We’re calling it “Open Tent” and it’s exactly what it sounds like. With everything going on this week at the United Nations, Israel realizes how important it is to have an honest, open dialogue. A free, no taboo discussion on Israeli society and the future of the Jewish state.

In addition to speakers ranging from Minister MK Yuli Edelstein, the event will feature leading experts from a wide array of disciplines. Most importantly, this event is about YOU! Your voice, your questions, and your involvement.

One of the panels you should be most excited about focuses on Multi-Culturalism in Israel. Realizing that diversity creates both challenges and opportunities, we want to give our followers on social media the chance to talk to real Israelis from a variety of backgrounds. No question is off limits. What do they think about the upcoming UN vote? What role do minorities play in a Jewish state?

Below, you can read a little about some of the faces of Israel we’ll be talking with tomorrow. You can submit questions you would like to ask them or Minister Edelstein below, on our Facebook page, or send us a tweet @israelconsulate.

Raneen Khoury

Born and raised in the city of Nazareth, Raneen has lived in the midst of Israeli co-existence, always trying to progress Arab – Jewish relations within Israel through various co-existence projects such as the establishment of the National Service Organization.

Currently she is the manager of “Lehava” project whose aim is to decrease the digital gap within Israeli society.

Adam Asad

Adam is a 19 year old Druze from Sajour, a village situated in the North of Israel. Throughout university, Adam was involved in community work with Muslims, Jews and Christians.   Adam is currently an English teacher and in pursuit of his second degree, a BA degree in International Relations at the University of Haifa.

Kasaey Keren Damoza

I was born in a small village in the Ghondar region of Ethiopia to a family of six. In 1983, my family and I set out on our journey to the land of Israel, passing through the Sudanese desert and Red Cross camps. I served at the Israeli Defense Force as a communication officer and discharged as a lieutenant. Now,I am finishing my Masters in Management of Non-Profit Organizations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Clara Cohen

36 years old.  Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Moved to Israel at the age of 21. Works as Director at Latin America & Spain Department in a privately owned company.

Hadas Yossef

Born in Ethiopia, at two years old she began the journey to Israel with her family by foot, all the way from Ethiopia through Sudan.

After completing her studies in Architecture at the Bezalel High Institute for Arts, Hadas began working as a professional architect at one of the biggest firms in Israel.

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@floatingstone: Why are all of these knives so nice and shiny? If they had really been used, they would be bloody

These are the ones that weren’t used. The ones that stabbed our soldiers are not so clean. Click here to see what was recovered.

@hybridstates: Is a keffiyeh a weapon? Why is there one in the photos of “weapons”? How’s it possible soldiers violently beaten by many metal poles, as you suggest, weren’t more seriously injured?

Kaffiyeh not a weapon & many Israelis wear it. Some of our soldiers still in hospital. Is that violent enough?

@palfairtrade: So you’re moving from paintballs to electric saws now. What’s next? Ray guns? Death star? Poison tipped unicorns?

It was IDF using the paintball guns. It was “peace” activists who tried to saw off a soldier’s arm. Here’s a pic of the saws used against the soldiers.

@israeliwine: How is the soldier who was thrown from the deck? Will he be okay?

He is still in the hospital.

@floatingstone: Will you give back all the money you stole from the 700 activists?

Not yet decided but see what US government did with Hamas money. Here’s the US Treasury’s website on Hamas “charities.”

@cliffcheney: Will Israel release continuous unedited video from the IDF Cameras during #flotilla assault? Timeline is needed.

Find multiple videos from different angles at YouTube, CNN, FOX, Turkish TV, Al Jazeera etc.

@smabres: Why phones and video where taken away from aid workers? Wouldn’t it be better to have both sides of the story

There were no aid workers on #flotilla. Personal belongings were returned. Between all media coverage all ‘sides’ of story are covered.

@katrinayellow: why did Israel take so long to release the footage showing IDF soldiers being beaten viciously?

We agree we need to be quicker.

@israeliwine and @katrinayellow: some say Israeli intelligence should have known the trouble that was being planned on that ship. Did they?

We expected violence but not guns, knives & stun grenades. Here’s a pic of them throwing a stun grenade as first shot.

@floatingstone and @davemreed: Israel had many options at their disposal yet they decided to choose the most violent in the dead of night. Why

This was last resort. Here’s a clip of repeated warning messages sent out to boats. Do you think midday would have been less violent?

