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The Absurdity of All This Discussion
GS Don Morris, Ph.D.
August 17, 2006
"The resolution is clear that Hizbullah needs to be removed from the border area, embargoed and dismantled," the official said. "If the resolution is not implemented, we will have to take action to prevent the rearming of Hizbullah. I don't think backtracking will serve any useful purpose. There has to be pressure on Hizbullah to disarm or there will have to be another round." (1)
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is expected to raise the issue when she meets in New York on Wednesday with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
“The issue of disarmament is not on the agenda,” senior Hizbullah official Hassan Fadlallah said on Wednesday, jeopardizing the fragile cease-fire in the region. The UN cease-fire resolution clearly states that the area south of the Litani river must be demilitarized.
According to Fadlallah, who spoke with al-Jazeera, Hizbullah will not evacuate its operatives from southern Lebanon since they are the ones who populate the region. "Any such withdrawal means the evacuation of southern Lebanon," he said.
Annan angered Israeli officials when he told Channel 2 on Tuesday that "dismantling Hizbullah is not the direct mandate of the UN," which could only help Lebanon disarm the organization.
The UN has not received any formal offers of troops for UNIFIL, although France, Italy, Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia have indicated they would make significant contributions. A dozen other countries have also expressed a willingness to help.(1)
Lots of talk. Israel spends an amazing amount of effort explaining, correcting, teaching everyone about its position relative to UN 1701. The strategy seems to be to make sure we are perfectly clear about what the resolution says and we should also be clear as to who has specific responsibilities to make this resolution work. Each Israeli speaker puts forth a great deal of effort to ensure that we understand not only the intent of the resolution but that we understand each paragraph. In addition, we are expending so much energy on the topic of Olemert and gang’s resignation(s). The angst of it all!
Meanwhile, the Lebanese government has cut a deal with Hizzbollah-they do not have to disarm and in the south as long as they do not publicly display their arms it is OK to have them. What a sound strategy-mandate that their arms be hidden, out of view-so, hide them in the bunkers, in civilians homes, under baby cribs and in mosques. Yes, by the way, this does meet the resolution’s criteria; Israel does not have a leg to stand on-we are being goaded into starting the war again. I direct your attention to OP3 of the resolution: so that there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of Lebanon. (2) Furthermore in OP 8 additional permissions are granted. The language clearly states that if permission is granted by Lebanon, Hizzbollah can have arms; this is precisely what has occurred.
While the officials spent the last 36 hours talking, explaining and teaching, convoys of arms and renewed supplies have left Syria, actually tracked by Israel and allowed to arrive at their destinations. Hizzbolah fighters/terrorists, as far as I am concerned, have hidden among the returning civilians and are taking up positions among the civilians.Again, please understand the resolution allows this to happen, given a particular interpretation. So, Hizzbollah re-arms, gains more rockets and missiles of death, imports fresh new “soldiers” and Israel keeps on explaining.
Let me take you back to the beginning of this piece-note that Hizzbollah does not mince words: they will not disarm, period! No explanation, no need to teach us what was just said-we understand completely.
If the preceding is not an absurdity I do not know what is. Back to Israel-the TV news and talk shows are spending their time explaining, teaching and assisting us simple civilians to rationalize the events of the past month. We are discussing the incorrect concepts and continuing to lose the PR war that is as critical, in some ways, as is the military war. Yesterday Hizzbollah, made public(1)that it was making its men and money available to the civilian populations in Lebanon to help them rebuild their homes and lives-homes and lives destroyed by the occupier, evil Israelis. The international news, Arab news have made an enormous play on this story. For me this is only another tactic. Of course, Hizzbollah wants to rebuild civilian populations; it needs to hide among them, store arms and missiles among them. How can any thoughtful person believe that these terrorists truly, in a western manner of conscious, care about civilians when they use them as shields and know they will be killed? This demonstrates human love and care? You really find legitimate the excuse Hizzbollah uses when it murders its own citizens and other Arabs when its missiles land incorrectly among these populations? The excuse is that they are shaheeds ; interview the relatives of these murdered individuals, you will discover the dead did not ask to become martyrs.
What should we be concentrating on? We do not have the luxury of playing the blame game; they are developing a new battle plan; we must be doing the same. Never mind fault, identify the mistakes made, take immediate action to correct them. Develop another set of strategies to take out the enemy in order to regain the air of deterrence - one of our best offensive weapons - that has been decimated this past month.
Now for as important strategy as developing a battle plan: take on the conventional wisdom of the Geneva Convention and application of same to what is truly an asymmetrical war. I suggest the following: international countries across the political and ideological spectrum are trumpeting the Geneva Convention accords in a manner that supports their political and PR positions.
The Geneva Conventions consist of treaties formulated in Geneva, Switzerland, that set the standards of international law for humanitarian concerns during time of war. The conventions, their agreements and two added protocols are as follows: First Geneva Convention (1864): Treatment of battlefield casualties and creation of International Red Cross Second Geneva Convention (1906): Extended the principles from the first convention to apply also to war at sea.
Third Geneva Convention (1929): Treatment of Prisoner of war.
Fourth Geneva Convention (1949): Treatment relating to the protection of civilians during times of war "in the hands" of an enemy and under any occupation by a foreign power.
Protocol I ( 1977): Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts Protocol II (1977): Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (3)
All of the preceding conventions occurred after the horror of war had once again dealt its misery upon human beings. One can notice over time that people attempted to make war less painful and less grotesque by attempting to get the world community to adopt more humane behavior and actions specific to the title of each convention.
Sovereign countries voted to participate or not follow these rules. It is time for an appendix. Today we have a sovereign country, Israel, agreeing to follow and apply the rules of war. However, we are not fighting another sovereign country-we are fighting a terrorist militia. They are not beholden to any war agreements-they do not have to and certainly have demonstrated that they could not care less about them. This asymmetrical application of war rules has caused and will continue to cause Israel and the West defeat. Furthermore, a new definition, during time of war, of who is a civilian and/or combatant, what are their responsibilities and what the new rules of engagement are to be-all of this must be re-defined immediately. Israel develops war plans based upon rules of war, Hizzbollah and Iran do not follow any such rules and develop plans accordingly. Time to shift the equation. In the absence of taking on this difficult but mandatory task, our war plans, strategies and ability to defeat this “new enemy” may mean the destruction of our way of life. Trust me, Hizzbollah, Iran and all of the other fascist Islamists are counting on our inability to understand this simple principle. The clock is ticking!

End Notes
Hizbullah: Disarmament not on agenda, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525882124&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle FshowFull, August. 16, 2006
UNSC Resolution 1701, August ‏2006
Morris, GS Don, “Understanding The Fourth Geneva Convention”, posted www.PRIMERct.org

The World Has Just Rewarded Civilian Shields
By
GS Don Morris, Ph.D.


