(Jerusalem Post) Richard Kemp, Jim Molan, and Arsen Ostrovsky - At an age when most teenagers are getting ready to go off to university or travel abroad, Israelis devote two to three years of their lives to defending and protecting their country, and by extension the West's front line of defense in the global war against Islamic terrorism. Two such soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the State of Israel were Lt. Hadar Goldin and Sgt. Oron Shaul, who were killed by Hamas in the 2014 Gaza war. Hamas still holds their bodies hostage in Gaza as a bargaining chip. Holding the bodies of soldiers killed in action and refusing their return to their next of kin for burial is a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law. That Hamas, a fanatical Iran-funded Islamist terrorist organization, does not abide by even a modicum of international law and basic human decency is beyond dispute. But where is the international outcry? Where is the Red Cross? Where is the UN? Hadar Goldin was killed and taken hostage during a UN cease-fire. Where are the self-professed human rights groups? The international community, which is seeking to rebuild Gaza and promote peace, should make any further efforts conditional upon the immediate and unconditional release of the Israeli soldiers' bodies. It is time the world showed that Israeli lives matter too. Col. Richard Kemp is a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan. Australian Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Jim Molan served as chief of operations for the Multinational Forces in Iraq. Arsen Ostrovsky is an international human rights lawyer.
2017-05-01 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive