HOW WOULD WE REACT?

Suppose Mexicans launched deadly rockets at our border towns on a daily basis. How would we react? What if the Belgians did the same to France? How would the French react? How would Germany react to daily rocket attacks from Denmark? And how would any other members of the United Nations react to such attacks by a neighboring country? You can bet all would resort to swift and deadly military force, even if the rocket launchers were located in the midst of civilian neighborhoods.

For months, Israel has been subjected to daily rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. The rockets have been launched by militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The militants try to protect their launch sites from Israeli attacks by deliberately placing them within civilian neighborhoods, thereby using innocent people as shields. And if that strategy fails, they will yet have gained a victory of sorts, knowing that Muslims all over the globe, in concert with the Europeans and the United Nations, will scream about the loss of innocent lives at the hands of the Israelis.

Until the end of February, Israel's response to the attacks had been somewhat restrained. The Israeli Air Force used pin-point attacks in trying to take out the launch sites. Civilian casualties were quite low. Unfortunately for Israel, the rocket attacks continued unabated. So, on top of the air strikes, the Israeli army struck back with a ground incursion into Gaza. The combined attacks resulted in several hundred civilian casualties.

As expected, the attacks drew the wrath of the Palestinians and other Arabs. Palestinan President Mahmoud Abbas even had the audacity to proclaim that the Israelis were perpetrating a holocaust against his people. How dare he make that analogy! While several hundred unintended civlian casualties are unfortunate, they can in no way whatsoever be compared to the Holocaust with its extermination of six million Jews by Nazi Germany.

And as usual, the European Union and the United Nations used the strongest terms to condemn Israel's attacks on civilian neighborhoods. Thus Israel is in a no-win situation - damned if it does and damned if it doesn't. If it shows the utmost restraint, the rocket attacks will continue. If Israel's Air Force resorts to using deadlier bombs, there will be many civilian casualties and if the Israeli army strikes into Gaza, there will be even more civilians killed and wounded. Then the world will condemn the Jewish State for its slaughter of innocent civilians.

While meeting with Abbas, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chided Israel for its Gaza attack, saying "innocent people" living among the rocket launchers "should not be subject to injury and death." This brings me back to my very first question.

What would happen if Mexicans launched daily rocket attacks against San Diego County from within the crowded neighborhoods of Tijuana? We would strike back swiftly with our Air Force and military ground units. While the rocket launch sites would be wiped out quickly, there would be heavy civilian casualties. The Europeans and the United Nations would condemn us. Then, in her official capacity, Condi would tell them to "go fuck yourselves."