It is Friday evening here in Israel. Families here, as I am sure is the same in Lebanon, are anxious, worried and confused. It appears that the United Nations has finally put together a resolution designed to stop the death and destruction in both countries. Interesting that the world is in a rush to stop the war and THE answer suddenly appears-it is called a ceasefire resolution. Perhaps this rush to judgment is the result of photos, video, story lines that focus upon primarily the action among the Lebanese people. Perhaps the PR campaign of doctored photos, staged scenes of destruction, and “forced” story lines have lead otherwise intelligent, caring people to fall for the oldest trick in the terrorist book. Emotion nearly always over rides analysis based upon facts. Hezzbllah’s PR campaign has overwhelmed the world. People actually believe the only way out of this situation is with a ceasefire, buffer troop resolution-you bought this hook, line and sinker. The situation I am talking about is the alleged death rate of civilians. The entire motivation for this resolution is based upon a false assumption. You have now rushed to judgment-there are multiple other possibilities for resolving this situation-no one seems to want to discuss them and Israel is displaying its inept public relations.

A great deal of diligent work and effort was expended by hundreds of people in order to finally arrive at this resolution. Many people in the international community will rejoice this evening-I am not one of them.

If this resolution is enacted, Israel and the free West will have been dealt a catastrophic blow for freedom. There are many questions left either asked or unanswered by governments, media types and citizens of the world.

Why a new resolution when the UN had one already in place-UN 1559? As written, if enforced, this war would never have begun; therefore there would be no need for another resolution to stop it.

If you can’t enforce UN 1559, what makes anyone think this “cease-fire” resolution can be successfully implemented? The recent history of UN resolutions being implemented successfully has been comparable the number of times the Red Sox have won the World Series.

“The essence of this new resolution is it would give UN forces in south Lebanon a mandate under Chapter 6 of the UN Charter - which Israel has previously opposed.
The mandate would be modified to make the force stronger than it has been in the 28 years it has been in south Lebanon. The UN force, known by its acronym UNIFIL, would help coordinate the deployment of Lebanese forces to the south, which has been under de facto control of Hizbullah for years. IDF troops that have been operating in the area in more than four weeks of war would then withdraw. “
If I understand this correctly, the UNIFIL troop base will be expanded while assisting the Lebanese army to deploy on the border. Isn’t this the same UNIFIL who has failed repeatedly when a peacekeeping action was needed on the border? Isn’t this the same Lebanese army that has been described as weak and unable to deter in any manner Hezzbollah as reported by the Lebanese PM himself? Isn’t this the same army whose members have been assisting Hezzbollah on the battlefield? What has changed with either to make any of us believe they can produce a ceasefire? The data is that UNIFIL and the Lebanese army are weak, poorly armed and without proper training relative to the Iranian army wing we call Hezzbollah. Both were so ineffective that they allowed the weapons of mass death to be imported into Lebanon, they allowed for over 5 years the country side to be radically change by permitting deep, enforced bunkers to be built. These bunkers were built for munitions, missiles and terrorists-none were built for the Lebanese people.
What country when attacked is told it may not respond in any manner it deems necessary and is then told you have a timeline to complete whatever military action you are going to take? As far as I know this has applied to only Israel. A stopwatch has literally been placed upon a sovereign country-do you not see the injustice of this? You have just rewarded Hezzbollah and Iran. You have also rewarded all other countries and/or terrorist groups who will next engage in battle with countries other than Israel.
Do you realize that you have immediately provided a reward for battles accruing civilian deaths? Do you look the other way when challenged by those of us who realize you have given Hezzbollah, Iran and fascist Islam a new winning strategy? You reward them by not holding Hezzbollah accountable for its actions. You reward Hezzbollah and Iran when you allow them to violate most of the Geneva Convention rules when it comes to combatant rules of war. Hamas has already said it will use these same tactics. Imagine what has occurred and will take place with munitions, nuclear plants and missile launchers in Iran. You have made it profitable to have civilians killed-you have rewarded one of the most despicable human behaviors known to humankind!
Have you given consideration that this resolution has established a precedent when it comes to across border fighting? Was this also your intention? Israel, correctly so I might suggest, has had a policy of not allowing such an action to occur. The 15,000 person group will serve as shields for Hezzbollah. Can you imagine Israel responding to fire from Hezzbollah and returning fire over the heads of this force? What happens when Hezzbollah deliberately fires into this group, kills and maims soldiers and then blames Israel? How will you deal with this and the media jumping on the action to once again denigrate Israel?

What are the rules of engagement for this resolution? How long will these troops be deployed on our border? What is the exit strategy? What are the performance markers used to determine if the group is effective? Without answers to all of these and other questions, this resolution should never see the light of day.
Do you not see that you have given our enemies a new strategy to limit us while strengthening them? One of the outcomes of this kind of resolution is any aggressor can operate freely with the knowledge that in less than 31 days, the international community will step in and rescue it while punishing the victim country. It is precisely this unspoken outcome that begins the death nil for the West. Once again we failed to honor our beliefs and our way of life. We have capitulated to the enemy.
Clear defined beliefs lead to the establishment of precise goals. The goals enable us to make decisions about what we know we have to do as well as dictate what we need to do. It is time to once again state with clarity of vision and precision of thought what we stand for as well as what we believe our way of life should look like. We need to be resolute in our convictions and then develop the goals leading us into action-a nation’s soul depends upon this. We need to have congruity between what we say and what we do. I call this acting within integrity-perhaps we have lost some along the way. We can regain our lost souls as a country and as a nation-let us begin now. By requesting that the UN demonstrate its ability by asking the international community for implementation of 1559 before we attempt another new resolution.

Courage is more than a Word
GS Don Morris, Ph.D.
August 10,2006


Last night I watched Arab television-yes we access it here in Israel. I listened as Hassan Nasrallah’s recorded statement over Hizballah’s Al Manar television, at 20:15 local time, was delivered. There was a brief delay as his talk was translated for me. In summary he said, “Under no circumstances would he accept a multinational force in South Lebanon. He warned the Lebanese prime minister not to give an inch on this issue.” There was lots of other words spoken, none worth repeating thereby providing him a further stage on which to perform. He acknowledged that the resolution and any further resolutions would not be considered-he basically informed the world that diplomacy was a non-starter.

I waited for Lebanon’s PM Siniora –to no one’s surprise he obeyed. This weak administrator of an even weaker government has complied with Hezzbollah-the result is simple to understand-diplomacy is a non-starter.