@floatingstone: Is there a future for a country such as Israel who continually flouts international law

Israel broke not even a single international law. Check out ICRC law on maritime law here, its proof. Send us your email, would love to invite you to 100^th anniversary in 2048.

@lheal: Were any former Guantanamo Bay detainees on the Flotilla?

We don’t know.

@WildlyStaccato: Do you really think Libya, Pakistan & Cuba are the countries who should appoint HR investigators of Israel? Its a joke!

Not a joke. Welcome to our world…

@MNathanson: Why not meet the ships & with an int’l partner (Canada? Netherlands?), conduct a collaborative inspection?

We offered to transfer any of their goods thru Egypt or UN. Is that int’l enough?

@hemara74: Excluding #flotilla dead, 20+ n/v protestors (Pal. & Int.) killed by IDF since ’03. Time to review IDF MO?

I wish the IHH and other “humanitarian” orgs would review themselves like IDF does.

@omercelik: Which law lets you to inspect an aid ship on International Waters?

ICRC International Law – Section IV, Article 10 and Section V, Article 67 (a)

@ranchomiller: What is Israel doing to counteract the antagonistic media?

Very important for us to answer you directly, that’s why we do things like Twitter!

@kthalps: If #Israel is justified by self-defense, aren’t ppl on flotilla? Or r we supposed 2 believe THEY started fight w armed commandos?

No belief necessary, watch this video of throwing grenades at us before we came on board here. After you break the law you lose right to self defense.

@avinunu: If Israel is “at war” with Gaza, hence blockade, don’t Palestinians have a right to self-defense against you?

The boat was Turkish, not Palestinian & not from Gaza.

@avinunu: Are you denying you have been negotiating with Hamas through German mediation for more than a year?

No. We negotiated only prisoner exchange. Hamas refuses further negotiations!

@avinunu: Is fmr Mossad chief Halevy a Hamas supporter for saying Israel should make truce with Hamas?

Israel is a democracy, as such everyone has a right to express their own opinion

@floatingstone: When Mark Negev was asked about the Turkish aid being accompanied by military he almost laughed. Why?

Don’t know, ask Mark Regev.

@hemara74: so when Regev states emphatically “all aid” he really means only 30 or so items not banned

No, he means all non-violent aid. See link.

@gazamom: I would if Israel allows me back to Gaza, then share it with the 65% of babies who are anemic

If true, another example of Palestinian suffering under Hamas. Hamas must change priorities from weapons to taking care of their people

@amities: are you guys just throwing out excuses for your massacre of Gaza flotilla and see what sticks?

Massacre? 23 people dead in Pakistan on Sat. 90 in last 2 weeks in Thailand. Arab world ironically likes to abuse that word.

@jacobrothstein: Wow, that #askisrael “press conference” was short and content-light. Google moderator / uservoice / quora would have been better.

Thanks for the input. We are always looking to improve our communication with the public.

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A sample:

The United Nations estimates that 25 percent of Palestinian casualties in the present incursion are civilian. Shariv said that as of this Wednesday morning, the IDF estimated the proportion of Palestinian civilians among those killed in the current incursion was “closer to 12 to 13 percent” and emphasized that most of those killed were being used as human shields by Hamas, which wages war from inside schools, hospitals and United Nations facilities.
He added, “When they hit [Israeli] civilians, there’s celebration. When we hit [Palestinian] civilians, there’s an investigation.”

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As you can see from the following graphs, while rocket and mortar fire from Gaza slowed during the “lull,” it never fully stopped.  (The graphs are taken from a report published last month.)

In addition, rather than use the “state of calm” to promote peace and to build a civilian infrastructure in Gaza, Hamas took advantage of the situation to expand its terrorist capabilities.  In addition to continuing to fire rockets and mortars, Hamas also smuggled weapons and other materiel from Egypt, and expanded its tunnel network, going so far as to dig a tunnel under Israeli territory to kidnap Israeli soldiers.

