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Betsy, He Hit Me Back!
My mother runs a small business, a day care out of my parents' house. As with any endeavor involving children, there are plenty of "kids say the darnedest things" moments, and I remember one in particular. One of the kids got into tattle-tell mode and told Mom "Betsy, he hit me back!" Obviously, the child got in trouble, since hitting "back" implies that he hit first. He seemed oblivious to why he should be the one in trouble, apparently having a misplaced sense of personal entitlement and a yet-unformed sense of self-defense.
I'm reminded of this story with the current Israeli incursion into Gaza to fight the terrorist group Hamas that has control over Gaza. In 2005, Israel pulled out all settlements in the Gaza Strip, as well as soldiers and military installations. In the Palestinian elections that followed in 2006, Hamas, a terrorist organization backed militarily and monetarily by Iran, assumed control of the government, after which a civil war broke out between Hamas and the formerly ruling Fatah faction. Hamas assumed control of the Gaza strip following that fighting.
Starting years before, Hamas had been launching missile attacks into civilian areas of Israel as well as suicide bombers, keeping with their stated goal of the destruction of the very state of Israel. These attacks have been in place for the past 7 years or so on a fairly regular basis, and have sometimes been followed by Israeli retaliation, typically targeted against specific individuals within Hamas, sometimes with civilian casualties claimed by the Palestinians. There are accounts of arms smuggling into Gaza, largely from Iran.
Having had enough, Israel launched a military offensive into the Gaza Strip in late 2008: air strikes followed by a ground invasion. As they did with their Hezbollah-related incursion into Lebanon in 2006, Israel warned civilians that the attacks were coming. Hamas, however, like other like-minded terrorist organizations, is known for hiding militants and weapons in civilian areas of residence, hospitals, and mosques.
The Hamas response to the Israeli military incursion has been interesting, to say the least. It amounts to little more than "Betsy, they hit us back". Unfortunately, many in the world seem to consider this a valid entreaty, and have condemned Israel for the exercise, ignoring the years of rocket attacks and suicide bombings perpetrated against Israel. There is talk of cease-fires and "proportionate response", without explanation of what a "proportionate response" is to rocket attacks and suicide bombings.
I feel bad for the Palestinian people. They've been treated harshly by their own Arabic cousins in the Middle East, and they have been led by corrupt and cruel leaders more focused on destroying Israel than raising up their own people into prosperity. They, like all people, deserve liberty and self-determination. But to get that, they need to understand that they must pursue that end, rather than destruction. They need to send their children out to be educated or learn a skill or start a business, not to blow themselves up as suicide bombers. They need to stop hitting first, then complaining when they get hit back.
I'm reminded of this story with the current Israeli incursion into Gaza to fight the terrorist group Hamas that has control over Gaza. In 2005, Israel pulled out all settlements in the Gaza Strip, as well as soldiers and military installations. In the Palestinian elections that followed in 2006, Hamas, a terrorist organization backed militarily and monetarily by Iran, assumed control of the government, after which a civil war broke out between Hamas and the formerly ruling Fatah faction. Hamas assumed control of the Gaza strip following that fighting.
Starting years before, Hamas had been launching missile attacks into civilian areas of Israel as well as suicide bombers, keeping with their stated goal of the destruction of the very state of Israel. These attacks have been in place for the past 7 years or so on a fairly regular basis, and have sometimes been followed by Israeli retaliation, typically targeted against specific individuals within Hamas, sometimes with civilian casualties claimed by the Palestinians. There are accounts of arms smuggling into Gaza, largely from Iran.
Having had enough, Israel launched a military offensive into the Gaza Strip in late 2008: air strikes followed by a ground invasion. As they did with their Hezbollah-related incursion into Lebanon in 2006, Israel warned civilians that the attacks were coming. Hamas, however, like other like-minded terrorist organizations, is known for hiding militants and weapons in civilian areas of residence, hospitals, and mosques.
The Hamas response to the Israeli military incursion has been interesting, to say the least. It amounts to little more than "Betsy, they hit us back". Unfortunately, many in the world seem to consider this a valid entreaty, and have condemned Israel for the exercise, ignoring the years of rocket attacks and suicide bombings perpetrated against Israel. There is talk of cease-fires and "proportionate response", without explanation of what a "proportionate response" is to rocket attacks and suicide bombings.
I feel bad for the Palestinian people. They've been treated harshly by their own Arabic cousins in the Middle East, and they have been led by corrupt and cruel leaders more focused on destroying Israel than raising up their own people into prosperity. They, like all people, deserve liberty and self-determination. But to get that, they need to understand that they must pursue that end, rather than destruction. They need to send their children out to be educated or learn a skill or start a business, not to blow themselves up as suicide bombers. They need to stop hitting first, then complaining when they get hit back.
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