I turned back to Israeli television and watched intently as our thousands of troops were in their final stages on our northern border. At 10:20 pm, we saw a massive movement of Israeli ground troops and tanks begin to thunder across into Lebanon. The much awaited ground war was beginning. A courageous action was being initiated-the “C” word had returned to Israeli actions.

Yet this was not to be-the Bush administration, stepped back into the operations of a sovereign state and pulled the plug on the ground offensive. Our troops stopped in their tracks, not by our vengeful enemy, but by our number one ally-America. Bush managed to do what no Arab country has ever been able to do, he accomplished something that Nasrallah was not able to do-he forced Israel to retreat behind her borders.

Let us put this into perspective. Let us explain why this was one of the most missed opportunities in our history and it will come back to do great damage to both of our countries. It took courage to develop a large ground offensive, it took even more courage to let it begin. However, no sooner had courage returned, it was abruptly loss or thrown away-people lost their “C” power and today the West lost a huge edge in its battle against radical Islam, i.e., war against terror. True leaders not only possess courage, they actually execute it in the face of unbelievable odds and in the face of growing international complaints. The leaders took the advantage away from Israel by stopping the offensive just as it began. We sarcastically have said time and again that the Palestinians never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Good colleagues and friends, add the USA and Israel to that banter.

We had the enemy on the ropes. Intelligence had reported that Hezzbollah’s army was tired, weakened by our attacks. For all intensive purposes we had deprived them of being supplied either with weapons, munitions or new fighters. They spent much of each day under ground. They knew we were coming after them with 40,000 fresh and highly motivated troops. They knew we had learned on the battle field and we had changed our tactics. Worry and concern was finally present. We have been told this by the captured Hezzbollah soldiers.

Furthermore, their leader along with the PM of Lebanon had just told the world that Israel should “bring it on.” OK, these are my words, they did say that diplomacy was a non-started. How many times and by how many enemy leaders do we have to be told this until we finally comprehend what is believed by the other side?

The situation is even more disturbing than what I have written thus far. Here is the rest of the not mentioned, yet to be told, story. Leading up to yesterday, 40,000 Israeli citizens were called suddenly to active duty. We tore them away from their normal daily lives to come fight for their country’s existence-yes existence. The turn out was 102% soldiers answered their country’s call. That’s correct, even those not called showed up for active duty. Men within minutes of receiving the phone call, grabbed their gear and found the way north to join their units. They walked away from their jobs in high tech, medicine, laws, education, agriculture, construction to mention but a few professions. They left their wives, their children-they left their comfort zone, they left everything secure in their world. Most did not even get to say goodbye, share a final hug with their loved ones-they simply had to go.

Let me fast forward to what occurred prior to last night. The men turned in their cell phones yesterday afternoon. When asked by their anxious wives/friend/parents where and when they might go, they could not provide an answer-the army required a blackout. We understand but it is not easy to accept; thus the families and friends were now part of the 40,000 soldiers facing the unknown. Yet not one I know, including friends and families, would say or act in a contrary manner to the assignment the soldiers were soon to embark upon. Those of us left to watch and listen do not even know the number of the unit the men are in; this too, must remain a secret. All we can do is wait, watch and pray for their safety.

These men and their families possess courage and they act in accordance with this courage. The men prepared themselves for battle. They prepped their weapons, they put on full battle gear, their faces took on the camouflage paint and they listened to their instructions. Each soldier prepared psychologically for this in their own way. Some prayed, some sought solitude, others sat and talked about their civilian lives. Each did what was necessary to get ready to go into harm’s way; a nice way to say go into the hell of war. Yet each man did this and the time came to move. The war was about to become real for these reservists and as they began their entry into Lebanon, the word came down to halt the operation.

It was stopped because some people lost their courage. President Bush et al told Olmert to stand down the operation. Olmert and his group lost their courage and stopped the operation. Here is the problem: 40,000 men had psychologically and logistically prepared to fight. Also, 40,000 families had prepared for this fight. Thousands of businesses had made arrangements for this fight. Friends and others in the country were ready to pay an incredible price in order to preserve their country from our enemy committed to wipe us off the face of the planet.

Courage is the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution with the demonstration of bravery. If you believe your are correct and also right, if you believe that your plan is sound, if you do not falter with your thinking, it only takes courage to execute the battle plan. To be persuaded at the last minute that your thinking was flawed and to second guess yourself or worse yet allow other’s to do the same, is an example of lack of courage. To possess courage means that you are willing to act upon your convictions not knowing, and not having any guarantees that the desired results will materialize. This allows fear to supercede courage. Fear is to be expected and is normal. Our soldiers were not about to let fear stop them or get in their way of doing what they had to do.

Yet, it seems today that our leaders skipped a beat and allowed their courage to be undermined. We had Hezzbollah “on the ropes”. They have been hit hard, they are tired and running low on motivation. We had 40,000 motivated, basically fresh troops ready to take them apart. For once, the West was going to stand up to the enemy, we were going to say to the world, no matter what you yell, no matter how much you cry out, we are going to put a stop to tyranny, brutality and a desire to impose your way of life upon us.
Instead we backed down. We gave Hezzbollah, Syria and Iran another victory. We gave Hezzbollah another strategy to use to stop our Israeli army-it is called supplant courage with fear. We missed an incredible opportunity to make a statement-to draw the “line in the sand.’

The action to stop the operation has occurred. I would now only accept full implementation of UN 1559-nothing else will do. The reality is that Hezzbollah and Iran have said they want Israel gone from the earth. They have further stated that diplomacy is a non-starter. We have had 58 plus years of failed diplomacy. We have Palestinian government leaders telling us that thanks to Oslo, the pride and joy of the diplomatic bunch, was the one event that allowed them to start the latest Intifada. So I ask you leaders a question: if you are attacked, if your citizens are maimed and killed, buildings ruined, an economy now in a desperate situation, would you have us allow the invading enemy to continue their attacks or would you defend yourself? The answer is obvious!

I have but a few remaining questions for Mr. Bush and Mr. Olmert: if the operational plan was carefully and thoughtfully developed, if you knew that your enemy’s leaders had indicated that continued diplomacy was over, why did you “bail out” on our troops? Did you even consider that the enemy today can fire missiles down onto to our massed troops at the border? Did you loose your courage along with your moral clarity?

Our Proxy War-A Test for the West
GS Don Morris, Ph.D.

“Death to America, death to America-the great Satan”.

“This American administration is an enemy. Our motto, which we are not afraid to repeat year after year, is: 'Death to America.'

So speaks Hassan Nasrallah, Leader of Hizzbollah!(1)

“Israel should be ‘wiped off the map” followed by “Very soon, this stain of disgrace [i.e. Israel] will be purged from the center of the Islamic world – and this is attainable.” Also shouted by Ahmadinejad, Iran’s commander (2).

