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| Gaza Strip [PNG Rendered Map: Gringer] |
New York: American Jewish Committee (AJC) called on the international community to condemn the
latest "onslaught" of rocket attacks from Hamas-ruled Gaza against Israel.
"Where are the voices of anger and outrage?" asked
AJC Executive Director David Harris. "Israel withdrew entirely from Gaza
in 2005, seeking only one thing -- quiet on the Israel-Gaza border. Tragically,
that was not to be. Instead, Hamas seized power. The terror group is linked to
the Muslim Brotherhood and supported by Iran and the global jihadist movement.
Hamas opted to use its new freedom of action to target Israel, whose very existence
it refuses to recognize, with literally thousands of missiles and
rockets."
"For years, highlighted by the latest round of attacks,
Hamas has used Gaza as a staging ground against Israel," Harris added.
"In response, the world remains largely silent, while the Emir of Qatar
travels to Gaza to lend his political and economic support to the Hamas regime.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyap Erdogan has announced that he is
considering a similar journey."
The latest barrage began yesterday with an anti-tank missile
fired from Gaza at an Israeli army jeep in Israeli territory, wounding four.
Dozens of rockets have since hit Sderot and the Shaar Hanegev region, forcing
schools to close. More than one million Israelis have been told to be ready to
move to bomb shelters on 15 seconds notice.
"No one should be surprised if Israel, like any other
country in a similar situation, responds to defend its citizens when they are
attacked by a terrorist regime," Harris concluded.
In a written statement issued to the press, AJC cautioned that at some point Israel may be compelled to
respond to the "relentless" rocket attacks.
"Protecting its citizens is the
first priority of the Israeli government, and when it does act the
international community should show empathy and understanding by explicitly
condemning Hamas and others who refuse to end the conflict," the statement read.