(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Amb. Alan Baker - On March 30 and April 6, 2018, the world was witness to a series of Friday marches by thousands of Palestinian residents of Gaza toward the border fence with Israel. The organizers of the marches publicized them as a peaceful political demonstration. However, Hamas fighters embedded among the demonstrators committed a series of acts of violence including lobbing incendiary devices at Israeli soldiers, placing explosive devices on the border fence, using firearms against the soldiers, and attempting to cut the fence to cross the border. Despite witnessing the violence organized by Hamas, the leaders of the international community appear to hold the strange belief that what they saw was a peaceful demonstration that was forcefully frustrated and disturbed by the Israeli army. Calls for an international inquiry have become a routine and automatic phenomenon whenever Israel dares to defend itself. The writer served as legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Israel's ambassador to Canada.
2018-04-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive