Question: How did the troubles with Gaza begin?

A young reader sent me a question regarding the current conflict in Gaza. He asks, "how did the troubles with Gaza begin? Didn't Israel give Gaza to the Arabs?"

Here is a brief history lesson that I hope clarifies the situation:

Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres brought the PLO (along with Arafat) back from Tunis to set up shop on Israel's borders. They mistakenly believed this would bring about real peace with Israel's Muslim-Arab neighbors. Gaza was turned over to Palestinians along with a large swatch of Judea and Samaria. Unfortunately, the Israeli government made the mistake of arming the killers of Jews with thousands of rifles and machine guns. It was a decision that would cost Israel more than 1,400 lives (and counting) over the ensuing years.

Ariel Sharon's Gaza disengagement plan was also ineffective. This "land for peace" formula could not work as the Palestinians did not begin building a country, but have been continuously waging war against Israel.

Briefly consider both the Hamas and PLO charters. This, in many cases, can explain why peace has been impossible.

The Hamas Charter, somewhat similar to the PLO Charter, includes the following passages:

- “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” (Preamble)

- “The Day of Judgment will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews, when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslims, O Abdullah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.” (Art. 7)

- “The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgment Day.” (Art. 11)

- “There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through jihad. Initiatives, proposals, and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.” (Art. 13)

These greenhouses were built by Israeli citizens of Gush Katif. Below is an image of the same greenhouse which shows how Gaza is being used today.

In this picture released by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), an Israeli soldier stands guard next to a tunnel during an operation near Rafah, southern Gaza strip, October 18, 2006.

Sderot, over the last few years, has been hit practically every day by kassam rockets. People in Sderot live with extremely high levels of stress. Normal things that people take for granted, such as going to school and work, are sometimes impossible for Sderot residents.

Hamas terrorists launch kassams toward Israeli cities.

Children in Sderot, Israel take cover during kassam attack.

Aftermath of a kassam attack.

Posted in: Hamas,Israel,Sderot