Submitted by Lawrence Kuznick, Mar 1, 2008 16:19

What country in the world, possessing sufficient arms to put a stop to constant attacks, would not do so after repeated warnings? And what other countries in the world would fault them for acting precisely as they themselves would want to? Yet Israel continues to be subjected to what the international press and diplomatic community refer to as 'cycle of violence´. This creates a sense of balance of guilt, that there is no cause and effect, shared responsibility for chaos and death. The government of Gaza, Hamas, believes that it has the right to continued infliction of bombings and mayhem and that the world will not really hold it to responsible behavior. It also knows that every reaction by Israel will be condemned by the world and subjected to equal 'cycle of violence´.

Well, I know that if someone keeps jabbing me, which is tantamount to a dare to react, I will. I will not 'turn the other cheek´. The world has always applauded heroes, not cowards. Somewhere along the way, it turned Israel from hero to monster and allowed the Palestinians to be the victims of total military action. Israel must act the way any parent would act to protect his children, any country to protect its people and certainly its sovereignty. The Palestinians know well the manipulation of public opinion, and Israel at the end of the day knows what it must do. The rest of the world will have to live that.

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