Useful Idiots and Other Players

For the last several weeks, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and others in Gaza have been using kites and other means to fly incendiary devices and explosives into southern Israeli communities and fields near the border.

Virtually all targets have been civilian. Thousands of acres of fields as well as communities have been burned and threatened with destruction. The other day Israel finally stepped up some actions to try to stop the attacks. In response, the Palestinians have fired a huge barrage of rockets into Israeli communities, targeting civilians.

Israeli civilians are now sleeping in shelters and running for cover with just seconds marking the difference between life and death or injury.  Children are traumatized.

Iran is encouraging and supporting this as a way to divert Israel and the world's attention from its efforts to establish military bases in Syria and to encourage Syria to attack Israel. Thank you, Presidents Obama, Putin, and Trump, and the P-5+1.

I have seen and heard nothing from CNN, the NY Times, Senators Sanders and Feinstein, the UN, the EU, Rabbi Jacobs and the Reform Movement, J Street, Jewish Voice for Peace, If Not Now, Breaking the Silence, Ireland, Human Rights Watch, and the myriad of other persons and groups who predictably condemn and caution Israel at the first sign of violence, regardless of history or context.

The Israeli public has had enough and is understandably demanding that the government take stronger action to protect the children, women, and men of the south.  In response, Israel is about to act.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as part of their strategy, deliberately embed military resources among civilians, hoping to cause death and injury of Palestinians and thereby sympathetic international attention and condemnation of Israel.  And it works every time.  Everyone plays according to script, with the international players seemingly relishing their role as dupes, albeit self-righteous ones.

When  Palestinians start to be injured and killed, I am sure we will hear from all those I listed above and more about "disproportionate" force (which simply means they would be happier if Jews died), the "cycle of violence," "restraint by all parties," and more platitudes ad nausea.

The roles of hypocrites, opportunists, bigots, and useful idiots never seem to have any shortage of enthusiastic players.

(Originally published in The Times of Israel)