When Israeli forces acted on intelligence reports and went to investigate the tunnel on 04 November, they came under fire from “Palestinian gunmen” (see news item).  The firefight resulted in the death of 1 gunman and the wounding of several others, and the wounding of 4 Israeli soldiers.  During the following two days, Hamas launched 47 rockets and 10 mortar shells against civilian areas in Israel.  Hamas declared that it had responded to Israel’s actions, and leaders of Israel and Hamas maintained their desire to prevent further escalation of the situation.  However, Hamas continued to attack Israel–mostly by rocket and mortar fire–throughout the next few weeks.  In order to protect its civilian population, Israel took occasional action against these Hamas terrorists (see the list of Palestinian casualties in November 2008 from B’Tselem–all were killed while carrying out hostilities).

In fact, as the “lull” was due to expire on 19 December, Israel still held out hope that Hamas would renew the agreement.  Instead, Hamas declared its unwillingness to renew any agreement and commenced firing rockets and mortars at a higher rate than previously.

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On January 4th, at Bethel Gospel Assembly in Harlem, over 1,200 people stood in support of Israel.

Bishop Carlton T. Brown, Senior Pastor of the Bethel Gospel Assembly, Inc. in Harlem lead his congregation in a special prayer for the State of Israel and all of the lives affected by the recent events in the region.

“Bethel’s commitment to the nation of Israel spans 20 years. If there was ever a time we needed to stand with the people of Israel in prayer, it is at this critical time when they need our urgent support the most.” said Bishop Brown.

“Seeing the support today for the people of Israel is heartwarming,” Asaf Shariv, Consul General of Israel in New York said, “The people of Israel want peace, but it is also our obligations to permit the children of Israel to sleep in peace. Israel has moved from restraint to response. There are children in Israel that do not know what it means to live without “Red Alert,” the 15 second notice that citizens in Sderot to find shelter from an incoming rocket. It is about time that they live in peace.”

Consul General also read the story written by Corporal Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas from Israel over two and a half years ago, and has since been held without rights in Gaza by Hamas. To see a video of children of New York reading Shalit’s book, click here.

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Hamas still maintains the capacity and will to engage in terrorism. With Iranian assistance, Hamas has extended the reach of its missile strikes to threaten close to one million Israelis. By using Mosques, private homes and other public institutions as arsenals and bases of operation, Hamas has effectively taken the Palestinians of Gaza hostage, using them as human shields.

Over many years Israel has tried to bring an end to the terror attacks from Gaza and was unsuccessful. Hamas abused its truce with Israel not only to keep firing missiles against the civilian population, but also to stockpile weapons and prepare for a confrontation with the IDF.  Israel has no intention to govern Gaza, but operation “Cast Lead” must continue, for the time being, as the IDF acts to gain control over areas from which rockets are being launched on Israeli towns.

Israel must persist in order to achieve its stated objectives: to significantly disable the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas and produce lasting change in the security predicament affecting residents of southern Israel.  No sovereign nation would tolerate the daily targeting of its people.  Still, Israel is not an enemy of the Palestinian residents in Gaza: 400 trucks of humanitarian aid and 10 ambulances were allowed passage into Gaza this week; this assistance will continue.

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As promised, we have continued to answer your questions posed to us during the “Press Conference.”  A number of the questions were similar to each other, so we’ve posted some of the unique ones below.
We are working on posting other questions similar to the ones below together with links to the appropriate answers.

@rataelprince Is a 48-hour ceasefire (as proposed by France) a possible scenario for assessing Hamas intentions?
Israel believes there is no place for a unilateral ceasefire. During the last 6 months the cease fire was used by Hamas to gain power and arms, the effects of which we are seeing now. Israel  isn’t rejecting a cease fire, if that cease fire will be a bilateral one. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/world/middleeast/01mideast.html?hp

@rataelprince  Such harsh, intense and merciless strike on #Gaza isn’t a form of collective punishment? (4Geneva Conv, Art. 33)
Israel isn’t aiming at civillians and we morun every civillian hit. Unfortunatlly civillians are hurt due to the fact they are used as human shields. This isn’t collective punishment. Colective punishment are the Qassam rockets fired by Hamas whose sole purpose is to strike civillian populations. Till now most of the wounded civillians are on the Israeli side. to our knowledge 85% of the wounded are Hamas opreatives.

@misscharlie an early Q: Have the attacks in Gaza changed Israel’s policies regarding the Palestinian authority?
No, the Israeli policy remains the same. Israel’s main objective is a two state solution with both countries living side by side in peace. As of now the only Palestinian party that agrees to talks with Israel is Fatah which controls the PA. They are our partners in reaching peace because: a. they’re willing to talk; b. they do not dispute Israel’s right to exist.

