LETTER FROM RUTH MATAR (WOMEN IN GREEN) JERUSALEM Thursday, July 6, 2006

Dear Friends,

In any normal country missile launches on civilian population centers would represent a declaration of war.

Not so in Israel. Since the “disengagement” from Gaza, more than 5,000 Kassam rockets have rained down on southern Israel.

More weapons have been brought into Gaza in the past ten months than entered in the previous 38 years.

Al Qaida and Iranian Revolutionary Guards are training Fatah and Hamas members in the destroyed Israeli communities of Gush Katif.

But Ehud Olmert, Israel’s Prime Minister, has until now refused to send forces into Gaza. He refused because he would therefore admit that all territory abandoned by Israel is taken over by Israel’s enemies.

He has continuously undermined Israel’s credibility by constantly making empty threats, and bombing empty fields and buildings.

Not unexpectedly, Olmert’s lack of decisive action emboldened the terrorists to increase their attacks, both from the air and on the ground.

1. THE KEREM SHALOM ATTACK: On June 25th, Corporal GILAD SHALIT was captured by a group of eight Palestinian Hamas terrorists who tunneled underground from Gaza into Israel, murdered two crew members, wounded a third, and took Shalit captive. Hamas is demanding the release of over 1,000 terrorist prisoners held by Israel.

Could the Kerem Shalom Attack have been prevented? Gilad Shalit’s father, Noam Shalit, criticized the Olmert government last Monday, July 3rd. “It is delusional,” he said, “that the State of Israel would attempt to reestablish its deterrence at the expense of my son….. Israel should have done that before the attack when there was intelligence on tunnels being dug in the region.”

2. THE KIDNAPPING AND GRISLY MURDER OF 18 YEAR OLD ELIYAHU ASHERI, the grandson of Rabbi Druckman from Itamar: Within days following Gilad Shalit’s abduction, Hamas boasted that they had an 18 year old “settler” in their possession. There was no ransom demand. His charred body was later discovered in Ramallah. He had been executed with a shot to the back of the head.

3. THE ROCKETING OF ASHKELON, a major strategic city in Israel, on July 4th, and again, yesterday, on July 5th: A direct strike to strategic installations in Ashkelon, such as Israel Electric Power, which provides one fourth of Israel with electric power, and the Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Company, would dangerously affect services to large regions in the south of Israel.

These attacks have finally forced the Olmert government to reenter Gaza. The statement of Olmert’s ministerial cabinet listed the goals of the current operation as “the release of abducted Corporal Gilad Shalit and the ending of the firing of rockets and mortars from Gaza.”

Has Olmert finally decided to protect his own citizens? Don’t be too optimistic! He worries more about what Condoleezza Rice and the bleeding anti-Semitic hearts around the world will say!

Among soldiers poised to reenter Gaza were officers from the IDF’s Civil Administration, whose job is to ensure that no humanitarian crisis erupted in the Strip during the operation. The Security Cabinet communique said that the defense establishment had been instructed to respond “comprehensively and immediately to all humanitarian needs.”

How about Jewish humanitarian needs, like the need to stay alive?

I will give you a sad example of how the Israeli Defense Forces has been conditioned to operate. The extent to which the IDF has been conditioned to operate under terms of engagement that dramatically inhibits its ability to strike back at terrorists was exemplified by OC Air Force Maj.-Gen. Eliezer Shkedy, who told the Jerusalem Post: “If we know that a terrorist who is in the midst of firing a Kassam aimed to kill, is holding his son’s hand, we will not fire.”

Has the Olmert government lost its senses completely?

To hold back from elimination a terrorist directly engaged in a potentially lethal act of terror directed against civilians is not a manifestation of morality or humanity. It reflects utter confusion and the application of false values which violate the primary obligation of a government to defend the lives of its citizens. It means we are adopting the flawed morality of the bleeding hearts who consider that the well-being of human shields deliberately positioned to defend those seeking to kill us warrants a higher priority than the life and limb or our own citizens.

Many Israeli soldiers have died because the IDF frequently is forced not to employ its superior fire power out of concern for Arab civilians!

Does Israel’s oft-stated concern for the sanctity of human life exclude our own people?

It is bizarre to expect us to continue providing water and electricity to neighbors who proclaim that their objective is to destroy us and who rain rockets on our civilians.

Why doesn’t Olmert inform the Arabs that every time a missile is launched against Israeli citizens, we will turn off the electricity and water for Gaza for a couple of hours. Wouldn’t that be more effective than bombing empty fields and buildings?

Humanitarian help to the Arabs? Give me a break! They willingly used their democratic right to vote the Hamas terrorist group into power!

Sadly, the Palestinian Arab electorate enthusiastically supports the agenda of Hamas, which is the annihilation of the Jewish People, and the eradication of the Jewish State.

I want to end with two quotes of Jewish wisdom from the Talmud:

If someone comes to kill you, kill him first.

One who is merciful to the cruel will end up being cruel to the merciful.

With Blessings and Love for Israel,

Ruth Matar

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 6th, 2006 and is filed under opinion. You can leave a response.