There is a lot of disinformation on international media. I’m going to address a few items:
The pro-Palestinian demonstrations spend a lot of time talking about Gazans suffering. There is NO equivalence between what some Gazans are suffering and what Hamas did to Israeli civilians when the terrorists crossed the border. Israel has not kidnapped anyone. Israeli troops are not beheading babies. Israel is not launching rockets that are unguided and are aimed specifically at civilian targets.
When pro-Palestinian demonstrators accuse Israel of “war-crimes” they need to know that every one of the things enumerated above is a violation of accepted international rules of war. Also. Every one of those actions has been documented or photographed, often by the Hamas terrorists themselves. When the demonstrators claim this is retaliation for a long list of ‘crimes’ against Palestine beginning with stealing their land, they need to be reminded that The designation of former Ottoman Palestine as a homeland for JEWS was made by the UN and the preceding League of Nations. The Arabs rejected the idea, and also failed to carry out their part of every cease-fire or partition agreement (1949, 1957, 1967, 1973) that called for a negotiated settlement between the parties.
Hamas, today, does not recognize Israel as a country and will not talk directly with Israeli representatives. They only negotiate via Egyptian intermediaries. Their latest offers of hostage release were not made to Israel. The Hamas charter calls for the destruction of Israel.
When Hamas took control of Gaza from the Fatah/PLO (who control the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah on the West Bank) they took some members of their rival organization and threw them into the street from the roof tops of the higher buildings in Gaza. It is no accident that no political party seeking a peaceful agreement with Israel has ever been allowed to exist.
Those who support ‘freedom for Palestine’ in Western democracies should also remember that the rights and laws that allow them to do so in London, Paris or New York do not exist in Gaza. Too bad the media give them a platform without mentioning this.
Wetherhorn 