@jinjirrie   When will Israel end the illegal occupation it began in 1967 and give back what it has stolen?
If you are referring to the 2 state solution, Israel has proven time and time again that it is capable of transferring Israeli citizens for peace. If you look back to 2005 you will see Israel left the Gaza strip so that the Palestinian people may have sovereignty. The same is now in negotiations regarding the West Bank.

@ericagee    I’m a Jew, did Taglit, love Israel. In my humble opinion, Gaza attack makes us less safe. Why keep up violence when it hasn’t worked?
We wish we didn’t have to resort to a military operation. Unfortunately Israel has no other option than to self defend itself. Hamas did not declare an end to the cease through a press release but through 84 rockets landing in Israeli towns.

@carrotderek  Would retaking the Gaza be considered an objective for the Israeli government?
No, the sole objective  is to stop Hamas rockets from being fired into Israel  civilian population.

@shahidkamal    You’ve killed 384 people so far. Many women and children. How many more children do you aim to kill?
We are not aiming at any children. If you read the news critically, you will see that during the last 8 years 99% of the Qassams hit civilians in Israel out of 10,000 rockets launched. In contrast, 85% of the Palestinians killed in the current operation have been Hamas terrorists. We are sorry for any civilian loss of lives; though I doubt you’ll believe this sorrow is sincere, I assure you it is.

@shelisrael    Did your battle 2 years ago with Hezbollah influence your decisions regarding Hamas now?
No, each front is independent and different. The only similarity between the two fronts is the fact that in both cases Israel was attacked by terrorists breaching its borders.

@BhamaPostJoanna    You say this is for protection. How do you justify the higher number of  civilian deaths in Palestine than in Israel from the action?
Hamas fires missiles from civilians areas against international law.

@didgeman    Will Israel finally do what needs to be done to end the terrorism once and for all or bow to world pressure?
Our main goal is to protect citizens from missiles.  Hope international community will pressure Hamas, not Israel.

@gyokusai    Was the Gaza attack a Kadima/government decision only or was it discussed with Likud/opposition beforehand?
The desicion on the operation was unanimously voted by the Israeli government. The Likud party isn’t a current member of the government as opposed to the Labor and Shas parties who voted for the operation.

@theresaway    International Law criminalizes targeting civilians. Are Israeli leaders scared they will be charged with war crimes for killing so many?
Please read the Law attached:

• Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 28: “The presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations.”
• Oppenheim’s ‘International Law’: “Civilians do not enjoy absolute immunity. Their presence will not render military objects immune from attack for the mere reason that it is impossible to bombard them without causing injury to the non-combatants.”

For more information on this link, HRW: http://tinyurl.com/9osg3g.

@rahafharfoush I am unconvinced these types of attack have worked or will ever work, how will you measure success?
Our objective is to stop rocket fire on Israel. Practically and theoretically a ceasfire is the best option and a stepping stone towards peace. Unfortunately, Hamas decided to end the ceasefire and fired a barrage of rockets at Israel, which reacted in self defense.

@sethdickens    Do Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have broadband internet access and electricity so they can use Twitter?
Regarding Electricity: The total supply of electricity to the Gaza is 201 -221 MVA based on 3 sources:

• Israel: supplies 124 MVA By 10 high voltage electricity  lines. This supply is constant.
• Egypt: supplies 17 MVA via 2 high voltage electricity lines.
• Gaza power plant: can produce 60 – 80 MVA. The fuels for the plant is brought from Israel and is subject to disruption.  For example, in April 2008, an Israeli fuel tanker driver was killed by Hamas fire.

Regarding Internet: Since we see that the newswires operate from Gaza, and there are youtube uploads and emails sent to the internet, one can only presume that Gaza is online.

@rahafharfoush What about how you keep enlarging Israel’s borders by settling outposts illegally and then gradually legalizing them?

Israel has a judicial system that tries and punishes lawbreakers. The judges who judge the settlers are the same ones who order the government to destroy or modify projects like the security fence. Trials in Israel, like everywhere else, take a long time.
After a request from a reader to clarify the above comment, we submit the following response:
The answer to your query is contained within the question itself.  If Israeli courts deem an outpost illegal, the Israeli government is committed to removing it.  Sometimes the judicial process takes time, but it achieves the necessary lawful results.  In any case, no outpost–legal or illegal–is a reason to launch missiles against civilians (as Hamas does).  All disputes can be resolved around the negotiating table.  As a reminder, Israel withdrew from the entire Gaza Strip in 2005 and removed all civilian and military outposts from the area, yet Hamas has persisted in firing rockets nonetheless.

