Cartoon Violence
The BBC published two cartoons depicting very different perspectives on the ongoing violence in Gaza and Israel.
The first one makes a strong point from an Israeli perspective which is that the rockets being fired into Israel by Hamas are deliberately hidden within civilians areas, often underground, and if Israel is going to defend its citizens from attack, then out can only do so by striking targets which are located in civilian areas.
In other words the Israelis are not to blame if Hamas is using the civilian population as human shields.
The second cartoon makes the point that the response of the Israelis is disproportionate and that the missiles and bombs which rain down on Palestinian heads bear no comparison to the puny rockets that Hamas fires in the other direction.
In other words Israel should not retaliate because the fight is a David v Goliath affair and Hamas is armed with the equivalent of a pea-shooter.
Now both of these arguments are equally ridiculous in their own way - because Hamas is committing a 'war crime' by launching rockets indiscriminately at civilian areas in Israel which are intended to cause kill and main, while destroying property and spreading terror.
Israel on the other hand, regards the behaviour of Hamas in complete isolation of the 'peace process' and continues to build Israeli settlements in a provocative violation of United Nations resolutions, thereby making the prospect of achieving peace much more difficult to realise.
So while Israel cannot be expected to stand back and allow Hamas to acquire a better aim and more sophisticated, powerful weapons capable of replacing its current 'pea-shooter' - nor can peace be secured without a political settlement which guarantees Israel's safety while establishing a legitimate Palestinian state.
