Open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron

Dear Mr Cameron,

As an expatriate British citizen now living in Israel, I feel the need to write to you to express my feelings about the on-going crisis between Israel and Hamas-controlled Gaza. 

Life in much of Israel is, in many ways, almost identical to life in Britain. People get up in the mornings, send their children to school, go to work, try to earn a living and give their families as comfortable a life as possible.  Much like your government, the Israeli leadership comes in for regular criticism on a whole barrage of issues, from the cost of cottage cheese to the number of hours a week forced on newly qualified doctors and the general state of healthcare provision. All this sounds familiar to you, I’m sure, although cottage cheese is probably not as high on the staple-diet list in England and Wales but you get the idea.

We even complain about the cost of fuel.

We have a society that is finding its feet socially and becoming more open and accepting of people from all walks of life. All religions are respected, there is a freedom to choose any religion or none and there are representatives thereof in every single walk of life, including the higher echelons of political power. This too, I’m sure, sounds familiar to you.

Equal rights for all, the backbone to an open, accepting and tolerant society, is the mainstay of Israeli society too. Colour, creed, gender and sexual orientation all comfortably find their place within our society, as they do in yours.

We are also both at war.

Britain is fighting a war against a shadowy enemy whose main goal is the destruction of the British way of life. Israel is fighting a similar war.

Britain is fighting to keep terror away from its shores and its people - so is Israel.

Britain is fighting a war thousands of miles from its own borders - Israel is not.

It is the one ‘luxury’, if one can ever describe any aspect of war as a luxury, which Israel does not possess. Our war is on our very own border; our enemy sits within spitting distance of our towns, villages and civilians and directly threatens not only our way of life but our very lives.

Israel is battling not only for its identity, but for its very survival. It is fighting to allow its citizens the ‘luxury’ to live their lives without having to spend time thinking how far away they are from the nearest bomb shelter;  not to have to worry about whether they will finish their important phone call before yet another air-raid siren shatters the air; not to have to keep the children at home for yet another day, as sending them to school is just too dangerous.

War is evil, at least in the eyes of any person who respects life more than he dreams of death. No right-thinking person wants to go to war. No normal society wants to go to war. Yet war has been thrust upon this tiny land time and time again over the past decades. Israel does not seek war – it seeks peace, however, just as in Britain, if war is forced upon us, then we must fight.

We must fight because our very existence depends upon it.  You and your government are doing the same.  The war in Afghanistan is a war which you claim is just, is defensive and is necessary to protect your way of life thousands of miles away.

Britain and her allies use aerial bombardment of enemy forces, inflicting casualties not only on the militants, or, if you prefer, terrorists, but also on civilians.  According to United Nations figures, over 3,000 civilians have been killed by coalition forces in Afghanistan and this, in a country where the enemy hides and is engaged in mountainous, sparsely populated areas.

Israel, while fighting a similar enemy with similar ideology, is fighting in a densely populated area where civilian casualties are almost totally unavoidable.  This is particularly true as it has been proven time and time again that Hamas and the other militant, or, again, if you prefer, terrorist organisations, specifically hide behind human shields in order to raise the tally of those killed and use them as ammunition in a propaganda war.

William Hague, your Foreign Secretary, issued a rare statement placing the blame for this latest escalation squarely on the shoulders of Hamas. That recognition is appreciated. It is proof that someone is hearing our voice for a change. However, as if to soften the blow to Hamas, an organisation that Britain, the United States and the European Union have all placed on a blacklist of terrorist groups, you have told Israel that not only do you not support a ground offensive, but that Israel in so doing would lose any worldwide support it currently, for want of a better word, enjoys.

What is it, Mr Cameron, that gives you the right to dictate military policy to Israel, to decide what is or isn’t acceptable to the rest of the world, whilst your troops are carrying out identical operations (and with far worse civilian casualties) in a land thousands of miles from your borders?

Why is it, Mr Cameron, that you feel that Israeli operations must come to a halt after days, whilst your troops are fighting a similar war for years?

How is it, Mr Cameron, that you feel you can allow for only a partial victory against terrorism in Gaza, whilst striving for complete success in Afghanistan?

It’s easy to call for Israel to sit down for talks with Hamas. It isn’t so easy to defend that position. There have never been calls for talks between Britain, the USA and Al Qaeda, neither have there been calls to show restraint towards them. There has never been condemnation from any part of the Western world for the assassination of Osama Bin-Laden. In all likelihood, there never will be such a call or condemnation. One cannot discuss peace arrangements with a foe whose entire dogma is based around the very destruction of one’s way of life or of life itself.

Mr Cameron, I can guarantee that Israelis do not want a ground offensive. We would rather know that there is no need to risk the lives of our soldiers as well as the lives of the innocent civilian population in Gaza but we have to end the risk that the terrorists pose to our very own people. If it can be done by agreement, then so be it. However, if a ground offensive is what is required to destroy that threat, then I’m afraid that not only will it go ahead but it will do so with the blessing (and no small amount of fear) of the vast majority of Israel’s population. It will happen despite your hypocritical threats of a loss of world support; support for following a course of action identical to the one in which you are yourself equally as guilty. 

Israel Under Attack

To say that it's been a busy twenty-four hours or so, would be somewhat of an understatement. 

Nationally, Israel, facing an ever-growing threat of rockets to an ever-increasing number of its population, has decided that enough is enough and targeted the leader of the military wing of Hamas. Alongside the targeted hit, several other targets have been destroyed in Gaza by the Israeli Air Force. These targets housed missiles, long-range Fajr5 missiles, capable of hitting Tel Aviv from Gaza. Not wanting to name names or apportion blame on the innocent, but Fajr5 missiles are the product of our friends in Iran. 

The hit

Just as a point of reference, Ahmad Jaabari, the top level commander of the Hamas who was killed by Israel, has more than a short record of terror. Amongst many other lesser known crimes, he was instrumental in the capture and imprisonment of Gilad Shalit (whose human rights were ignored by the world for five years), as well as being responsible either directly or indirectly for the hundreds of missiles that have been fired into Israel over the past few years. 

The world wakes up

Internationally, Israel has faced reaction that has varied in scale, intensity and attitude. The UN, along with its leader Ban Ki-Moon, yes, the very same who expressed his relief that "justice had been done" when the USA hit Mr Bin Laden (of blessed and watery memory), was a little more reserved when it came to yesterday's news. No press release has been forthcoming and no sigh of relief heard or expressed, although an emergency meeting of the Security Council (UNSC) has been called to discuss "Israeli strikes against the Gaza Strip." It took one direct hit from Israel on a known arch-terrorist to kick the UNSC into gear. 150 missiles in four days into Israel from Gaza terrorists is clearly just not bad enough. 

The US State Department has finally issued a strong statement condemning rocket attacks on Israel and supporting Israel's right to defend itself. No other country in the world needs outside support for this right, but it's nice to hear nonetheless. 

The UK, my old stomping ground, is still stomping, calling for restraint from both sides on the Foreign Office's twitter feed. They seemed to keep fairly quiet in the days leading up to this escalation. The FCO does wax lyrical on the situation in Gaza, urging Israel to end restrictions. No such lyrics appear to ask Hamas to end the rocket attacks. 

The Arab world, those beautiful, peace-loving people who have done so little to help their slaughtered brethren in Syria, have suddenly woken up to the plight of their other brethren; but only because it suits their common cause - the hatred of the Zionist entity. Thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians have died in Syria. Many more are left homeless, refugees, scared, maimed, and tortured. Executions are a daily occurrence. No flotilla has been forthcoming. No international outcry of condemnation from the Arab League. No calls for the Security Council to meet. One dead arch-terrorist and pinpoint strikes on weapon caches later, and guess who's joined the party? It'd be funny if it wasn't so obviously tragic. 

Twitterverse

Personally, I have seen that having discussions with open-minded people on what can be loosely termed the left-wing, is nigh on impossible. Twitter is a wonderful place for such exchanges. So far, I have been blocked by one leading anti-Israel gentleman, the infamous Ben White (@benabyad). My exchange with him ended when I asked him if he condones rocket attacks on Israeli civilians. It was a civilised exchange but came to an abrupt halt at this question. No answer was forthcoming and it took me a little while to realise that I could no longer see his tweets. Lucky I have two twitter accounts.

Another exchange was with a young lady in South Africa (@tehillahnis) who couldn't see the difference between celebrating death and demonstrating for peace. I can only presume she fell asleep mid-conversation, or got bored of making up facts that she couldn't corroborate. 

Elsewhere, multiple twitterers, many I can only presume to be part of the Arab world have called for anything ranging from the annihilation of Israel, to the return of gas chambers for Jews, to mass murder of Jews anywhere in the world. The word "genocide" has been bandied about by these same people who can't tell the difference between a direct hit Israel and a government-led massacre of its own people by Hamas or Syria. You choose. 

A game of numbers?

In the meantime, here are some numbers. The world loves using numbers to show the disproportional response undertaken by Israelis, claiming that only a few dead Israelis means we mustn't fight back. Few dead is thanks in no small way to several factors: The Iron Dome anti-missile defence system; Israelis following orders for a change and staying in or close to shelters; luck, or miracle, depending on your view of the world. As I write these lines, reports come in of three Israeli civilians killed in Kiryat Malachi, with four injured, including four children. I wonder how long before the BBC mentions the latter. 

Those numbers:

One million Israelis have spent the night in shelters. 

Those within 7km of Gaza have 15 seconds from the sound of a siren to find somewhere to hide. 

Those within 20km have 30 seconds. 

Those within 40km have 60 seconds. 

If the rockets reach this far, I'll have 90.

It's a sobering thought, but one that Israel, its Government and its Defense Forces, are finally trying to push out of our minds. It's going to be a tough few days ahead, particularly for those within range of the rockets, although, it seems, that even they are prepared to face up to it in the hope that this will bring some much sought-after peace and quiet. 

Words

Just a quick thought: 

I once read somewhere that the difference between propaganda and advocacy, is that propaganda works. 

The police in the UK are talking about using "Baton rounds" against violent student protesters. Sounds like a good idea, right?

The Israeli military and police use "Rubber bullets" in violent disorder that threatens its security. Sounds like a bad idea, right? 

Except that these are exactly the same riot-dispersal methods, just called different things. 

But see what a difference words make? 

Catastrophe

It's been a very busy few days, consisting of Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut (Remembrance Day, immediately followed by Israel Independence Day), and I wrote about neither. 

Then, over this past Shabbat, I met members of a delegation of Israeli political high-fliers, about whom I was going to post, and will do soon. 

Today, I attended what seemed to be the very highly successful "We Believe in Israel" conference. I've taken so many notes, and wasn't sure where to start. I've got several days' worth of material to write about. 

And then, as I finally sat down to see, hear and read about today's news, once again I'm left writing about turmoil in Israel. 

In the morning rush-hour in Tel Aviv, an Israeli-Arab truck driver seems to have purposely driven into several other cars and ended up crashing into a primary school. A 27-year-old man was killed, and over a dozen injured. 

Around Israel's borders, in particular on the Golan border with Syria, and at the Erez border crossing into Gaza, large numbers of people started violent protests. The BBC has reported that twelve people have been  killed. They've managed to miss the fact that ten of them were killed by the Lebanese army. Their headline, as usual, speaks initially of Israeli aggression, and only mentions the Palestinians' initiating actions as a secondary detail.

All this, in the name of marking the "Nakba", the Arab description of Israel's independence - Catastrophe. 

The real catastrophe is that this can all have been avoided, and could certainly come to an end. All it will take is some very brave decision-makers, and the acceptance of one simple fact: Israel is there, always will be there, and will always remain, an independent, democratic, Jewish state. 

Hasbara in Arabic

Five minutes of perfect Hasbara.

An IDF spokesperson, Avichai Edrei, speaks on Al-Jazeera television.

In Arabic.

No mincing of words.

No mixed messages, one for the world and one for the citizens. We know who does that, right?

Just one simple message - You want peace? Put down your weapons.

There are subtitles in Hebrew and English - definitely worth watching and spreading.



H/T "The Muqata"

Missiles, school-children, and foul mouthed footballers

A short time ago, several missiles, possibly mortar shells or anti-tank missiles were fired across the border from Gaza into Israel. A school bus was targeted, and at this point one child is critically injured, and the driver of the bus injured lightly. An amateur video of the damage to the bus is shown below. There is no commentary. None, in truth, is necessary. 

Luckily, if one can call it that, approximately fifty other school-children had alighted from the bus only moments before. 

As usual, the BBC news website opens its report with "Israel shells Gaza City", whilst the news hasn't yet made it onto television. Wayne Rooney's suspension is apparently more important.

Time will tell

It would be impossible, having listened to the news of the last few days, to ignore Judge Richard Goldstone's climbdown in the press. Surprisingly, even the BBC reported it, at least on their website. 

After Operation Cast Lead, a military operation in Gaza aimed at stopping the hundreds of rockets that were being fired on Israeli citizens, the United Nations wanted an inquiry. A panel was appointed, with the South African retired judge as its chair. 

The report spoke of atrocities, of war crimes, of possible crimes against humanity committed by both Israel and the Hamas terrorist organisation who currently govern in Gaza. Two years after his report was published, the judge has finally discovered that his rose-tinted glasses of Hamas had cracked, and he has now made the most shocking statement in Friday's Washington Post: 

"We know a lot more today about what happened in the Gaza war of 2008-09 than we did when I chaired the fact-finding mission appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council that produced what has come to be known as the Goldstone Report. If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document." 

The report was flawed from the outset. Take into account that the noble-sounding Human Rights Council had Libya as one of its members. Yes. THAT Libya. The one where strafing your own people using fighter aircraft is acceptable. Human Rights? Human Wrongs. 

The judge, in his somewhat muted apology, has taken two years to reach the same conclusions the Israelis had done from the outset. He was surprised that Hamas never investigated any of the war crimes that they committed, whereas Israel is still investigating 400 events that may or may not have contravened the rules of engagement, and will deal with any crimes appropriately. He also finally concluded the fact that Israel had claimed all along. There was NO intentional targeting by Israel of civilians in Gaza. 

The same cannot be said for Hamas. Their rockets were and still are aimed directly and intentionally at towns that neighbour the Gaza strip, terrorising the residents day in and day out. At the same time, these rockets were fired from family homes, from schools and from hospitals whilst hiding behind civilians, and callously hoping that any strikes undertaken by the Israelis would kill civilians, and thereby provide useful propaganda. The disregard shown by Hamas for human life, either that of the Israelis or, more shockingly, of their own people, shows the true colours of their belief and way of life. Or death. 

Golda Meir, already decades ago, summed it up perfectly.  

"Peace will come when the Arabs love their children, more than they hate us." 

It's just sad that it took two whole years of vilification and increased hatred of Israel, for the one person who was supposed to investigate what happened to finally admit that he didn't really have all the facts at all. 

Either that, or the reality was too ominous to believe, so it was easier to report the lies. I'll give him his dues. It takes courage for a man to admit that he was wrong. I wonder what he'll do now to try to repair the damage to Israel, to its reputation, to its soldiers, to it's people. I wonder how he'll go about overturning the two years of propaganda that he helped create. 

I suspect, somewhat cynically, that he'll worry more about his own reputation first. As in this case however, I believe that time will tell, as in the end it always does.