Please be patient as we continue to answer questions from the session yesterday.

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Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it. (Preamble, quoting Hassan al-Banna)

The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. Neither a single Arab country nor all Arab countries, neither any king or president, nor all the kings and presidents, neither any organization nor all of them, be they Palestinian or Arab, possess the right to do that. Palestine is an Islamic Waqf land consecrated for Moslem generations until Judgement Day. (Article 11)

Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement….
Now and then the call goes out for the convening of an international conference to look for ways of solving the (Palestinian) question. Some accept, others reject the idea, for this or other reason, with one stipulation or more for consent to convening the conference and participating in it. Knowing the parties constituting the conference, their past and present attitudes towards Moslem problems, the Islamic Resistance Movement does not consider these conferences capable of realising the demands, restoring the rights or doing justice to the oppressed. These conferences are only ways of setting the infidels in the land of the Moslems as arbitrators. When did the infidels do justice to the believers? …
There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors. (Article 13)

It is necessary that scientists, educators and teachers, information and media people, as well as the educated masses, especially the youth and sheikhs of the Islamic movements, should take part in the operation of awakening (the masses). It is important that basic changes be made in the school curriculum, to cleanse it of the traces of ideological invasion that affected it as a result of the orientalists and missionaries who infiltrated the region following the defeat of the Crusaders at the hands of Salah el-Din (Saladin). (Article 15)

The Zionist invasion is a vicious invasion. It does not refrain from resorting to all methods, using all evil and contemptible ways to achieve its end. It relies greatly in its infiltration and espionage operations on the secret organizations it gave rise to, such as the Freemasons, The Rotary and Lions clubs, and other sabotage groups. All these organizations, whether secret or open, work in the interest of Zionism and according to its instructions. (Article 28)

World Zionism, together with imperialistic powers, try through a studied plan and an intelligent strategy to remove one Arab state after another from the circle of struggle against Zionism, in order to have it finally face the Palestinian people only. Egypt was, to a great extent, removed from the circle of the struggle, through the treacherous Camp David Agreement. They are trying to draw other Arab countries into similar agreements and to bring them outside the circle of struggle….
The Zionist plan is limitless. After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying. (Article 32)

Again, the full document can be found at http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp.

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This may be the end of the questions that we got to answer during the “Press Conference” today, but now we can turn our attention to the questions we couldn’t answer due to lack of time. Thanks again! and stay tuned for more answers.

misscharlie: Will you blog more thorough answers to the most-asked questions?

We hope to have a FAQ on www.israelpolitik.org

gerrykirk: We’ve seen time and again that violence provokes a violent response. Isn’t it time for a more creative solution?

The solution is dialogue, but we cannot and must not ignore attacks on our civilians.

eyeman1: Will birthright travelers be rerouted away from potential terror attacks?

The conflict is now restricted to the Gaza radius, though still endangering 500,000 people. In Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, life is continuing normally.

kppotatoes: Do you think Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories help peace progress?

Israel left Gaza in 2005 to send a message of peace. The answer to this
overture was more rockets
.

penalba: How effective did you find building the wall?

Since Israel completed the security barrier, almost no terrorist attacks have taken place. See http://tinyurl.com/994akc

shahidkamal: Your nation has been disgraced on Twitter. This inverted Nuremberg Trial will not rescue your image.

The point of this was to hear what people have to and to share our point of view with fellow twitters.

xylem: Is the Gaza action to shake the Palestinian people’s faith in the Hamas leadership so they change it from within?

We believe talking is the best way, but we’ll talk only to factions that accept our right to live–a right Hamas denies.

langtind: Why does everybody criticize you for closing the border, when Egypt has done the same?

We also don’t understand. Do you think US or another state would open its border to enemies?

AriNahmani: What is the biggest misconception about Israel in the current conflict? Thanks from Tel Aviv.

