From the Jewish Community Relations Commission of the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines  

 

12/27/08

On behalf of the Jewish Federation, JCRC supports the statement below issued by our national agency, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA).  We stand with Israel in its reluctant but necessary efforts to return normalcy to the lives of Israeli civilians who have been subjected to long-term, escalating bombardment from Gaza by Hamas, a terrorist organization as identified by the U.S. State Department.  We concur, as well, with the announced U.S. position of  "condemn[ing] the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against Israel and hold Hamas responsible for breaking the ceasefire and for the renewal of violence there."

 

Comments on this matter may be directed to Mark S. Finkelstein, Director of Community Relations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines.  jcrc@dmjfed.org

 

The National Jewish Council for Public Affairs 

Supports Israel’s Efforts

 to Stop Gaza Rocket Attacks

 

NEW YORK— December 27, 2008   The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) is standing behind Israel’s efforts to extinguish weeks of sustained, daily rocket fire and mortar shell attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel. While JCPA has a strong record of supporting Israel in its quest to negotiate peace with the Palestinians, no country can be expected to absorb continuous and unrelenting violence.

 

JCPA Executive Director Rabbi Steve Gutow issued the following statement about the unfolding operations in Gaza:

 

“It is unfortunate that Israel has had to resort to air strikes and is now grappling with a possible ground operation in the very area that it has tried hard to disengage from since 2005.

 

Israel has taken great lengths to avoid this sort of escalation, but was left with no other way to ensure that its civilians would not have to live in fear of rocket fire. Just a few days ago, outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made an appeal on the Arab television station Al-Arabiya asking Gaza residents to stop the firing of rockets and mortar shells so that a military response could be avoided.

 

Even while rockets rained down on the frequently targeted town of Sderot and in the town of Kiryat Gat—a first-time target—Israel continued to transfer food and medicine into Gaza despite no apparent end to the attacks.

 

As Israel moves towards elections and the possibility of turning a new page, it is our hope that the Palestinian people will take the opportunity that this transition presents to turn their own page on Hamas’ failed leadership.”

 

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The Jewish Council for Public Affairs is the community relations arm of the organized Jewish community.  JCPA is online at www.jewishpublicaffairs.org

From the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. Statement from Israel's Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni

  From the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C.    December 27, 2008   11:30 am, EST   

       
 Israel Launches Counterterrorism Strikes Against Hamas


       
Dear Friends,

In response to the hundreds of rockets and mortars that have been fired into Israeli civilian populations over the past several weeks, early this morning Israel launched as a self defense measure a series of Airstrikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.


Statement by Israel's Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni:


Israeli citizens have been under the threat of daily attack from Gaza for years.

Only this week - hundreds of missiles and mortars shells were fired at Israeli civilian communities including the firing of 80 missiles on a single day.

Until now we have shown restraint. But today there is no other option than a military operation.

We need to protect our citizens from attack through a military response against the terror infrastructure in Gaza.

This is the translation of our basic right to self sefense.

Israel left Gaza in order to create an opportunity for peace.

In return, the Hamas terror organization took control of Gaza and is using its citizens as cover while it deliberately targets Israeli communities and denies any chance for peace.

We have tried everything to reach calm without using force. We agreed to a truce through Egypt that was violated by Hamas, which continued to target Israel, hold Gilad Shalit and build up its arms.

Israel continues to act to prevent humanitarian crisis and to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians.

Unfortunately, Hamas cynically abuses its own civilian population and their suffering for propaganda purposes. The responsibility for harm to civilians lies with Hamas.

Hamas is a terrorist organization, supported by Iran, that does not represent the legitimate national interests of the Palestinian people but a radical Islamist agenda that seeks to deny peace for the peoples of this region. 

While confronting Hamas, Israel continues to believe in the two State solution and remains committed to negotiations with the legitimate Palestinian Authority in the context of the peace process, launched at Annapolis.

Israel expects the support and understanding of the international community, as it confronts terror, and advances the interest of all those who wish the forces of peace and co existence to determine the agenda of this region.


Ben Sack
Officer for Public Affairs
Embassy of Israel
Phone: (202) 364-5548
Fax: (202)364-5423
Visit us at: http://www.israelemb.org

Israel retaliates for continues rocketing of Israeli citizens from Gaza 

News summary from combined sources.

Livni: Israel is doing what is necessary to protect its citizens (Haaretz)
	Barak: We must do everything it takes in order to return the quiet (Haaretz)

Israeli Air Force strike Hamas Gaza compounds. Israel will expand operation if needed

Barak: We have hit 150 Hamas militants in Gaza

 Israeli Air Force planes  destroyed Hamas security headquarters in Gaza City, and compounds, police stations and ports across the Gaza Strip. Several Hamas commanders were killed in the bombardment of a Hamas military passing-out ceremony. Among them was a police chief Tawfiq Jabber.

 The United States on Saturday urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties in its strikes, but did not call for an end to the offensive, essentially signaling its support for the operation.

The White House said for the violence to end, Hamas must stop rocket attacks into Israel.

Map:  Gaza and Israel http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

Hamas and other Palestinian factions have ordered its "fighters to avenge Israeli attacks."

The Israeli military spokesman said the Gaza operation is "just beginning." An Israeli official said all Air Force planes had returned safely to base but the operation carried out in response to Palestinian terrorist attacks would be expanded and intensified if needed. They went into action a second time Saturday against missile teams which hit killed a woman in Netivot and bombarded Ashkelon from northern Gaza.

Egypt has condemned Israel for its military attack and mobilized its rescue and medical services in Sinai, including hospitals for aid to casualties for the Israeli air bombardment of Gaza. Egyptian ambulances are standing by at the Rafah crossing to transport wounded Hamas operatives.

Defense minister Ehud Barak has placed Sderot and locations surrounding the Gaza Strip on an emergency footing.

The Israeli air attack launching some 40 missiles began 11.00 a.m. local time Saturday, Dec. 27, eight days after Hamas terminated the informal Gaza ceasefire by showering missiles and mortar rounds on Israel day by day and targeting 200,000 civilians.

Last week, the Israeli cabinet gave the Israeli military the green light for reprisals as Palestinian missile attacks escalated, 13 mortar rounds fired Friday, when Israel allowed 90 trucks of food and medicines to cross into the Gaza Strip.

Since Israel evacuated the Gaza Strip in 2005, the Palestinians have fired 5,000 missiles.