I Agree With Prof. Gerald Steinberg

I agree with Prof. Gerald Steinberg (although not on all issues) who wrote:-

The 2002 Israeli operation in Jenin that followed Palestinian mass terror attacks was accompanied by false claims of a “massacre,” and allegations of “war crimes” and “disproportionality.” This pattern was repeated in the 2006 war with Hizbollah. The rhetoric of international law was used as a weapon, and the United Nations human rights...­joined in the one-sided attacks against Israel. Ideological non-governmental organisations (NGOS) with huge budgets, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, joined dozens of Palestinian Solidarity groups in supporting the soft-power warfare, while violations of the human rights of Israeli civilians were ignored or justified.

The same strategy has been followed by Hamas...A ceasefire would then allow Hamas to rebuild its arsenal and extend the range of missile even further, to include Tel Aviv – the center of the Israeli economy.

The key to this scenario and a Hamas victory is international pressure on Israel based on the soft power. Here again, the publicity generated by NGO superpowers­Oxfam, Amnesty, and the numerous pro-Palestinian groups­play a central role. For months, these organizations have ignored the missile attacks from Gaza and use of human shields by Hamas in schools and mosques used to launch missiles. They campaigned against what they refer to as an Israeli policy of “collective punishment” and promoted allegations of a “humanitarian crisis.”

But the reality is quite different: the images of a power shortage and photos of Palestinians reading by candle light were staged, and the Israeli Defence Force stated last week that the World Food Program has halted food shipments to Gaza because storage facilities are overflowing. Under Hamas, Gaza’s main industry became the import and manufacture of rockets and mortars – over 6,000 have been used against Israel. Had these resources been devoted to peaceful endeavors, including the use of agricultural facilities built by Israel, life in Gaza could have been entirely different.

Thus, while many well-intentioned human rights campaigners blame Israel and call for an end to the fighting, the organisations to which they belong share the moral responsibility for this tragedy and loss of life. A ceasefire that only prepares the way for the next and more deadly round will accomplish nothing. To make a lasting and moral difference, the double standards and deep prejudices that have eroded the essential universality of human rights, and allowed leaders of groups like Hamas to expect “victories,” must also end.