On Thursday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East – a full branch of the UN dedicated solely to Palestinian Arabs – announced that Israeli ordinance had hit a UN-run school in Gaza, leaving fifteen dead. The UN still has not confirmed that the school was not hit by a rocket gone awry from Hamas – a real possibility given the fact that dozens of Hamas misfires have slammed into Gaza. Meanwhile, as Gateway Pundit passes along, that the IDF has reported on the situation:
Last night, the Israel Defense Forces told the Red Cross to evacuate civilians from UNRWA’s shelter in Beit Hanoun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. today. UNRWA and the Red Cross received the message. Hamas prevented civilians from evacuating the area during the window that the IDF gave them. Today, July 24, Hamas continued firing from Beit Hanoun. The IDF responded by targeting the source of the fire. Also today, several rockets launched from Gaza toward Israel fell short and hit Beit Hanoun.
Nonetheless, the Obama State Department immediately seized the opportunity to smack Israel, stating that the incident “underscores the need to end the violence and to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and enduring resolution of the crisis in Gaza as soon as possible.”
This is just the latest Obama administration salvo at Israel, which has sacrificed dozens of Jewish troops in order to avoid civilian casualties – after all, Israel has total air superiority in Gaza, and could simply continue its air assault if it did not care about civilian casualties.
We should not be surprised by the UNRWA’s attempts to slam Israel. The UN itself is a deeply disgusting organization filled with the world’s worst criminals – the Jew-hating 56-member Organization of Islamic Countries constitutes more than 25% of the entire membership of the UN, and their Jew-hatred is accompanied by the subtler anti-Semitism of European and Asian nations.
The UNRWA is perhaps the worst branch of one of the worst organizations on the globe. The UNRWA has an interest in perpetuating Palestinian terrorism, thereby keeping Palestinians “refugees” requiring UNRWA’s aid. UNRWA routinely employs members of Hamas, their schools promote hatred for Israel, and their graduates often become terrorists themselves. Dore Gold, former Israeli ambassador to the UN, points out, “at least 46 terrorist operatives were students in the UNRWA schools.”
Those facts, however, cut no weight with an Obama administration dedicated to giving cover to Hamas and drawing moral equivalence between Israel and those who wish to destroy it. Here are the top five ways that Hamas is using civilians to shield itself against Israel – and then exploiting their bodies in the press when Israel fights against Hamas terror:
Placing Rockets In Schools. Last week, the UNRWA admitting to finding Hamas rockets in two of their schools. Not one. Two. The UNRWA confiscated the rockets – and then turned those rockets over to Hamas. That prompted Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to blast UN chief Ban Ki Moon, stating, “UNRWA schools were established to educate children in Gaza, but instead they are providing a hiding place for rockets meant to kill children in Israel.”
Using Hospitals to Hide Rockets. The Obama administration has said approximately nothing about Hamas firing an anti-tank missile directly from Al-Wafa hospital on Thursday. On Monday, Israel hit al-Asqa Hospital in Deir Bala, which was being used to house anti-tank missiles. In 2008, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh used a hospital for his command center.
Shuttling Terrorists in Ambulances. Hamas has used ambulances as cover for firing on Israeli targets and for transportation. Repeatedly.
Hiding Rockets in Mosques, Playgrounds, and Cemeteries. The IDF has released photographs showing Hamas placing weapons in and around places of worship, children’s playgrounds, and burial spots. And, of course, Hamas is shooting from within civilian homes.
Using Babies and Women As Human Shields. According to reports from parents of IDF soldiers, “soldiers have repeatedly seen young children in Sheijaya, Gaza, be sent out into the streets with guns to try to attack IDF troops. One parent reported that terrorists had run at IDF soldiers with a gun in one hand and a baby in the other, apparently in hopes that the soldiers would see the child and hold their fire. If soldiers fired, the parent added, the child’s death could be used as propaganda against Israel.” Hamas is also reportedly smuggling weapons in baby blankets.
Nonetheless, the Obama administration continues to leverage Israel over civilian deaths. In fact, Ben Rhodes, Obama administration Deputy National Security Advisor, said “we do believe Israel can do more to avoid the types of civilian casualties we’ve seen in recent days. We’ve been heartbroken at the loss of Palestinian life, the loss of children. We believe Israel has to take greater care to avoid those types of civilian casualties.”
Hamas, however, wants to maximize such casualties. Last week, Hamas’ Ministry of the Interior specifically told civilians not to go to designated areas to avoid Israeli fire:
An important and urgent message: The [Hamas] Ministry of the Interior and National Security calls on our honorable people in all parts of the [Gaza] Strip to ignore the warnings [to vacate areas near rocket launching sites before Israel bombs them] that are being disseminated by the Israeli occupation through manifestos and phone messages, as these are part of a psychological war meant to sow confusion on the [Palestinian] home front, in light of the [Israeli] enemy’s security failure and its confusion and bewilderment.
On July 8, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri stated, “The people oppose the Israeli fighter planes with their bodies alone…I think this method has proven effective against the occupation. It also reflects the nature of our heroic and brave people, and we, the [Hamas] movement, call on our people to adopt this method in order to protect the Palestinian homes.”
By cracking down on Israel while Hamas seeks civilian casualties, the Obama administration ensures the deaths of more Jews and more Palestinians. But at least Obama can sleep well in his limo between fundraisers, knowing he has told the Jews a thing or two.
Ben Shapiro is Senior Editor-At-Large of Breitbart News and author of the new book, The People vs. Barack Obama: The Criminal Case Against The Obama Administration (Threshold Editions, June 10, 2014). He is also Editor-in-Chief of TruthRevolt.org. Follow Ben Shapiro on Twitter @benshapiro.
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