That Israel provoked it. People forget that 10000+ missiles and mortar rounds have been launched from Gaza since 2001.

penalba: Why don’t you try peaceful efforts toward Palestine? Just like Daniel Barenboim did? http://bit.ly/S2zL

We did. For example, allowing in international aid, withdrawing from Gaza, signing the Oslo accords, releasing prisnoners.  How did Hamas respond?

DAPPERDUDE: Would Israel consider transfering some of Palestinian Authority forces into Gaza?

This should be decided by the Palestinian Authority. Previously, there have been bloody clashes between PA and Hamas forces.

churchillone: How is a police station in Gaza a “military installation”? Stop the lying and please answer me!!!!

Since Hamas took control over Gaza in 2007, Government installations were turned into Hamas military bases. Today, all Hamas activity is done from Police stations.  See: http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/the_Front/08/12/2701.htm

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shahidkamal: When will you stop using the citizens of Sderot as human shields?
For the definition of human shield see http://tinyurl.com/94vdgn

chucaodemente: When you leave the occupied Palestinian territories?
Israel began with a 2005 withdrawal from Gaza. Israel wants to realize a two-state solution, but not under the constant missile fire from Hamas.

skap5: Do you expect Mubarak to keep the Rafah border crossing closed between Egypt and Gaza?

Expect Egypt to continue what they’ve been doing thus far: Trying to convince Hamas to stop firing rockets, and instead make peace with Israel.

leah144: Israel gave away Gaza and no peace resulted. Will Israel continue giving away land?!

Israel still feels only solution is two states. When Hamas stops firing rockets, we are willing to make more painful
concessions.

mondowitz: How do you justify the killing of children? How will that lead to peace?

Israel does not target civilians the way Hamas does. We mourn every casualty, Palestinian and Israeli.

BhamaPostJoanna: You say this is for protection. How do you justify the higher number civilian deaths in Palestine than Israel from the action?

Hamas fires missiles from civilian areas, a violation of international law.

curvaspoliticas: Please explain the visit by Israel’s UN Ambassador to the Secretary General’s office on the night of December 23. What was discussed? Why did she go?

It was the, 22nd I believe, see
link: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Foreign+Relations/Israel+and+the+UN/Issues/Israel_submits_letter_of_complaint_to_the_UN_22-Dec-2008.htm

rafaelprince: Isn’t such a harsh, intense and merciless strike on Gaza a form of collective punishment? (4Geneva Conv, Art. 33)

Israel targets Hamas installations, which are, unfortunately, located within civilian areas. Our war is with Hamas, not with Gaza civilians.

didgeman: Will Israel finally do what needs to be done to end the terrorism once and for all or bow to world pressure?

Our main goal is to protect citizens from missiles. We hope the international community will pressure Hamas, not Israel.

anotherpundit: How do you reconcile the number of civilian deaths from airstrikes with your definition of terrorism?

Israel only targets military installations, but unfortunately, damage to civilian targets occurs. However, Hamas purposely puts civilians at risk.

schausse: It seems it’s possible that eliminating Hamas is a first step towards taking on Iran–is that a possibility?

Though Iran is big threat to world peace and provides arms to Hamas, these are different topics.

WyldDarkHeart: Follow up question: You said your ships “escorted [DIGNITY] to international waters.” FreeGaza says DIG was in international waters. Are they mistaken?

The Dignity entered Israeli waters and was escorted out.

tova_s: Why have international personnel from humanitarian organizations been denied entry to Gaza the last few weeks?

The borders are open.  Today, 38 trucks entered Gaza with goods from UNRWA, IRC, WFP etc. 17,000 trucks entered during the state of calm.

majdal: Why is the press not allowed inside Gaza?

The only reason is to keep them out of harm’s way. As of now, all major wires have footage coming out of Gaza.

theresaway: International law criminalizes targeting civilians. Are Israeli leaders scared they will be charged with war crimes for killing so many civilians?

Hamas is the real violator of international law according to Human Rights Watch: http://tinyurl.com/9osg3g

dwightcook: Is there truth to reports that the terrorists place installations and targets around women and children as shields?

Hamas tries to maximize civilian causalties. This is one method. http://tinyurl.com/3nbxqp

carrotderek: Intelligence gathering for targets to strike must take planning months
in advance. Was Israel going to attack regardless?

Responsible countries must be prepared for any event, whether war or peace.

rahafharfoush: What is your definition of Terrorism?

Purposely targeting innocent civilians, like Hamas does in firing 10000+ projectiles since 2001.

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