Before we go into the actual discussion of this particular unrest, I feel that it is important to get a fuller understanding of the situation that had been developing in Israel and Gaza before Israel began firing rockets and attacking Gaza in full force.

General Background:

Gaza is a heavily populated area of land holding approximately 1.5 million people in the size of about two times the size of Washington. The United Nations organization has estimated that the area’s unemployment rate is sitting close to 50%. Many sanctions have been placed on them which has caused much damage to the economy and to their economic growth.

The main usage of the ground is for the cultivation of citrus. Other main crops are olives and wheat. This is exported. Their main language is Arabic but they also speak English and Hebrew.

The Gaza was occupied by the Israeli troops from 1967 until 1993 when the forces removed and limited power was handed over to the Palestinians. Hamas a political faction in the area took control by force in 2007 pushing out the government of President Mahmoud Abbas who was a part of the opposition group of Hamas. The United States has declared Hamas as a terrorist group.

Geographical Positioning:

Hamas Control of the Gaza Strip:

By the June of 2007, the Gaza Strip was “completely overrun by Hamas” which now basically controls the Gaza Strip and has declared itself the legitimate government of the Palestinian National Authority. The Palastinian President however did not agree with this and immediately declared a state of emergency and disolved the unity government and reformed but this time without the participation of Hamas. The government of Abbas won large international support.

According to Amnesty International, Hamas closed down newspapers and harassed journalists. Christians had also been threatened and assaulted. The owner of a Chrisitian book shop was abducted and murdered and on the 15th of February 2008, the Chrisitian Youth Organisation’s library was bombed.

Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza continued to attack Israel across the border with Quassam rockets and according to Israel, between the Hamas take over of the Gaza Strip and the end of the January of 2008, 697 rockets and 822 mortar bombs were fired at Israeli towns and cities. Israel’s response to this was to declare the Gaza Strip a “hostile entity”. By doing this, it made it “ok” for Israel to cut the fuel and electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip. This lead to power shortages in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has used many public buildings such as schools and hospitals as staging grounds for attacks and retaliations.

Now that we have a better understanding of the canvas of the current unrest in the Gaza Strip / Israel, I am going to enter into the current situation and give my opinion on the matter;

1. At this point in time, I do not feel that peace is the answer. I believe that sometimes in order to reach peace, (which by no terms the Gaza Strip was before Israel attacked) one needs to go to war. In order to achieve great peace, we very often need great sacrafice. The common saying is no pain, no gain.
2. Hamas has been sending rockets into South Israel. Even though only a few of these missiles have hit a target and even though very few Israelis have died in such a manner, the rockets cause fear to those living in Israel.
3. These attacks are one of Israels strategies to ensure that Hamas fails in the governing of the Palestinian people who chose Hamas to elect them in the beginning. Also another thing, if the people elected them into power, surely these people are backing Hamas and then directly are backing the attacks on Israel, so when we speak of the innocent being killed, in fact how innocent are they? The people deserve the government that they choose, so should that government lead them into war, the people should accept the consequences that come with that government.
4. If you were being bombed and attacked by a neighbour for 8 days, what would you do? I think the answer is reasonably clear. You are going to retaliate, you are going to fight, and you are not going to fight lightly.
5. Hamas is Muslim, In the holy Koran, the killing of the infidel is supported. This means that the Muslim religion supports the killing of anyone who is not Muslim. Israel is a predominately Jewish country, so how should they take that? I think that for that reason, one could say the attacks by Israel are purley defensive.
6. Hamas has refused to accept a the ceasefire, and have openly stated that one of their requirement is to see Israel destroyed. Hamas does not want peace!
7. Between the 19th of June and the 4th of November, Israel and the Gaza Strip were meant to be at peace, however, Hamas still insisted on firing 65 rockets into Israel, Israel had done nothing in retaliation, until now! (Thank you DarkAl for some of these facts from answers.yahoo.com)

All in all, I feel that the attacks on the Gaza Strip is the right thing to do. I think it shows terrorists (Hamas) that they can not do as they please, and I think that it is a pity that so much of the world are giving them sympathy and worse so pointing fingers and becoming angry with Israel. Go Israel! Go until the terror stops!

Noel Harrison