So Mr.’s Nasrallah and Ahmadinejad are equal opportunity haters of both Israel and the United States. Now these are not new comments to those of us living in the Middle East-we have been hearing this rhetoric and much more for quite some time now. The fact is that this kind of vitriolic speech has also been directed at most other Western countries.

It seems that the relationship between these two men goes back many years and it is playing out on the world stage these last 20 days. Hizzbollah is a terrorist organization that cleverly portrays itself as a social and political advocate for the sovereign state of Lebanon. However, it produces nothing but terror, relies totally upon outside sources for its funding and has declared on multiple occasions that its primary goal is to eradicate another sovereign state-Israel. Furthermore, it has also directed its desire for America to be eliminated as well. Hizzbollah has developed a well-trained militia, funded and supplied by Iran and Syria. It has spent the last 6 years arming itself with rockets, munitions, guns of all types, thermal suits to be worn to disable Israel’s body heat seeking signals and posseses anti-tank RPGs to list but a few of its military assets. An intricate series of underground bunkers together with a sophisticated communication system has been readied for this moment in time. A notable omission is the lack of building any safety rooms or underground safe bunkers for the people of Lebanon.

Iran has declared its hatred for Israel as wells as America. Ahmadinejad minces no words when he indicates his real intentions-a Muslim world with the infidels eliminated. Some individuals dismiss him as unstable-he is an intelligent, wily and cunning man who believes in what he speaks. He is creating a following of people inside his country and beyond who do not fear death, they worship it and are preparing for the day they can execute the plan. Iran has used the West’s petrol dollars to fund an enormous army, develop a powerful military infrastructure, he is close to having THE bomb, and he is so clever he realizes his goals require the use of others. He has spent untold number of dollars developing an army outside his own army-Hizzbollah. It is estimated that Iran funds Hizzbollah to the tune of $100 million a year. Syria has been and is currently used as the management depot and transportation agent on behalf of Iran for Hizzbollah. All three of the aforementioned states and/or groups are literally “connected at the hip.”

Ahmadinejad realized some time ago that he could accomplish several goals by simply funding Hizzbollah. As a military extension or proxy of Iran, Hizzbollah could be used to agitate Israel and goad it into the development of policies that would benefit Iran. Iran could use its proxy to create a significant regional disturbance at a time and choosing of its choice-this has happened some three weeks ago. Some experts suggest that the timing was consistent with the world discussion, G8 meeting, that would have placed the world’s attention on Iran’s nuclear plans. The purpose of the disturbance was to divert the international attention way from this issue-it worked! However, I suggest another possibility for this emerging war.

Iran has international intentions and they fall under the umbrella of terror, control and domination. Ahmadinejad is a clever man, he studies the war as it unfolds. He risks none of his soldiers, his material and personnel investment is his cost; the benefit is the knowledge he is gathering from this war. The prosecution of this war provides valuable military information as he is learning how Israel responds to the emerging Hizzbollah strategies. He would gain incredible information if his staff was also directing some of the battle field actions to see exactly how Israel responds and to see how it adjusts to field experience. He is learning what works and what does not produce the desired results.

I further suggest that as important is his stated dream of Islamic domination he is studying how the Western countries are responding to the events on the ground as well as how other Islamic countries are responding. He is also watching carefully the media, again on both sides of this war. He is learning what PR to present; basically he is learning how to creatively manipulate the media in his favor. He knows that the media is a major tool in controlling world opinion and then world policy.

It is this last concept that we need to attend to immediately. I am not convinced that the West truly “gets it” yet. If we do understand what is unfolding in front of us, then I am not sure we still have the courage or fortitude to do what is necessary. I am encouraged by Tony Blair’s recent assessment of world events (3):

“The crisis in the Lebanon has not changed its thesis. It has brought it into sharp relief. The purpose of the provocation that began the conflict was clear. It was to create chaos, division and bloodshed, to provoke retaliation by Israel that would lead to Arab and Muslim opinion being inflamed, not against those who started the aggression but against those who responded to it… There is an arc of extremism now stretching across the Middle East and touching, with increasing definition, countries far outside that region. To defeat it will need an alliance of moderation, that paints a different future in which Muslim, Jew and Christian; Arab and Western; wealthy and developing nations can make progress in peace and harmony with each other. My argument to you today is this: we will not win the battle against this global extremism unless we win it at the level of values…”

I have also watched Mr. Blair’s critics in England and around the world attack him for these and other comments he has made recently. It is useful to observe how politically certain Western countries are responding to his comments as well as to events in the Israeli-Lebanese war. It is instructive to witness these and other countries “rush to judgment” by calling for an immediate ceasefire. It is also useful to observe which countries have decided to condemn Israel, the very country who was attacked by a terrorist group called Hizzbollah. It is my contention that Ahmadinejad not only is watching all of this, he is learning and will use this data when he decides to launch his major attack. He will develop new strategies.

The use of his Hizzbollah proxy is a test for the West. We have THE opportunity now to stop the march of fascist Islam. Imagine, joining together as one voice and declaring “no more”. Imagine calling Hizzbollah’s actions and behavior for what they are. We can deal a major blow to what appears to be inevitable. We should stand now and draw the proverbial “line in the sand.” Declaring that the following is no longer going to be tolerated or accepted and holding them accountable for such inhumane behavior as: abusing civilians, surrounding your unidentified army with civilians, holding civilians at gun point and threatening death if they leave. The Western world must take this unique opportunity to stand up against the tyranny of our enemy. This is a test-the worst is yet to come- -it is for us to pass or fail. We can take back control!







End Notes

Editorial, New York Sun, March 11,2005
2. Steve Schippert, “Ahmadinejad Predicts End of Israel: Soon,” Threats Watch, April 14, 2006
3. Tony Blair, Speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, August 1, 2006.

Ethos Exposed
GS Don Morris, Ph.D.

Oana II has provided the world the opportunity to see that the emperor “does not have clothes on”. What no longer amazes this writer is the major media, with one or two notable exceptions, would have you believe that the victim in this latest conflict is not Israel, rather it is the Hizzbollah. You are saying, no, the media is clearly demonstrating that the citizens of Lebanon are the victims of Israel’s disproportionate response. After all, what you see on television day after day is bombed out buildings; dead “civilians”, grieving individuals and most of these visual displays come to your living room from Lebanon. Yes, there is the occasional story on the damage to Israelis but have you noticed these are always followed with a piece on the difficulties the Lebanese people are now facing? Note Tom Gross’ comments in an article appearing in the Jerusalem Post (1):

“Large sections of the international media are not only misreporting the current conflict in Lebanon. They are also actively fanning the flames. The BBC World Service has a strong claim to be the number-one villain. It has come to sound like a virtualpropaganda tool for Hizbullah. And as it desperatelyattempts to prove that Israel is guilty of committing "warcrimes" and "crimes against humanity," it has introduced anew charge - one that I have heard several times on air inrecent days.

