July 18, 2006
 
COMMENTARY: The Hypocritically Indignant Hypocrites
 
By Joseph J. Honick
 
Bainbridge Island, WA (Special to HNN) -- To listen to many of the commentators on the current struggle between Israel and its neighboring enemies, one would think it all has to do with territory and a sudden upsurge in conflict.
 
Where were all those now demanding that Israel act with something called "proportionate response" when any number of Palestinian minions were shooting up airports, murdering Israeli Olympic athletes, throwing a wheelchair- bound old man into the ocean or machine gunning old men at prayer in a Paris synagogue and spraying a restaurant in Paris with bullets at lunch time?
 
And that is the short list of what has been going on for nearly 57 years since the state of Israel was established and immediately assaulted by her neighbors, which have included an invasion by Egypt on the holiest day of the Jewish year and declared continuing threats by Iran, Hamas and Hezballah.
 
The president of Iran had declared the necessity to wipe Israel from the map. The charter of Hamas is pretty much the same, and Hezballah distinguishes itself by proclaiming a state of open war. Yet the inevitable critics of Israel demand actions that would expand the Iranian and Syrian surrogates as expressed through Hams and Hezballah.
 
And the media have been of little help. Almost minute by minute, breathless news readers recount the problems in Lebanon with here and there references to the victims in Israel.
 
The claim by the critics of Israel urge negotiation. That was the precise path that was taking place between Israeli leaders and Palestinians -- Abbas until Hamas moved into the government and pushed Mr Abbas aside.
 
What no one seems to be asking is how either Hamas or Hezballah can even afford all this armament the costs of which have to reach into the hundreds of millions? No one has asked either of the terrorist organization to exercise restraint. Why is this?
 
In the end, Israel, whose population and geography are dwarfed by the combined numbers in enemy territories, has no alternative to respond powerfully. It would be useful for the hypocrites who only call for restraint by the Israelis had a conversation with the two terrorist organizations.
 
Joseph J. Honick is a regular contributing columnist to Huntington News Network.