Is This A Disproportionate Number Of Posts On This Topic?

Continuing the conversation about what "proportionate response" means with respect to Israel & Hamas, Christopher Blosser sent me Thoughts on Israel's war with Hamas: in which he does his usual thorough job rounding up the arguments, including Benedict's. Mostly he concurs in part and dissents in part with Deal Hudson's take --take a look. In particular I think Blosser does the best job I've seen of highlighting the damage done to Israeli citzens by three solid years of rocket fire into their towns and Israel's almost unbelievable efforts to help ordinary people in Gaza in the midst of fighting.

In November, for instance, Israel was working, in the midst of attacks, to repair Palestinian sewage treatment plants and contributed supplies towards the repair of Gaza’s electrical grid). And despite the ongoing rocket and missile attacks, Israel on Friday (Dec. 26) transferred more than 90 truckloads of vital goods to Gaza residents and allowed the transfer of 100 trucks into the Gaza Strip carrying donations from Jordan, Turkey and international organizations carrying medical supplies, food and 10 ambulances. (See also Video: IDF humanitarian shipments to Gaza HotAir.com for further documentation).

In fact, click here for a complete list of Israel’s humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza during the period of calm (June 19 - Dec 18, 2008) is available from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Unit for Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories.

Such actions, I think, run counter to Deal Hudson’s citation of U.N. Special Rappoteur for Human Rights to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, John Dugard, that “Gaza has become the world’s largest prison, and Israel seems to have thrown away the key.”

An important post, I think.

Meanwhile, Jonah Goldberg notes recent polling on American support for Israel and mocks the view of 55% of Democrats that Israel should have tried democratic solutions first.

I do like the bit about how Israelis should have "tried a diplomatic solution first." This is a classic example of ideological knee-jerkery substituting for information. Hamas launched (or permitted to be launched) 6,464 rockets into Israel over the last three years. Israel did little to nothing but try "diplomatic solutions."

As the US should have "tried a UN solution" against Saddam. As it did for only, you know, a decade and a half, with the entire "peace establishment" of the UN undermining the peace process to enrich itself and Saddam the entire time.

It occurs to me that polling those not paying the slightest bit of attention on matters of import is a bit like the elementary school exercise of having children write to policy-makers to opine on the issues of the day.

Check in at Catholic Friends of Israel now and again for more.

Update: VDH has Gazitis.