'When Hamas causes civilian deaths there is no apology and no investigation into what went wrong.'
Photo: Reuters
A view from Australia
At least one international newspaper has clear view on who is aggressor, who is victim in Israel-Palestinian conflict
"The deaths on the Gaza beach, tragic as they may be, did not occur in an empty shell. Those condemning the event as a "massacre" and blasted Israel because of it simply ignored several inconvenient facts.
"One is that when Israel fires at targets in Gaza, the fire is aimed at firing stations for the Qassam Rockets that Hamas has been firing into Israel day and night. Unlike Israel, when Hamas causes civilian deaths there is no apology and no investigation into 'what went wrong.'
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"Israel's first civilian death by Qassam occurred on June 28, 2004, when a four-year-old boy died after a Palestinian bomb hit his nursery school. And more than Qassams are aimed at Israeli civilians: Just look at the long history of Palestinian suicide bombers. As much as the Palestinians and their supporters say they want a state of their own, their actions are far from diplomatic.
"If we need additional proof as to which side in this conflict is the aggressor and which the victim, one need only compare Israeli and Palestinian reaction to the deaths of civilians. In Israel, Jews don't go out to the streets when there is fighting going on, or to pass out candy to children when Palestinian civilians have been killed, the way they do in the West Bank after every "successful" terrorist attack.
'Instead, the Israeli government publishes condolence messages, provides medical care (including hospitalization) in Israeli hospitals and investigates each occurrence.
Supportive newspaper
Where do these quotes come from? From editorials published in The Australian, a national daily published in Sydney, Australia and one of the country's most influential newspapers. These pieces were published following Hamas' threats that an "earthquake" was on the way to cities in the "Zionist entity", and that the "Occupying rabble will have no choice but to prepare coffins or suitcases."
The editorial also said, before the IDF investigation suggested the blast on the Gaza beach was caused by a Hamas-placed bomb rather than an IDF shell, that "the shell fired by Israel veered from its course and hit innocent civilians.
Israeli response
After reading these words, far away from the events in question, I watched a recording of the demonstration that occurred outside Chief of Staff Dan Halutz's house, with demonstrators holding signs calling Halutz a "murderer". I also had a look at newspaper editorials from Israel on the internet. I had to, as I was going to lecture at Australian National University about the legal standing of the Intifada.
Despite the fact that the incident in Gaza didn't really have anything to do with my lecture, I expected to be asked about it. And so I was.
I sent the questioner to The Australian editorial, and suggestion she read to the end.
It said there: "The day that Palestinian leaders act similar to their Israeli counterparts will be a great day indeed for peace in the region."