The newscaster reads out carefully selected "audiencecomments." Among these are invariably contained some versionof the claim that "Israel's attack on Lebanon" will serve asa "recruitment" drive for al-Qaeda.”

It is also safe to apply the preceding comments to sky News and CNN International. If these were the only news resources available to the general population then you would think that Hizzbollah is being unfairly punished, as are the Lebanese civilians. However, thanks to independent news sources and a couple of media services we are able to confirm what Hizzbollah is all about-its actions are not congruent with the media’s representation of them. Furthermore, it is imperative that the Western international community engage in two actions immediately: one, confront your local news group and demand fair coverage; two, share the truth about Hizzbollah with friends, family and colleagues and ask them to in turn do the same.

The current situation is about more than Israel, Hizzbollah and Lebanon. It transcends the perceived local conflict. As General Ya’alon writes, “It is clear to any objective observer that Hezbollah is using Lebanese civilians as human shields. It builds its headquarters in densely populated areas, embeds its fighters in towns and villages, and deliberately places missiles in private homes, even constructing additions to existing structures specifically to house missile launchers.” (2)

Furthermore, we now know that Hizzbollah’s so-called schools have as a major educational goal the recruitment of future members. It does this by indoctrinating the children, beginning in what would be comparable to a kindergarten and first grade in the USA. They are required to learn songs that encourage homicide bombing as well as hatred for Israel and the “great Satan-America”. The textbooks are right out of the Palestinian playbook-they use revisionist history, intentionally misrepresent history and geography and add to the disinformation regarding Israel, America and the West. It is true that Hizzbollah funds schools and this is promoted by the media as an example supporting the notion that it is not “just a terrorist” organization-along with its hospitals and other public programs Hzzbollah really is a social activist that is Lebanon’s partner and friend. You are led to believe that Hizzbollah cares about its people.

If this is true do you really believe that a caring organization would use its citizens as human shields? Would a caring group build storage bunkers under public buildings containing rockets, munitions, armaments that kill and then force civilians, at gun point, to remain in these buildings as Israel attacks? As General Ya’alon says, “They try to exploit the respect for innocent human life that is the hallmark of any civilized society to place that society in a no-win situation. If it fails to respond to terror attacks, it endangers its own citizens. If it responds, it runs the risk of killing innocents, earning world opprobrium and inviting diplomatic pressure to stand down.” (2)

This group places disabled individuals inside a building housing armaments, rockets and munitions-it is a target for Israel and they know it. They fire rockets from the area and then take cover in this building drawing the attention of Israel-they intentionally keep civilians in a building knowing they will be killed. In their deaths, Hizzbollah counts on the media to pleads its case to the world and unwittingly or I believe with complicity the media obliges them. Seems to me that world is also to blame for reinforcing this behavior by not taking a defiant stand against Hzzbollah’s behavior. Why is there no outrage similar to the world outrage when captured combatants in Iraq were “ridiculed’ by prison guards? I can only conclude that the use of civilians as human shields, an international law transgression of the utmost degree, is valued less than some taunting and does not deserve the world’s condemnation. Are you beginning “to see that the Emperor does not have clothes on”?
Hizzbollah ethos is exposed for the anti-democratic, pro-death group that it really is. The media identified “social and political” components are cleverly disguised support agencies for Hizzbollah’s primary target: the destruction of Israel and then the Satan called America. The assumption not stated is that the rest of the West will then crumble and Hizzbollah’s interpretation of Islam will prevail. An international force, signed agreements, declarations of peace, swapping of prisoners, will not stop this tragedy playing out here in our yard. Until the following occurs, all we can do is protect ourselves and do so without regard to a world’s distorted opinion of us:
“Terrorists are fanatics, but they are not idiots. If the terrorist tactic of using human shields helps them achieve their goals, they will utilize it. If it undermines their goals, they will abandon it.
If we want to live in a world where civilians are never used as human shields, then we must create a world in which employing such measures results in the unequivocal condemnation of terrorists and in forceful action against them by the civilized world.
If the world were now blaming Hezbollah, Syria and Iran for the innocent Lebanese killed, hurt or displaced in this conflict, then it would be sending a powerful message to every terrorist group on the planet: We will not tolerate the use of human shields. Period.”(2)

The evidence is clear, it is not hidden, all is out in the open. It does take courage to stand tall in truth while others bury their heads, look away or feign innocence. We have the power to change perception and thus reality. I can only hope that our grand children will be able to think that we, too, were a great generation.






















End Notes

Tom Gross, “The Media Aims its Missiles’, Jerusalem Post, August 3, 2006
Bogie Ya’alon, “The Rules of War,” Washington Post, August 3, 2006

Tactic vs. Enemy?

GS Don Morris, Ph.D.

Can we agree that words convey thoughts and feelings and as a result enable people to develop a point of view? We therefore suggest that words do matter. I offer the following suggestion: terrorism is a tactic used by an enemy to cause harm to another group of people. It is intentional and is designed to cause maximum destruction of not only people and tangible items such as buildings, homes and cafes, but also to ultimately destroy a way of life.

It is necessary to be clear what we are facing today. We must correctly identify the enemy and separate this from the tactics used by this enemy. For many reasons, some justified, others unjustified, the Western World has been reluctant to make this necessary distinction. How many times have we heard that this is a different kind of war? It is a war without identifiable enemies or borders, by this we mean that there is no country or countries that we can blame or target. In the past we have fought against sovereign nations whose ideologies were indeed contrary to ours. We were physically attacked and thus it appeared justified for us to respond in kind. There seemed to be some moral and ethical absolution to our fighting the enemy.

For the past several years, world leaders and governments have suggested we are in a war against terrorism. Although politically correct, it did not then and does not now offer the truth. If this “new” war is unlike anything we have experienced in our past, then I suggest some new definitions and agreements are in order. The application of concepts and principles developed to explain previous world events therefore cannot justify what is going on in the world today.

Who is the enemy of the West? I do not need to be told too many times by a group of people that they are our enemy before I understand who the enemy is-do you? We have been told by the Bin Laden’s, Arafat’s, Mazen’s, Narallah’s and so many others that their enemy is the West. We have been told by them that the intention is to defeat all that is Western-from governments to law, to the acceptable behavior of individuals living within the multi-cultures found within the Western countries. I did not say this, they did! Our enemy can be labeled radical Islam, Fascist Islam and tomorrow yet another descriptor will surface. The tactic used against us is TERROR. The enemy is housed, sponsored, funded, supported within and by sovereign nations. In many of these countries the enemy serves in the so-called representative governments. Is it not time to acknowledge this and develop new ways of defining what is moral and ethical in combating this enemy when it strikes us and when it declares publicly its destructive intentions upon the West? Perhaps the truth is already known but being avoided by so many-the time has come to take a stand.

