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Source: http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=397651
Shifting the Blame in Gaza
[National Post-Canada] Editorial - Israel's attacks on Gaza over the last month have been far from unprovoked. Since 2001, there have been more than 6,000 rockets and mortars launched from Gaza into Israel. In just the first two months of this year, there were nearly 900 attacks (15 per day). Islamic fundamentalists have willingly misinterpreted Israel's belated, self-defensive attacks as provocative first strikes. Twisting the facts helps them whip up Muslim anger worldwide, which aids their recruitment of new foot soldiers for their terror war against the West. What puzzles us, though, is why so much of the world's media so easily swallows this cynical spin without even trying to ascertain the reasons behind Israel's counterstrikes. What response would Canadians demand of their government and armed forces if thousands of bombs and missiles had been fired into Vancouver or Montreal? It is unlikely we would have accepted such a long delay in reacting with force. Canadians who show sympathy for the Palestinian cause might well think differently of Israel using troops and gunships to take out mortar placements and rocket launchers if their own children were under constant threat of injury or death.