By Avi Bell
SAN DIEGO — Balboa Park is a jewel in the crown of this city for families to enjoy culture and history. Unfortunately, it was not January 14 for a group of extremist anti-Israel protestors promoting hatred of Israel and the Jewish people for the third year in a row. Their express purpose is to demonize Israel for “Operation Cast Lead,” a short military operation undertaken to protect millions of Israeli citizens from the relentless terror campaign being waged by Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization that rules Gaza.
The hateful messages that were chanted represent anti-Semitism at its worst, baselessly accusing the Jewish state of atrocities and Israeli “occupation” of Hamas-controlled Gaza, while the protestors continue to deny the human and national rights of the Jewish people. These views are consistent with Hamas, which enshrines in its charter the refusal to recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland (article 11), the rejection of peace initiatives (article 13), the claims that Jews control the media and all wealth and are responsible for all wars (articles 22). These deeply anti-Semitic calumnies should be strongly rejected by all thinking people.
Immediately following Operation Cast Lead, the notoriously anti-Israel UN Human Rights Council appointed South African Judge Richard Goldstone to lead a commission to investigate accusations of war crimes. Despite the testimony of respected figures such as the commander of British forces in Iraq, Colonel Richard Kemp, that “during its operation in Gaza, the Israeli Defense Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare,” the commission produced a highly biased report, accusing both Israel and Hamas of war crimes, with the far greater blame put on Israel.
In the three years that have passed since Operation Cast Lead, the truth of the operation and the situation in Gaza has become clear. Judge Goldstone admitted that the central claim of his report, that Israel deliberately targeted Palestinian civilians, was untrue for which he has been vilified by those who previously hailed him as a hero. The United Nations has confirmed that Israel’s security measures to prevent weapons entering Gaza are legal and appropriate. Senior leaders of Hamas have confirmed that a large majority of Palestinian casualties in Operation Cast Lead were Hamas fighters, not civilians, and Gaza is not under Israeli occupation but is rather an independent Palestinian entity under Palestinian control. Independent media investigations by the BBC and others have confirmed that, while conditions in Gaza under Hamas remain grim, there is no humanitarian crisis. In fact, Gaza’s economy is booming, registering more than 30% growth in GDP in 2011 according to the Palestinians’ central bureau of statistics.
Most telling, emboldened by the success of fellow Islamic parties in other Arab countries and particularly in Egypt, Hamas continues to pursue its genocidal war against the Jewish people. 2011 saw many acts of terror against Israeli civilians by Hamas and other terrorist groups, including nearly 400 rocket attacks. Hamas continues to smuggle deadly weapons into Gaza, such as the laser-guided anti-tank missile fired recently at an Israeli school bus. Hamas television and radio continue to broadcast prayers for the mass murder of Jews and propaganda about the evils of the Jewish state.
During its 24th anniversary celebration attended by thousands of supporters in December 2011, Hamas proudly presented its achievements: 1,365 Israelis killed, 6,411 Israelis injured, over 11,000 rockets fired at Israel, and 1,117 terror attacks executed….so far.
Rather than the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic extremism of pro-Hamas groups like the ones that gathered in Balboa Park, those who seek peace in the Middle East need to renew their support for direct negotiations to resolve this complex conflict between the elected government of Israel and a responsible Palestinian leadership. It is only through recognizing each other’s national rights and obligations that Jews and Palestinians can reach a mutually acceptable agreement, and they can only do this through face-to-face discussion, without posturing or preconditions. Today there is some cause for hope, last week saw Palestinian Authority representatives returning to direct talks for the first time in more than a year. If friends of the Palestinians can encourage negotiations rather than justify terrorism and promote hostility, 2012 may yet herald the long hoped for breakthrough to true peace.
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Avi Bell is a professor at University of San Diego Law School and serves on the board of StandWithUs, a global, not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing peace to the Middle East through education.