The current events in Lebanon and Israel address these points. Hezzbollah, a major political party within Lebanon’s government, intentionally attacked the sovereign nation of Israel. The attack was unprovoked-any other time in history this would have been a reason to declare war. The President of Lebanon has yesterday and again today taken a side and is flexing his nation’s muscle. He indicated that he respects Hezzbollah and its leader Nasrallah. Furthermore he indicated to turn the Lebanese army against Israel. Does this not make the country of Lebanon complicit with the acts of terrorism perpetrated upon Israel? Is Lebanon not culpable? Does this not mean that the government, thus the country of Lebanon must be held responsible for its own civilian deaths?

Why do I suggest this? My response is simplistic. A political party in the government of Lebanon, with full support of its President-an elected leader and thus representative of the civilians inside of Lebanon, is waging war against Israel. It is a war they started. I have written much about the horror of war in other recent pieces and do not feel compelled to review the angst created for innocents found within warring factions. Currently, Lebanon is up to its eyeballs in responsibility for what is tragically occurring with its citizens and with the citizens of Israel (a story mostly untold in the media).

It is therefore disingenuous on the part of world leaders and most of the media when it presents the concepts of disproportionate actions and collective punishment. Israel, unlike any other country in past or recent history, has sacrificed its own soldiers in order to diminish the collateral damage done to the citizens of Lebanon. By now you should have been told the following truths:

• Israel does not intentionally target civilians
• Israel warns civilians to leave an area before it strikes with its air power-this alerts the enemy who has time to prepare-the element of surprise is gone
• Hezzbollah has spent the last six years imbedding itself within the civilian population
• Hezzbollah spent hundreds of thousands of dollars building underground bunkers for storage of rockets, sophisticated communication systems munitions, weapons and for the protection of its leadership
• Hezzbollah did not build safety rooms or underground bunkers for the Lebanese citizens it professes to care about
• Hezzbollah does not allow civilians to leave an area-we have been told that it holds them at gun point thus ensuring civilian casualties
• Hezzbollah is currently firing upon the “safe passage ways” provided by Israel for relief agencies to get necessary food and medicines to the needy
• Hezzbollah intentionally misrepresents the situation on the ground by controlling media access-most public acknowledgement of this is by CNN
• Hezzbollah is now using the strategy of victim-the strategy out of the Palestinian playbook
• Hezzbollah produces nothing, creates nothing-has no mode of income production-it relies upon Iran and other donors for its money-it is an economic leach
• Hezzbollah’s “acclaimed” education and social service infrastructure produces anti-Western hate-filled dogma-the purpose is create new recruits who in turn fight against anyone Western-I should say anyone Western brave enough to tell the truth.

All of the preceding presents a side of this war that has been incredibly understated in Europe, the Middle East and in Asia. On the other hand the media seems to be obsessed with body counts and building destruction. The strategy of terror and the naïve, at least I hope it is naïve, gullibility of the media to focus upon these gross outcomes of war allows the Hezzbollah to create the paradigm for analysis of this war. In other words, if you can frame the way people are told to view this action, then you have cleverly performed a magician’s slight of hand action upon the world’s peoples. Instead of attempting to describe the truth behind this war, you can disguise it by presenting the outcome of war-tragic death and destruction. This keeps the focus away from what must happen if peace is to have any possibility. The focus is clearly upon the damage to civilians of one country-Lebanon. This in turn is used by the enemy against Israel and the West, e.g., specifically the USA and Great Britain. Develop sympathy for recipients of the fighting. Lay blame upon Israel. Misrepresent facts of the war, lie to your own people about an entire nation, have all this reinforced in the Arab media and supported in kind in much of the Western media. You have now created a fifth column within the western communities. Here is but one example of this strategy: “civilians” are needed to create the body counts. Our soldiers have reported that they have encountered these “civilians” as enemy combatants. These so-called innocents fire upon the IDF soldiers, direct intelligence to the Hezzbollah, and together with elements of the Lebanese army have been working with these terrorists. Thus, when Israel targets, justifiably so, the Hezzbollah enemy and kills the enemy, the “civilians” are counted as civilians you and I know. The media, eager to add to the growing death count, report to the world-the implication and/or declaration is the evil Israelis are destroying not only innocent people but also a nation. I suggest it is time to re-define civilian in this “new” type of war.

The NGO’s, well intentioned individuals, peace organizations and believe it or not, the Israeli government and IDF all want peace. However, there is no possibility of peace or even cessation of the violence of war, until the world honestly states what is behind this war, who the culprits really are and what every honest peace broker knows must be done. Then and only then will the proper strategies be enacted. The tight rope of political correctness has lead this world to the brink of human disaster. Who is courageous enough to join us in demanding that the paradigm of truth be finally shared and honored?

Hypocrisy Abounds

GS Don Morris, Ph.D.

July 15,2006

The sound of a descending missile, the moment of impact, the explosion and destruction to buildings, individuals and a community’s life multiple times a day. Running to escape the inevitable, children laying on the ground, bleeding; adults crawling around in the dust kicked up by the missile and fearing for your life. All supplies cut off, your ability to communicate with anyone outside of your small ground where you lie, awaiting anyone’s help-this is the human experience of an attack. Civilians all, this morning you went on your way to your workplace, the local store or just for a coffee at your favorite café-you now find yourself bleeding, on the ground next to a young child who is dying-you can do nothing to help, prayer comes to your mind. This has been private citizens experience these last days on all sides of this war. It is not one of humanity’s prize moments. How any of this makes it to your newspaper or media vehicle does matter. The nature of the representation explains the writer’s perspective, viewpoint, bias and/or ability to distinguish between reporting and opinion. You, the news consumer assumes that what you are reading or watching is accurate and demonstrative of the truth. Regrettably this is not what is so. The unreported side of the current Israeli event demonstrates the hypocrisy witnessed in much of today’s media.

