Israel Justified in Gaza Killings as Authorities Confirm What Was in Crowd
While liberals wrung their hands over the 17 individuals killed in clashes between supposed protesters (read: rioters) and the Israel Defense Forces, a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to confirm that the strikes targeted terrorists who were in the crowd.
The statement, issued over the weekend, claimed that 10 of the men who were killed in the clashes had significant terror ties, mostly with the Hamas organization.
“At least 10 known terrorists with track records of terrorist activity were killed whilst carrying out acts of terror during the violent riots along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip on Friday March 30, 2018,” the statement read.
The incident occurred as the so-called protesters participated in the March of Return, an action which led to a clash with Israeli forces along the Gaza Strip border fence.
At least 10 known terrorists with track records of terrorist activity were killed whilst carrying out acts of terror during the violent riots along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip on Friday March 30, 2018 pic.twitter.com/FgwgmLzvdn
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) April 1, 2018
“The IDF estimates about 17,000 Palestinians in five locations along the fence, burning tires, and throwing Molotov cocktails and stones at the fence and at IDF troops who are responding with riot dispersal measures and shooting at a number of key instigators,” a statement from the IDF read, according to The Jerusalem Post.
“The IDF prepared in advance with reinforcements and is prepared to act in various scenarios. We will not allow any violation or harm to Israeli sovereignty or defensive infrastructure such as the border fence,” the statement continued.
“The Hamas terror organization endangers the residents of the Gaza Strip and uses them as cover for terrorist acts. Hamas is responsible for all the events and their consequences.”
According to The Post, “The IDF stated that over 30,000 people had taken part in the riots and that the IDF snipers used live ammunition only in cases when the fence was about to be breached or when IDF troops were about to be shot at.”
And lo and behold, it seemed like an awfully high percentage of those individuals had terror ties. As one Twitter user noted, that doesn’t exactly seem coincidental.
Out of the 15 people that were killed by Israeli army as thousands of rioted near their borders, 10 have already been identified as known terrorists.
Either they were really lucky or logic suggests that Israel was obviously not indiscriminately firing live rounds. https://t.co/1ZwTzTUJy7
— AG (@AGHamilton29) April 2, 2018
Hamas was also pretty unapologetic about their aims during the march, with Hamas’ Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar joining the protests and promising, in what The Times of Israel called an Arab idiom, that protesters would “eat the livers of those besieging” Gaza.
Sinwar said the March of Return “affirms that our people can’t give up one inch of the land of Palestine. The protests will continue until the Palestinians return to the lands they were expelled from 70 years ago.”
“The protests, dubbed the March of Return, are expected to last for six weeks, culminating in a large demonstration in mid-May meant to coincide with the anniversary of Israel’s creation and the dedication of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem,” The Times of Israel noted.
Meanwhile, liberals were predictably quick to come to the aid of Hamas, with at least one famous rumpled socialist calling the IDF’s actions an overreaction.
“From what my understanding is, you have tens and tens of thousands of people who are engaged in a nonviolent protest,” Bernie Sanders told CNN on Sunday.
“I believe now 15 or 20 people, Palestinians, have been killed and many, many others have been wounded. So I think it’s a difficult situation, but my assessment is that Israel overreacted on that.”
Sanders also said he didn’t believe Israel’s official story that Hamas terrorists were embedded in the riots or that the March of Return was a part of “violent terror demonstrations” — meaning, essentially, the Democratic socialist was willing to exonerate Hamas from terror involvement to a greater degree than Hamas was willing to exonerate itself. Nice work.
If the Israelis were deterred by the words of the possible 2020 Democrat presidential contender — or any other liberal — a statement from the IDF on the day of the clashes certainly didn’t show it:
In response to violent riots along the security fence in the Gaza Strip, GOC of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir said: "We're identifying attempts to carry out terror attacks under the disguise of riots. We urge Gazans to stay away & warn the Hamas terror organization."
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 30, 2018
With six weeks of demonstrations planned, that could mean a lot more terrorists meet the same fate that these ten did.
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