OPINION:
The situation in Israel is becoming more dangerous (“Bomb rocks Jerusalem bus stop, killing woman,” Web, Wednesday). Two weeks ago, Palestinian terrorists brutally murdered a family of five in the West Bank town of Itamar, and on Wednesday, a terrorist bomb in the heart of Jerusalem killed a 59-year-old woman and wounded more than 20 others.
At a time when Israel faces a new terrorist onslaught, the United States must stand behind its staunchest ally in the Middle East and uphold the right of that ally to defend itself. No country should be expected to tolerate continuous attacks on its citizens.
In the past three months, Hamas terrorists armed and financed by Iran have fired 147 mortars and rockets at Israeli towns and villages - more than double last year’s rate of attacks. This comes despite the fact that Israel withdrew its troops and removed its settlements from Gaza in 2005, and no longer wants to be involved in the lives of Gazans, except to provide them with generous humanitarian aid.
Ignoring these developments is dangerous. In December 2008, Israel was forced to launch a large military operation to protect its citizens, who had been terrorized by thousands of Hamas rocket attacks. Israel killed some 800 terrorists, but several hundred civilians were also killed, largely because Hamas routinely uses civilians as human shields. No one wants to see a repetition of these events.
The Palestinians must stop teaching their children to hate Israelis and Jews and must stop naming streets and squares after terrorists. They should return to negotiations with Israel immediately - without their usual pre-conditions. The United Nations and the international community must increase pressure on Iran to stop arms smuggling to terrorists in Gaza and cease genocidal threats against Israel.
ROBERT MUCKENHIRN
Alexandria, Va.
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