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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,,1828056,00.html
This Is a Fight for Our Survival
[Guardian-UK] Isaac Herzog - Some may wonder how, as a man of Israel's peace camp, I can at the same time be a member of a government now fighting a war in Lebanon. When your very existence is under threat, you have the right to defend yourself, and the responsibility to your people to defend their security. This is not a political issue, it is not an ideological issue; it is a matter of survival. That is why I and the vast majority of the Israeli population support this military response. In the past few days, 1,000 rockets and 1,200 mortar rounds have been hurled across the border by Hizballah at hospitals, schools, and homes. A third of our people are in immediate danger of Hizballah missiles and are sheltering for fear of their lives. The whole of the north of our country has in effect been shut down. Israel is fighting back and its use of force is entirely proportionate to the extent of the threat that Hizballah poses. The writer, a member of Israel's Labor party, is Minister of Tourism.