Israel, Gaza, the Media - What Wrong with the Picture?

Well the cease-fire along the Gaza Strip did not last long. That was to be expected. After the boisterous comments of the Hamas leadership about their incredible victory over the barbarian Israelis, you knew they would soon test the waters once again. However, I found those boisterous comments rather ironic in that they came from men who had hunkered down below ground in shelters during the 3-week war. But they emerged from their holes praising their exploits. No sooner had the dust cleared from the collapsed tunnels than new ones were being dug. They now become the target of another Israeli attack helicopter or fighter jet.

And the world continues making Israel the most problematic nation on the face of the earth. Poverty in Gaza...blame the Israeli blockade. Collapsed buildings and destroyed homes in Gaza...blame Israel's disproportionate assault. Civilian deaths...blame those murderous Israelis; in fact, let's bring them before a War Crimes Tribunal. The liberal media bias and the anti-Israel United Nations cast their bewitching spell over so many.

Yet, what did Israel really do? In the past 7 years, over 8,000 rockets were launched from inside the Gaza Strip targeted for Israeli towns and settlements. That is four rockets every day for the past 7 years. Homes have been damaged. Schools have been destroyed. Farmer have had crops and livestock destroyed. Israelis, in such towns as Sderot and Ashkelon, learned to live with the "15-second rule" - meaning they had 15 seconds to get to a safe room from the time they heard the warning sirens. Israeli children attended classes in underground bomb shelters, their lives shrouded with fears. And this went on for 7 years. Israel did very little. But the world said nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Finally, Israel acted to defend its citizens. And the world reacted to protect the perpetrators of the violence, the Hamas leaders. Something is wrong with that picture, friends. Let's just suppose that a radical Mexican government decided it was going to send rockets everyday into El Paso, Texas. So, dozen of rockets every day threaten the lives and security of that Texas community. What would be our government's response? I hope we would take bold steps to destroy those who were firing the rockets. So, we can do it but not Israel; what a double standard we have developed.

I honestly believe that the people of Israel will need to take even more drastic steps against Hamas in Gaza. I believe that IDF troops will once again be heard marching down those dusty roads. I believe that even more Palestinian civilians will die having become human shields for Hamas terrorists. And I believe that the United Nations and other world powers will increase the rhetoric against Israel for its actions.

And I believe that the Bible describes and Israeli army victory over their Palestinian foes. But we will save that discussion for another blog.

Friends, Israel is just doing what most other nations would do to protect its own people. Our prayer should be that Hamas would surrender their arms. Then, and only then, perhaps peace might have a chance...but that I highly doubt.