In a stunning distortion of the facts regarding attacks carried out by the terrorist Islamic group Hamas, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced in a press release that “Media reports indicate that the latest violence in Gaza [sic] was triggered November 5 when Israeli forces killed a 23-year-old Palestinian man as he ‘approached the border fence.’ According to some accounts, the slain Palestinian was mentally challenged. On November 8, Israeli forces shot and killed a 13-year-old Palestinian boy who was ‘playing football with his friends in front of his family’s house.’ ”
In reality, as can be clearly documented through the main stream media, the current assault on Israel by Hamas began on October 23, when an Israeli officer was critically wounded by an explosive device while on patrol near the Hamas-controlled Gaza border. At that point, Israel did not respond.
Then, on November 6, Islamist militants set off an explosion along the Gaza border injuring three Israeli soldiers. The explosion was followed by Hamas rocket fire into southern Israel. The same day, Gazan militantsdetonated a massive, explosives-packed tunnelalong the border, knocking sideways an Israeli army jeep but causing no injuries.
Two days later, Palestinians shelled the Israeli border injuring another Israeli soldier. There was still no response by Israel.
It wasn’t until the next day, November 9, after Gazans fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli jeep on patrol inside Israeli territory, wounding four soldiers, that the Israeli army responded by returning fire into Gaza.
Afterwards, the Hamas began pummeling Israel’s cities with a barrage of rockets, with Hamas firing 200 missiles into Israel in on November 15 alone. In close to a week, Hamas has fired 750 missiles into Israel, including Fajr-5 rockets made in Iran that the Israel Defense Force had tracked from Iran to Gaza (disassembled and re-assembled on the way).
Hamas has fired a number of Fajr-5 missiles toward Tel Aviv in the last number of days. Most have been taken out “mid-sky” by Israel’s “Iron Dome” missile defense system.
Still, CAIR continues in their press release:
“We urge President Obama not to sit on the sidelines as American taxpayer-funded weapons are used to kill civilians -- including babies -- and to destroy the civilian infrastructure in Gaza. Our nation’s blind support for Israel’s brutal actions has done and continues to do immense harm to America’s image and interests in the Middle East and worldwide.”
“We regret the death or injury of any civilians on either side of this tragic conflict. It is time to tell Israel and the world that Palestinian blood and property are just as precious as that of Israelis.”