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PALESTINIAN TERROR TARGETS CHILDREN
Israel has been the target of an unprecedented
Palestinian terror offensive since September 2000. As of the end of July, 2002,
some 410 civilians, and an additional 179 soldiers,
have been killed during this period. These figures
include the murder of 89 infants, children and
teenagers - from the age of four months to 19
years.
In addition, another 809 children have been seriously
wounded - their lives, and the lives of their
families - forever changed by the evil of terror.
Each victim has a name and a face. Each victim
was filled with the joy of life, with promising talent,
with love and friendship - all snuffed out in
one deadly moment by cowardly murderers deliberately
targeting children.
We present here the victim's names and faces, and a
brief description of their young lives and tragic
deaths.
ISRAEL STRUGGLES FOR
PEACE WITH ITS
NEIGHBORS
"In the very midst of the onslaught launched
against us now for months ...We extend our
hand to all neighboring states and their peoples
in an offer of peace and good neighborliness."
This unequivocal Israeli statement is not new. It is
taken from Israel's Declaration of Independence,
read out when the state was established on May
14,1948. It is as relevant today as it was 54
years ago.
Since its very inception, Israel's existence has
been threatened by Arab countries and organizations
refusing to recognize its right to exist, and
which have repeatedly tried to use violence to
defeat it.
Finally, in 1993, it appeared that Israel's untiring
effORTs to reach an understanding with the
Palestinians were starting to bear fruit.
In Oslo, the frozen capital of Norway, representatives
of Israel and the Palestinian Liberation
Organization held secret talks during which they
agreed to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
through peaceful means.
In the Declaration of Principles signed by Israeli
and Palestinian Liberation Organization representatives,
PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat committed
himself to the following:
"The PLO recognizes the right of the State of
Israel to exist in peace and security. [...] The PLO
commits itself to the Middle East peace process,
and to a peaceful resolution [...] through negotiations.
[...] The PLO renounces the use of terrorism
and other acts of violence and will assume responsibility
over all PLO elements and personnel in
order to assure their compliance, prevent violations
and discipline violators."
However, the longed-for peace and quiet did not
materialize. Within two years, Palestinian violence
returned, killing scores of people and terrorizing
Israeli cities.
In its yearning for peace, however, Israel
responded with restraint and moderation. At the
Camp David summit in the summer of 2000,
Israel made an offer - recognized throughout the
world as unprecedented in its generosity - to
resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
All of Israel's governments, including the present
one, have always placed the twin goals of peace and
normalization with the countries of the region at
the top of their priorities. Successive governments
have expressed a willingness to make "painful compromises,"
even on territorial matters, which is
clearly reflected in the peace agreements Israel
signed with two Arab countries: Egypt (1979) and
Jordan (1994).
Yasser Arafat refused Israel's offer, presenting
Israel with a new set of demands that Israel
could not accede to, since to do so would undermine
the very foundation of Israel as a Jewish
state.
Immediately following Yasser Arafat's return from
the failed Camp David summit, the Palestinian
Authority set out on its current path of violence.
Since September 2000, the Palestinians - who forswore
terror as a legitimate tool when they signed
the Oslo accords - have again turned to terror to
try and attain their goals.
The result: By the end of July 2002, 410 civilians
and 179 soldiers were killed in brutal acts of ter-ror.
These figures include the murder of 89
infants, children and teenagers - from the age of
four months to 19 years.*
These deaths were not accidental; they were not
the collateral damage of battle; they were not
children caught in the cross fire.
No, these children were deliberately targeted by
terrorists who are cynically exploiting Israel's sensitivity
to the lives of children, and Judaism's
view of the sanctity of human life, to extract concessions.
Human society, in its long voyage from barbarism
to civilization, has formulated clear rules
about how to resolve the problems and conflicts
that emerge between nations. One of these most
basic rules - indeed one of the basic principles
of international law - is the absolute prohibition
against attacking unarmed civilians.
Palestinian terrorists, through their brutal and
inhuman actions, have cut themselves off from
the civilized world.
No nation in the world would stand by quietly in
the face of the devastating terror that has hit
Israel over the last two years. Every state has
an obligation - a responsibility - to protect its
citizens.
Yet Israel is a nation that yearns for peace. Its
war is not against innocent Palestinians, but
rather against the terrorists themselves, as well as
those who dispatch, finance, harbor and give
them succor.
Israel's war is not aimed at innocent Palestinians,
with whom it hopes someday to live side-by-side
in mutual respect. Indeed, terrorism must be
crushed to make way for a better future. A
future where pragmatic leaders can compromise;
where life has sanctity; where peace can blossom.
*Ths would be equvalent in the U.S to 2,940 murdered children
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