What do we know happened up to this moment in time? Israel’s northern border was quiet soldiers were on patrol. Hizbollah crossed-under via a tunnel-they invaded the border dividing Israel and Lebanon. With no provocation, Hizzbollah illegally entered Israel. Simultaneously, Hizzbollah began a barrage of rockets into Israel firing upon a dozen or more northern communities. Two Israeli soldiers are kidnapped, three soldiers killed, another killed trying to assist his fallen colleague. Please understand that our enemy was strategically firing upon civilians to divert our attention to the real military objective: to kill and kidnap our soldiers. They used the destruction of civilians as the basis for their attack. Homes, businesses and human beings were hit by the katusha rockets. At that moment, citizens’ safety and business were now placed in danger. Beginning with this invasion operation, Israeli citizens livelihoods were taken away from them. Citizens saw their entire lives uprooted and destroyed in the moment of the Hizbollah invasion and attack-two actions in any other part of the world would be called war. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis were about to begin a new phase in their lives.

The initial view across the international community was really a “wait and see” what happens action. Other than the factual reporting of events, you did not hear what others were thinking about this illegal activity, a clear violation of international law. This all changed in 24 hours. As Israel struck back (defending its sovereignty and her citizens) targeting military facilities, domestic infrastructure and Hizzbollah individuals and buildings, the world began to change its mind. Israel dared to standup to the terrorists, we were willing to do the proper thing and take military action against an enemy who had once again broken international law by invading our country, killing our soldiers and kidnapping two additional soldiers, our response was open for criticism. We heard once again the term proportionality and collective punishment.

Let me be clear that within 54 hours of being attacked, our enemy has fired over 700 rocket/missiles/mortar rounds into our sovereign state killing several citizens, destroying homes and businesses, trampled upon one third of our population’s right to live in quiet. The enemy has launched a rocket attack deep inside Israel as it sent two rockets into Haifa-our third largest city. I have not heard one media source proclaim Hizzbollah’s lack of proportionality upon the Israeli civilian population. When Israel did respond in kind and Hizzbollah once again fired barrages of rockets and mortar rounds into Israel, attacking only civilian sites, I did not hear any media, not one, who indicated Hizzobllah was out of line collectively punishing Israel.

I suggest that either the media and/or corresponding foreign governments critical of our response are either displaying hypocritical behavior or they are choosing to misrepresent the facts as they truly exist. Where is the outrage for the country and terrorist organization that, unprovoked, attacked its neighbor-Israel? Why are the standards of conduct that are used to describe Israel’s behavior not equally used with Hizzbollah? Please reconcile the fact that Hizzbollah continues to target civilians, we are their primary military offensive goal and not one word regarding collective punishment is issued. Tell me how the media and foreign governments use two eyes to see our military striking military targets and specific infrastructure designed to take away our enemy’s ability to fight, thus bringing this event to a faster conclusion and yet draw the conclusion we are “over fighting” this event. Surely this is a comparative description they are using to determine we are “out of line.” This being so, I suggest they are choosing to ignore facts-Israeli citizens in similar numbers to the Lebanese, are suffering as well. Lives are in ruin.

Finally I offer an observation. The use of the terms “collective punishment and proportionality” are corrupt concepts when it comes to war. I understand their meanings and their applications-I simply argue that they are used to homogenize one of human beings most grotesque behaviors: destruction and killing via war! Furthermore, they are code words for individuals and governments to use to sanitize and disguise their hatred for Israel. Using these terms allows you to “look good” in the eyes and minds of your biased colleagues and demonstrate your empathy for the underdog enemies of Israel. You thus set yourself apart from those of us who must therefore admire cruelty and suffering in human beings. You ride high upon your humanity pedestal looking down on those of us who dare challenge you. Hypocrisy we see you and we read you –every day. Watch out, we are onto you now!

Hamas and Fatah-Equally Guilty

GS Don Morris, Ph.D.

July 11, 2006

The headline read: Gaza family’s tragedy shows desperate plight of residents. The story began with “Pinned down by an Israeli military offensive, the Hajaj family was whiling away the time drinking tea and roasting corn in the backyard when disaster struck-a missile slammed into the group, killing 46 year old Amna Hajaj and two of her 15 children.” Inscription under the accompanying photo “relatives mourn at the funeral for three members of the Hajaj family in Gaza city on Sunday-photo has two older unidentified women holding the distraught, stunned face of an unidentified lady. The story that followed was predictable. (1)

The next paragraph indicated that the Palestinians blamed Israel for the latest casualties and accused Israel of firing at the innocents living in a house. The facts later demonstrated that once again the Palestinians misfired and killed their own people. It seems that a Palestinian anti-tank missile inadvertently hit the house. However, rest assured that these tragic deaths did go down on the tally sheet as deaths caused by Israel and will be used as “evidence” that Israel targets civilians. Furthermore, no correction will ever be provided the western media nor to the Palestinian people. They will go on thinking how savage are the Israelis!

As of this writing, nearly 60 Palestinians have been killed in the two-week plus military campaign. Only part of this story is making it to the homes in America. Once again Israel is being accused of everything from collectively punishing the Palestinian population, using disproportionate response and violating the Geneva Convention. The mantra continues and was predictable-the Palestinian strategy has not changed in years. It plays the victim card as soon as Israel responds to their terrorist behavior. The media is fed incomplete data, or data is with held intentionally or the data is fabricated. Context is invariably ignored and media consumers are left with a dishonest presentation of events and situations.

If one did not know better you might actually believe that Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, PA leader is a moderate and that the evil ones are Hamas. This is not an accurate representation of facts. Clearly, the Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is considered ruthless, dangerous and disingenuous when it comes to his vision of Israel and the Western world. He is a holocaust denier and a verified anti-semite to suggest two of his characteristics. The Western leaders have gone on the record indicting how dangerous this man is. Well, Mr. Abbas wrote his doctoral dissertation denying the holocaust, was Arafat’s second in command during the last intifada that saw thousands of Israeli citizens murdered and/or wounded; yet, some believe he is a moderate? A group belonging to PA Chairman Abbas’ Fatah Party announced July 10,2006 that it has created a female homicide hit group of some 100 women. The Aksa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah additionally continues to attack Israel with homicide bombers during the last two weeks-all were caught before causing any death and destruction. There is no such thing as a moderate Palestinian leader in any position of authority at this time and it is well past time that this truth be understood. Hamas is simply the headline leader today; Fatah is nothing less than Hamas’ behavioral shadow.

Hamas and Fatah have been and are currently in violation of the Geneva Convention. Remember the following historical context of these conventions (2):

· The Geneva Conventions consist of treaties formulated in Geneva, Switzerland that set the standards of international law for humanitarian concerns. The conventions were the results of efforts by Henri Dunant (1862), who was motivated by the horrors of war he witnessed at the Battle of Solferino (1859).

· The conventions, their agreements and two added protocols are as follows: First Geneva convention (1864) Treatment of battlefield casualties and creation of International Red Cross Second Geneva Convention (1906) Extended the principles from the first convention to apply also to war at sea.

