Israel vs.

Hamas:

Debunking the Propaganda.

By Jake Moroshek

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights "strongly condemned Israel's

disproportionate use of force." Closer to home, Duke Against War, the Muslim Students
Association and the Arab Students Organization put up posters around Duke declaring that a
genocide is taking place in Gaza." Meanwhile, Hamas leader Fathi Hammad said, "We will not
rest until we destroy the Zionist entity.
Condemning Israels action in Gaza certainly seems popular nowadays, and many
campus declarations on the subject have gone without refutation. Facebook status updates and
campus tabling efforts advertise the civilian death count in Gaza. These critics, however, seldom
acknowledge the real, dangerous, and persistent terrorist threat faced by Israeli citizens. Few
mention the hundreds of rockets that rain down on Southern Israel every week. A review of the
evidence shows that Israel had a perfectly legitimate basis to engage in war against Hamas, and
that it executed the war in an ethical fashion. Furthermore, some of the popular explanations and
arguments being proffered regarding Israel's action deserve a response.
The motives for war
Propaganda: Israel has no right to fight.
Reality: Since 2001, terrorists have fired over 4000 rockets from Gaza into Israel. Imagine if a
large group of terrorists at UNC were shooting rockets at Duke. And suppose they were killing
innocent students and faculty. Wouldnt it make sense for us to do something? Even Duke
Against War might swap its protest signs for bazookas. But ask them about Israel, and suddenly
they think differently. The reality is that Israeli civilians live in a constant state of fear, and that

Hamas is the aggressor in this conflict. The question is not why Israel fought back, but why did it
take so long to do so?
Propaganda: Israel is a cruel occupying force and Hamas is merely fighting back.
Reality: Israel ended its presence within Gaza in 2005. After they left, the rocket fire went up by
more than 500 percent, according to Israeli Ambassador Dore Gold writing in the Jerusalem
Center for Public Affairs. .
The implementation of the War
Propaganda: Israel used a disproportionate amount of force.
Reality: Remember that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, killing more than 2400 people? President
Roosevelt did not tell the armed forces to use a proportionate amount of force or to kill a
maximum of 2400 Japanese people. After 9/11 the West collectively toppled the Taliban. Nobody
compared the casualties in Afghanistan to the numbers that died in the World Trade Center. Nor
should they have. It is highly unreasonable to compare the casualties from the rocket fire in
Israel to the casualties in the Gaza strip. Ambassador Gold put it best when he said, To expect
Israel to hold back in its use of decisive force against legitimate military targets in Gaza is to
condemn it to a long war of attrition with Hamas.
Furthermore, from a purely legal perspective, international law states that a nation is not required
to calibrate its use of force according to the size and range of the enemys weaponry.
Moreover, if Hamas had the weaponry that it wants (and that it works endlessly to acquire from
Iran), Israels casualties would number in the tens of thousands. But because the number stands
at 13 Israelis to 500-1300 Gazans, the world forgets what each side is fighting for. Take the

Hamas terrorist. He goes to the most populated civilian area and shoots a rocket into Israel in
hopes of killing as many innocents as possible. If the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) find him, hell
try to die with several civilian casualties. The Israeli soldier, on the other hand, is given strict
intelligence on the enemy, and does his best to minimize civilian death.
Propaganda: Israel targets civilians.
Reality: Throughout the war, Israel not only dropped leaflets but also text-messaged civilians,
warning them of oncoming attacks days in advance. Conversely, Hamas used human shields by
basing operations in hospitals and schools. In the case of the UN school, militants were camped
inside and were firing on the IDF.
Its still too early to tell how many Gazan civilians died. Palestinian sources peg it at 894 out of
1300 total. However, Italian journalist Lorenzo Cremonesi, a correspondent for Italy's Corriere
della sera, recently wrote that 500 to 600 people died in total the majority of whom were men
between 17 and 23 recruited to Hamas's ranks. It will be a few more weeks until more accurate
figures are available. However, even if these numbers stand, then the casualty rate in Gaza would
be unusually low for an urban war. NATOs war in Afghanistan, for instance, took a much higher
toll on civilian life.
Conclusion
At Duke we had the Gaza Vigil. But was there a vigil for the millions of people in Israel who live
under rocket fire? Do we hear about the children in Israeli schools who have to run for bunkers
several times a day? Israel is a nation of fourteen million people surrounded by hundreds of
millions of often hostile Arabs. It certainly does not instigate wars, because to Israel, every life is
precious. Israel supporters and Palestinian sympathizers alike mourn fallen Gaza civilians.

Hamas, elected by the Palestinian people, has no purpose other than to wage war. These two
worlds constantly collide, and eventually the sovereign, peace-loving nation needs to fight back.