IN THE MEDIA

Letter in The Age: Under threat

July 25, 2014

Under threat

The Age – July 25 2014

 

Your editorial (”Might overwhelms the right to defend”, 23/7) was inflammatory. Hamas, a terrorist organisation proscribed by many nations, including Australia, initiated this conflict by escalating rocket attacks across Israel. It rejected Israel’s overtures to de-escalate, as well as three Arab ceasefire proposals Israel accepted. Hamas positions its military assets – rockets, launchers, weapons, command centres and tunnel entrances – amid civilian homes and buildings, even mosques, schools and hospitals; a war crime.

Every Gazan civilian killed is tragic, but they are overwhelmingly victims of these callous human-shield tactics. Israel warns civilians of impending strikes by dropping leaflets, texting and phoning. As Bill Clinton recently said, Hamas has ”a strategy designed to force Israel to kill their own [Palestinian] civilians so that the rest of the world will condemn them”. The partial Gaza blockade, deemed legal by the UN’s Palmer Inquiry, targets only materials with military uses, allowing food, medicine, consumer goods, water, fuel and power. It was only imposed after rocket attacks.

Israel doesn’t want ”ugly vengeance”, as your editorial suggests, but seeks to protect its people from Hamas’ threatening rockets and extensive terror tunnel infrastructure aimed at killing or kidnapping its civilians.

Mark Leibler and Colin Rubenstein
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council

 

Tags:

RELATED ARTICLES

RECENT POSTS

Screenshot 2025 06 27 At 4.03.57 pm

Weekend Hebrew media update: Gaza, Iran and Israel

Targeted Israeli strikes in Teheran (Source: Heute.at)

Inside Israel’s strike on Iran: The intelligence coups that made it possible

An Iranian atomic energy exhibition at Islamic Revolution & Holy Defense Museum, 2018 (Source: Shutterstock)

Fact Sheet: Why did Israel attack Iran?

An American B2 bomber (screenshot)

Sometimes a military solution is necessary

Image: Screenshot

Food, lies and videotapes

SORT BY TOPICS