significantly disable the Hamas terrorist infrastructure. Ultimately, Operation Cast Lead
aims to produce lasting change in the security predicament affecting residents of Southern
Israel, and Israel expects the international community to lend its support in the fight against
Hamas terror. Terrorism is terrorism no matter where it occurs.
At the same time, the IDF is taking great pains to direct its activities exclusively against
terrorists. Hamas, however, callously places Palestinian civilians in harm’s way, using schools,
mosques, other public institutions and even private homes as arsenals and bases of operation
– effectively taking the Palestinians of Gaza hostage and using them as human shields.
Responsibility for injury to civilians in Gaza rests solely with Hamas. In contrast, the State of
Israel is doing its utmost to minimize any harm to the Palestinian civilian populace; hundreds of
trucks carrying humanitarian aid have been allowed passage into Gaza and this assistance will
continue. There is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
The State of Israel seeks peace and will remain steadfast in its pursuit of a two-state solution
that will allow Israelis and Palestinians to live together as neighbors in harmony.
Sincerely,
Prime Minister’s Office – E-Correspondence
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
back to home page for The McLoughlin Post
back to Links and Resources on Gaza, Israel and Palestine