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Gaza Reality Check: Terrorist-Run Territories Produce Terrorism
(Media Line-Jerusalem Post) Charles Bybelezer - Analysts are astonished by the widespread shock generated by the fully foreseeable outcome of an initiative spearheaded by the Hamas terror group which is dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state. Hamas has reigned over Gaza with an iron fist, consistently using its "subjects" as a collective human shield. Yet, when another round of hostilities inevitably breaks out, so too does the same old international chorus of refrains ranging from "independent investigations" and "restraint by both sides" to accusations that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians. Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Israel Ziv, formerly head of the Israeli army's Gaza Division, said, "Hamas' purpose was to see much more bloodshed and to inflame the whole area....The question of whether Israel acted correctly must be viewed in this context. And in this case there were casualties but things could have been much worse. It is unfortunate that deaths occurred, but the incident was contained. Overall, it was the right deployment [of force by Israel]." The simple fact is that terrorist-run territories invariably produce terrorism. And, as a tragic corollary, people are going to die. But history shows that no matter the circumstances, the Israeli military's actions are more apt to garner international headlines than Hamas' instigation of crises. Israel comes under heavy criticism for tactics that it argues would be employed - without any afterthought - by every other country in the world under similar circumstances.