Submitted by Scott Baker, Feb 8, 2008 11:08

Let's see: Hamas - or its close proteges - launch 21 missles into Israel in 24 hours, killing a maiming civilians, destroying Sderot, or at least its ability to function, and in response, Israel throws a dimmer switch. The amount of restraint Israel is showing in response to outright war actions from the other side is astounding, mystifying, and depressing. Obviously, Hamas used its recent breach of the border between its territory and Egypt to rearm, resupply and reenlist its militia - itself a violation of a number of international covenents - or at least it would be if Hamas were recognized as an entity by anyone but Israel. Yet, Israel practices the most frugal restraint possible. It should be dispropotionate the other way - for every block a Qussam missle blows up, Israel should blow up ten blocks in Gaza. And they shouldn't stop until the militants have lost not just the will to fight, but the ability to fight. As for innocents lost, forget for the moment the innocents lost on the Israel side - after all, the world does - where are the innocents in Gaza? Are they the people who elected Hamas? Are they the people who regularly rally in support of them? Are they the people who shelter them in their homes when Israel finally responds by trying to take out the people shooting at them (how it's possible to kill only 1-2 militants from an Israeli warplane is something I still can't wrap my mind around; Israel has indeed refined the concept of surgical strike)? Are the innocents the young children who are brought up on a steady diet of anti-Israel propaganda and victimology? Really, this is too much. The United States is supposed to be Israels friend, but all I ever hear is governmental spokespeople saying how cutting off electricity will make things rough for the Palestians. We are living in Bizzaro World, I think, not in a just world where actions bring appropriate reactions.

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