France’s “massive” retaliation for the Paris attacks has irritated Israelis who feel that when Israel responds to terror it is held to a double standard by the international community.
French President Francois Hollande called the terrorist attacks an act of war and promised that France would take revenge. On Sunday, 12 aircraft – including 10 fighter jets – dropped a total of 20 bombs on Raqqa, ISIS’ de-facto capital.
“It was normal to take the initiative and action and France had the legitimacy to do so. We did it already in the past. We have conducted new airstrikes in Raqqa today,” France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said. “One cannot be attacked harshly, and you know the drama that is happening in Paris, without being present and active.”
Now Israelis are asking themselves how the world would respond had Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the same remarks following Palestinian terror attacks on Israelis. They have little doubt that Netanyahu would be denigrated for suggesting that it was “normal” and “legitimate” to respond the way France has.
Judith Bergman, an Israeli writer and political analyst, wrote in the Israeli daily Israel Hayom, “Every time the world is hit by mass terrorism, Israel hopes that the world community will finally understand Israel’s predicament. It hoped so after 9/11, the Madrid bombings in 2004, the London bombings in 2005, and even after the Charlie Hebdo massacre last January. However, that understanding is just not forthcoming.
“Israel suffers abuse for daring to defend itself against terrorism. It is subjected to insane scrutiny by a hostile U.N., NGOs, and human rights organizations, with everyone voicing their opinions on how Israel must “show restraint” in its efforts to prevent its citizens from being knifed and shot to death as they go about their daily lives.”
Arsen Ostrovsky, a Middle East analyst and international human rights lawyer, echoed Bergman’s sentiments and asserted that the international community’s response to the Paris Attacks – versus its response to Israeli strikes – is blatantly hypocritical.
“Following the horrific attack on France, the world, rightfully so, immediately united in solidarity with the French people and in outrage and unequivocal condemnation against this barbaric act,” Ostrovsky told Breitbart Jerusalem.
“Yet these same leaders tend to be a little slower and equivocal when terror is perpetrated against the Jewish people. I do not hear anyone calling on France to exercise ‘restraint’ in the wake of President Hollande’s declaration of war against the terrorists, or that their bombardment against ISIS targets is ‘excessive’ and that the French should take ‘greater risks for peace’. Whether it is ISIS, Iran or Palestinian terrorists, the enemy is the same: militant Islam. And if the world united to condemn terror in Europe, they should likewise condemn terror when it strikes the Jewish state.”
In a satirical open letter published in Israel National News the writer, posing as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggests a number of tips for avoiding future “incidents and unrest” – a deliberate jab at the international community’s tendency to use euphemisms to describe anti-Israel terrorism. “Netanyahu” wrote, “As your government told us recently, the day following an ‘incident’ in Israel, countries must ‘protect themselves from militants, but show restraint to not further fuel a highly sensitive situation in the region.’
There is no military solution to the problem of terrorism, and this is why you must seek a diplomatic solution.”
“Netanyahu” calls on Hollande to negotiate – even while under attack. In language that parodies the terms used when speaking to Israel, “Netanyahu” insists that the key to peace is to “build a New Europe, one that deals with reality on the ground.” Finally, “Netanyahu” warns Hollande that closing French borders “will only lead to further oppression and anger, so don’t do that.”
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