Every country has a fundamental right to protect its citizens from physical aggression. Confronted with an attack on its territory, designed to indiscriminately kill or maim its citizens, no country can morally be expected to withhold its duty and responsibility to defend against such an assault.
Once again, Israel finds itself having to protect her citizens against the Hamas terrorist infrastructure. Beginning with Israel's 2005 disengagement from Gaza and continuing with Hamas' violent assumption of power over the Gaza Strip in 2007, Hamas has focused on stockpiling as many weapons as it can muster in order to continue its rampant violence against Israel.
While the world was hopeful that the six-month "period of calm" brokered this past June might lead to a more permanent state of nonviolence in the region, Hamas was all too eager to resume its attacks against Israel once the period ended. In fact, Hamas even began shelling Israeli cities before the end of the ceasefire, proving to the world that it has no desire to moderate its policies towards Israel. The result has been nothing less than the complete disruption of a peaceful, everyday life for Israelis in cities such as Sderot and Ashkelon.
No country can be expected to remain passive while its citizens are under heavy and steady attacks. No country is obligated to remain idle when its sworn enemy has pledged to immediately resume terrorist suicide bombings within its borders. And finally, no country can afford to resist defending itself when a neighboring militant organization spends years building up a military infrastructure with the sole intention of attacking that country.
Israel's response to Hamas' aggression is aimed at eliminating these very real and palpable threats to its safety and security. The targets chosen by Israel's military have been Hamas operational centers. Tragically, Palestinian civilians have lost their lives because Hamas has deliberately embedded their facilities within and among the local populace. By focusing on terrorist operational centers, such as Hamas training camps, rocket manufacturing facilities, and tunnels used for smuggling weapons, Israel is doing all it can to avoid civilian casualties.
Hamas represents the worst that Islamic extremism has to offer the world. Gaza is now an armed military camp whose "mission statement" is to see to the destruction of Israel. Hamas has shown no mercy in carrying out that mission, even if it means creating a humanitarian crisis for its own people, deliberately putting its citizens in harm's way, or isolating the Gazan population from the rest of the world.
Thankfully, the United States, Israel's greatest ally, as well as many other countries within the international community, have condemned the relentless attacks against Israel and Hamas' recent proliferation of violence. Such condemnation must remain steadfast and consistent. The world must continue to pressure Hamas to respect the rule of law that is so vital in keeping the civilized world safe from such terrorist regimes.
In the meantime, as long as rockets continue to shell Israeli land, we must support Israel's legitimate right to defend itself.
