Jerusalem Post, Dec 28 - Israeli UN Ambassador Gabriela Shalev on Saturday defended Israel's
decision to embark on a military operation in Gaza to put an end to
Palestinian rocket attacks, By Jonny Paul - In an urgent letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the head of the UN Security Council, Shalev wrote that Hamas "holds the sole responsibility for the latest events." Israel "has exhausted all means and efforts to reach and maintain quiet and to respect the state of calm....No country would allow continuous rocketing of its civilian population without taking the necessary actions to stop it."
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, December 28 - Israel Must Defend Its Citizens - Amos Oz - The systematic bombing of the citizens in Israel's towns and cities is a war crime and a crime against humanity. The State of Israel must defend its citizens. It is obvious to everyone that the Israeli government does not wish to enter Gaza; the government would rather continue the ceasefire that Hamas violated and finally revoked. But the suffering of the citizens surrounding Gaza cannot go on.
Hamas is actually eager to cause Israel to embark on a military operation. The Arab world will rally together around the atrocious sights that Al-Jazeera will air from Gaza, and the world court of public opinion will rush to accuse Israel of war crimes. This is the same court of public opinion that remains unmoved by the systematic bombing of population centers in Israel. Hamas' calculation is simple, cynical and evil: If innocent Israelis are killed - good. If innocent Palestinians are killed - even better.
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