I refer to the letter Hamas to blame for Israeli raids .
Yes, I agree that the Muslim community has been largely silent on acts of terrorism committed by fellow Muslims and it is about time we started speaking out loudly and strongly against barbaric acts committed in our names and in the name of our religion.
However my agreement ends there.
The writer has been simplistic in suggesting that Hamas had triggered of this new conflict by firing rockets into southern Israel. What the writer has failed to acknowledge is the fact that Gaza is being illegally occupied since 1967 by Israel, and in recent times being subjected to a siege with shortages of food, fuel, medicine and etc.
This, ultimately, turning the territory into one giant prison with 1.5 million inmates. Do you seriously think that any population subjected to these sort of indignities would just silently comply with the occupiers and let it be? Of course they would fight back with all available means.
The writer mentioned that the situation was akin to Thailand bombing us and we retaliate, or we bomb Singapore and they retaliate. This just points to the writer’s ignorance on this issue. Malaysia and her neighbors are all sovereign nations with none colonising the other.
Gaza isn't a sovereign territory, it is being subjected to the mercy of a foreign occupier and they have every reason to retaliate. Any nation living under foreign occupation and control would retaliate without any doubt.
The writer says: ‘Have they (the protesters) read comments or reports from Israeli citizens getting fed-up of rocket attacks on their cities? Or is this a one-sided affair to discredit anything and everything related to the US and Israel?’
My question is, how about the people of Gaza who have been subjected to greater insecurity even before the commencement of Operation Cast Lead? Do they not have a right to live in peace as well and enjoy the right to their own sovereign nation?
The reason the people of southern Israel are having rockets rained on them is the siege of Gaza; how do you expect to live in peace when your country is making life hell for an entire group of people in an illegally occupied territory?
Israel has been around for 60 years now, it must realise that as long as it holds on to the Palestinian land and denies Palestinians the chance of statehood, she will never be able to live in peace, even more so with such widespread suffering and hopelessness in her own backyard.
Every occupied nation in history has fought back against the occupiers, and the Palestinians are no different. The only difference in this case is that they are being labelled as terrorists instead of legitimate resistance.
I don't condone suicide attacks and the killing of civilians, but when faced with a nuclear- powered foe with all the latest American military hardware at their disposal, can you really fault the Palestinians them when they resort to such tactics?
