As a member of the press, I get Government Press Office updates on crucial talks and events happening in Israel. This morning, President Shimon Peres delivered this special statement to the press, on Operation Cast Lead (Israel's attack on Hamas terrorists' infrastructure in Gaza), and the ongoing Palestinian rocket fire on civilian areas in southern Israel.
I've included a word-by-word transcript of the statement, and thought it will be useful (especially) for those so removed from the conflict, yet so eager to debate about it.
Here is the transcript:
President Peres:
It is the first time in the history of Israel that we, the Israelis, cannot understand the motives or the purposes of the ones who are shooting at us. It is the most unreasonable war, done by the most unreasonable warriors.
The story is simple. Israel has left Gaza completely, out of our own free will, at a high cost. In Gaza there is no single Israeli civilian or soldier. They were evacuated from Gaza, our settlements, which called for a very expensive cost. We had to mobilize 45,000 policemen to take out our settlers from there. We spent $2.5 billion. The passages were open. Money was sent to Gaza. We suggested aid in many ways - economically, medically, and otherwise. We were very careful not to make the lives of the civilian people in Gaza difficult. Still I have not heard until now a single person who could explain to us reasonably: why are they firing rockets against Israel? What are the reasons? What is the purpose?
And I must say also that the phenomenon about Israel is the restraint of the army and the unity of the people. The army waited and waited; the Palestinians asked for a ceasefire, and we agreed. They themselves have violated the ceasefire. Again, we didn't know why, until it came to a point where we were left without a choice but to bring an end to it. The operation was planned carefully and the army was true to its principles: namely, to be precise in its targets and careful not to hit civilian life. There is a problem because many of the bombs were stored in private houses. We have contacted the owners of the houses, the people that dwell there, and told them leave it. You can't live with bombs. We have to bring an end to the source of the bombs.
Israel doesn't have any ambition in Gaza. We left out of our free choice. We have never gone back to the idea of returning to Gaza. It's over. But we cannot permit that Gaza will become a permanent base of threatening and even killing children and innocent people in Israel for God knows why. I feel that in our hearts, we don't have any hatred for the Gazan people. Their suffering doesn't carry any joy in our hearts. On the contrary, we feel that the better they will have it, better neighbors we shall have. Now that Hamas is turning to the Arab world for help, the truth is that the Arab world has to turn to Hamas for the help of Hamas. If Hamas will stop it, there is no need for any help. Everything can come again to normalcy. Passages: open; economic life: free; no Israeli intervention; no Israeli participation in any of the turnarounds in Gaza.
As a nation, we feel united. As a nation, there is wholehearted support for the army, the way they handled it, their restraint, their discrimination, and their responsibility. The great winner can be reason, and reason will lead to peace. We are very serious, in a serious mood. Many of our children are still in the shelters, and we would like them, like the children of Gaza, to breathe fresh air again. This is the story, and whoever asks us to stop shooting - they have to change the address. Let them turn to Hamas and ask them to stop shooting, and there won't be shooting. Thank you very much.
END OF TRANSCRIPT
Click here for my post of IDF Photos of Hamas Targets in Gaza Before the Strike
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Soon as the PE, SoS-Elect start to hum, haw and hedge, and say things like "... We understand why soandso takes suchandsuch actions, ... ", you KNOW, and every objective observer would know that's going on WRONG TRACK, heading in WRONG DIRECTION. Obama and Hillary cannot go on that track, and expect to emerge unscathed and effective, because commonsense would tell a reasonably intelligent person that there is absolutely no way to engage in tit-for-tat logic and reasoning, and still make sense to all agrieved parties involved.
For God's sake, just stand up and speak a ringing truth based on basic principles of justice and peace, and everybody and all negotiations would be raised to a higher level. Quit watching your flanks and your behind and your political base ....
Gaza is part of the larger problem and if Mr. Peres is so certain of their supposed good intentions then why haven't you accepted the Arab League peace proposal that calls for a return to the 1967 borders in exchange for peace? Very telling. You want peace in the region on YOUR terms and you want more land. Just admit it and stop with the propaganda. Not all Americans worship the ground you guys walk on.
You seem to ignore the fact that Arafat turned down a deal which would have gotten the Palestinians about 97% of the lands captured in the 67 war. That proposal came awefully close to meeting the Arab league's peace plan as far as land issues go.
Notice that Syria has just cut off peace talks with Israel. this is strategic -- the right wing in Israel and the US doesn't want to warm with Damascus, among other regional shifts, and this is but one motivation and consequence of the bombing of Gaza. This goes far more beyond Shimon Peres wanting peace for all civilians and the terrorists saying no.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KntmpoRXFX4
This is a carefully constructed PR statement to the American media, aimed at disinformation. Everyone living outside the US knows the reasons why the Palestinians attacked.
When was THAT?? When were those passages open? All we have seen is Israel laying seige to Gaza, preventing the passage of food, fuels, and medical supplies, for YEARS. Israel has turned Gaza into a walled ghetto and exerted every effort to starve or bomb the inhabitants into oblivion. Gazans shoot a couple of home-made rockets out of anger and frustration, and the IDF responds with massive retaliation, flattening huge swaths of residential areas and killing civilians indiscriminately.
Mr. Peres knows full well why Gaza shoots back at Israel. They refuse to be silent and cooperative in the face of their imminent genocide. It may be a futile gesture, but it's all they have left.
"A couple of homemade rockets"? Try thousands. And yes, millions of dollars of aid money from Israel and the U.S. has gone to the Palestinian Authority. No one knows where it went--at least, that's the official story. No one knows how Arafat became a millionaire, either. Officially.
"Imminent genocide"? If a genocide has been scheduled, then what's the delay? Israel has been in existence for 60 years, that's a LONG time to plan a genocide.
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/
boy, are you in denial.