· Third Geneva Convention (1929)): Treatment of Prisoners of War.

• Fourth Geneva Convention (1949)): Treatment relating to the protection of civilians during times of war "in the hands" of an enemy and under any occupation by a foreign power.
• Protocol I (1977)-Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts Protocol II (1977) -Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts.
• In summary, the first three conventions were revised, a fourth was added, and the entire set was ratified in 1949; the whole is referred to as the "Geneva Conventions of 1949" or simply the "Geneva Conventions". Later conferences (Protocols) added the provisions prohibiting certain methods of warfare and addressing issues of civil wars. (3)

The world now has a set of “guidelines” that are meant to make one of the ugliest human behaviors (war) appear somewhat civilized-rules of war were developed and meant to be followed. This unto itself is ludicrous. The world leaders representing democracies to despotic government claim to act in accordance with these rules and they, together with special interest groups call the same world attention to its violators. Hamas and Fatah are such violator groups!

For example, Article Three of the Fourth Geneva Convention has been consistently violated as innocent Israelis living in the territories have been targeted and murdered by these two terror groups. It has been successfully argued, that inside Israel proper, citizens, technically not protected persons, should be subject to the same interpretation accorded to those living in the territories. Both of these groups have consistently violated Article 44 of protocol I (1977) by placing themselves within civilian populations, using these citizens as human shields, placing armament and combatants inside private and centrally located public buildings thus placing their civilian population at risk. Currently Hamas is in violation of prisoner of war rights accorded to the kidnapped Israeli soldier-again a violation of the Geneva agreements it uses incorrectly against Israel.

These are just a few of the convention violations acted out every day, 24/7, by Hamas and Fatah. Both groups’ leaderships have not only as a strategy but also have as a policy actions that daily violate the Geneva agreements-yet the media and the West turn a blind eye to facts on the ground. The result is that the citizens of these countries and/or the readers/viewers of the reports have faulty information upon which to draw astute conclusions. Policy statements are written and actions are taken-all based upon incorrect data. We all know what happens with our personal computers when we enter incorrect data; the answers we want are simply incorrect and wrong. “Times, they are a’ changing”, there are people no longer willing to accept this misdirection of information-

accountability begins now!

End Notes

1. Deeb el, Sarah “Gaza family’s tragedy Shows Desperate Plight of Residents”, Jerusalem Post, July 10, 2006.
2. Morris, GS Don, “Understanding the Geneva Conventions,” posted Scholars for Peace website, 2005.
3. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_war
   
   

Disproportionate Response-Really?

GS Don Morris, Ph.D.

July 10,2006

All the old familiar names are jumping on the ‘beat up Israel” bandwagon, once again. From the leader of the United Nations, Kopi Annan, to the Peace Now group, to the internationally acclaimed author Mario Vargas Llosa along with the rest of the usual suspects, all are upset with Israel’s response to the murder of an Israeli citizen, the kidnapping of a soldier and other murders of Israeli soldiers. Israel ‘s "out of proportion" operation in the Gaza Strip has come under fire-pun intended. Really now, what people think about a military action-is this really worthy of a news story? One questions why this even makes it to the newspaper pages?

Let’s examine the facts and then ask some questions:

• Since the Fall of 2005 the Palestinians were given Gaza, the Jews are gone. Do they begin building the state they say they want, do they start developing the infrastructure like constructing schools and roads and hospitals?
• Hamas wins an election and becomes the territory’s leadership. For the first time in modern history Gaza becomes an independent territory courtesy of Israel. None of the area’s prior rulers, the Ottomans nor the British nor the Egyptians nor the Jordanians, ever permitted this to happen. What do the Palestinians do? On the very first day of the pull out by Israel, they began firing Kassam rockets into the sovereign country of Israel.
• Since the beginning of this year, over 300 rocket attacks have been fired into Israel proper, about two every day, 7 days a week, non-stop violence and terror. Dozens of Israeli citizens have been injured, many killed. Targets include power stations, family homes, schools and downtown streets citizens are walking along or sitting in a café. These are not military targets, they are all civilian targets.
• Many Kassam rockets have been fired toward Ashkelon, Israel's 5th-largest city, over the past several months. In the past week two Kassams hit the heart of the city on consecutive nights. On Tuesday night (July 4), a rocket landed in a schoolyard just as parents and children were engaged in registration for next year. The next night (July 5), one of two Kassams fired northward sent eight Ashkelon residents into a state of shock and to the hospital.
• On Friday (July 7), 17 Kassam rockets were launched falling near a number of kibbutzim, including Sa'ad, Nahal Oz, and Gevim, as well as near the town of Netivot.
• Four people were wounded on Sunday morning (July 9), 1 moderately and 3 lightly, when a Kassam rocket, launched from the northern Gaza Strip, landed in a house in Sderot.
• Hamas decried on Sunday (July 9) a recent call by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to stop Kassam rocket fire on Israel and release kidnapped IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit.
• This is Hamas in action--the group that was elected by the Palestinian people to lead them. This we now know for sure: it is a Palestinian government openly committed to terrorism and to the destruction of a member state of the U.N. openly using terrorism to carry on its war.

These are the facts. I even left some out in order to keep this brief. So I ask the “bandwaggoners” if you were under fire every day, your citizens you vowed to protect were being wounded and killed, what would you do? Talk? You actually believe that you can talk to a group of internationally defined terrorists to return the soldier they kidnapped? Remember, this is the same group who has as its policy the destruction of Israel, you really believe you can talk them into returning your soldier? Even today, as I write this piece, the Hamas leadership has become enraged with Mr. Mazen for even suggesting that Hamas return the soldier-you still think talk with such an ideology, such people bent upon destruction will work? I am not asking if you want the violence to stop, so do I. I am not asking you hope or want to believe that talk would work-so did I once. Behavior has demonstrated what the truth is with this regard.

I offer to you who criticize a government for protecting its people, a government who only targets enemy fighters, who operates out of the highest of ethical military “right to fire codes” in the world to reconcile your beliefs with on the ground behavior that is absolutely opposed to what you profess.

Hamas and other PA terror groups are each and every day in violation of the Geneva Convention code of behavior-they hide among civilians, they target civilians, they place tunnels in private homes, under baby cribs, they wear no uniform-all of these and so much more, Hamas is guilty of these violations. Where is your concern, your upset, your outrage with this behavior? Finally, I hear your condemnation of Israel’s reply to this ongoing action and I do not hear, not once, from any of you, what you think is proportional action! How easy and self-righteous you are to make such proclamations from the comfort of your home-some thousands of miles away! You are part of the problem and are actually reinforcing deviant behavior-time to face the reality and stop spinning tales of illusion.