Finally, someone with a brain steps up: A Former Israeli Deputy Defense-Minister Speaks Out

Ephraim Sneh - Why Israel Is Bombing Gaza - washingtonpost.com
"When demands are made of Israel to halt its military activities in Gaza, a brief historical reminder is in order."

What Ephraim Sneh does best in this op-ed for the Washington Post is not simply provide a thorough record of what has led up to Operation Cast Lead, but more important he outlines what needs to be done to ultimately remove the terrorist regime of Hamas from power. Sneh's explanation of Israel's purpose in initiating Operation Cast Lead is the best I have read anywhere thusfar. He writes, "No sovereign state would have resigned itself to having its cities -- cities such as Houston or Atlanta -- bombarded. No sovereign state would allow itself to be hit by even a single missile. That is the reason for the military campaign that Israel launched this week in a series of aerial strikes." Sneh is positively correct in his assesment that no free and democratic state would tolerate a barrage of terrorist rockets on its civilian popualtion, let alone cope with such conditions for years on end. The fact of the matter remains that the Israeli government has finally made the right move in actually defending its citizens. Yes, whenever civilians die in Gaza it is tragic and no one weeps more than those in Israel for the loss of innocent life. But when your enemy uses its own innocent population as human shields, hides behind innocent women and children, and sends its own people on suicide missions of terror there is no possibility of negotiation. The problem is not "occupation" as so many Political Scientists and analysists will have you believe, the problem is the fundamental and extreme nature of this form of Islam and the rule of a terrorist regime such as Hamas over innocent Palestinians. Sneh goes on in his excellently written piece about a possible solution to this conflict and the "siege" of Gaza, as some may call it. What he is most succesful in outlining however is the single most important objective of such a solution, the complete and total dismantling of the Hamas military infrastructure. The Palestinians of Gaza must realize that Israel is not their enemy, that we have seeked peace in the past time and time again, and still seek such peace. Hamas as a terrorist organization and as the current "elected" representation of the people of Gaza only seeks to detriment that possibility of peace. Put down your arms, cease the hostile firing of rockets on innocent Israelis, and perhaps such peace can finally be achieved.