| AFFI Newsletter - War Edition Eeki Elner 09 Jan 2009 | |
Hypocrisy Is The Name of The Game
By Eeki Elner
Co-Founder, AFFI
Executive Director, ILI
It's never a big surprise when it comes to the international community's reaction towards Israel's fight against terror. Fed by a biased media, remotely controlled by Arab oil, and yielded to trade and economic considerations, the vast majority of countries condemn Israel for doing the most justified act a country must perform -- securing the lives of its citizens.
We Israelis and many of our supporters around the world are used to this hypocrisy and, in many cases, don't even bother to discuss it. Since I moved to Sderot three years ago, I have served as an Envoy for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and have traveled the globe, delivering the message of my fellow residents who live under constant fire and threat of life. I have found there exists an attitude which is almost impossible to change -- Israel is identified, basically, as the aggressor, and therefore, whatever we do, even defending our lives from vicious terror attacks, will be considered unjustified.
When I tell the world media, state officials, and audiences abroad about my life in Sderot, they are amazed. When I describe the 4,000 missiles shot at my town (one even hit my home) since I have lived here (a total of 8,000 in the last eight years), they seem unwilling to believe it. I tell them how frightening it is just to drive for shopping during the day, to walk outside, to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of sirens, and to have no friends or relatives visit because of fear. As they listen to these horror stories and grasp the meaning of my words when I portray what is it like to sense the smell of death when our kids and innocent are killed in the missiles attacks, I can see, for a short time, understanding and maybe even compassion in their eyes.
But it is no more than a false illusion ... this moment passes quickly as the first hand is raised and I'm confronted with embarrassing questions: "Isn't that because you are the occupiers of Gaza?" "Isn't that because you rule Gaza against the will of its residents?"
It is stunning to realize that more than three years since we pulled out of the Gaza Strip, evacuated our soldiers, and erased any sign of the small Jewish settlements there, we are still regarded as the aggressive occupiers! For three years the people of Gaza have been left to rule themselves, rebuild their city, and create better lives with no interference. In this time, the world community has poured millions of dollars and Euros into Gaza to establish services like education, health, welfare, commerce, and industry. This great three year opportunity has been wasted, for nothing has been accomplished except producing weapons, smuggling arms, training militants, and, most of all, shooting thousands of missiles at us. Did the international community ever demand that these terrorists stop? Did it ever demand a report of what has been done with the millions contributed to Gaza? No! When hypocrisy is the name of the game, this is what results.
I can understand the average person being unaware of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza three years ago and of the fact that there is no justification to fire missiles at us. But for state leaders worldwide to fail to understand that it is time to stand strong against terror is nothing but stupidity and a clear expression of their weakness. They are inviting terrorism to their own countries, because if there is one thing that terrorism is capable of identifying, it is weakness in the leadership of its victims.
Eeki Elner
Co-Founder, AFFI
Executive Director, ILI | 
Calev Myers
Co-Founder, AFFI
Executive Director, JIJ | 
Susan B. Lhota
Co-Founder, AFFI
Executive Director, AFFI |
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