In a world where norms are being reversed, the cabinet on Sunday approved a call from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to provide unconditional moral and legal backing to all IDF personnel, soldiers and officers, as well as government officials, in the face of a snowballing momentum to charge Israelis with “war crimes” in European courts.
 
Flying the flag of human rights, justice and guardian of the oppressed, European communities are not only lending a hand, but leading the way to provide terrorists a legitimate forum to turn the defender into the aggressor, to charge members of the Israel Defense Force with crimes against humanity for their participation in Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s counter-terrorism offensive, the delayed response following eight years of Hamas rocket fire into Israeli civilian population centers.
 
Without a doubt, anti-Semites such as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have set the stage of the international community for such actions, which is one-sided condemnations, accusing Israel of gross violations of international law, while turning a blind eye to the continued terrorist acts of Hamas and the leaders of the terrorist regime in Gaza.
 
The United Nations has long ago become a forum for the Arab anti-Israel and anti-Western voice, a voice that now resounds clearly throughout Europe and elsewhere.
 
The prime minister in his address to ministers stated this is just another weapon of Hamas, seeking to attack Israel on yet another front. The prime minister went on to explain the operation was launched as a last-resort measure, unwilling and unable to permit southern residents to continue to fall prey to unprovoked Hamas attacks. Mr. Olmert stated that during a visit to Sderot at the end of last week he saw a new atmosphere, one of calm, one of returning to everyday normal living.
 
The prime minister stressed what is already known, that the IDF remains the “most ethical and decent army” in the world. He stated that many planned operations were canceled due to the fact too many civilians were in the line of fire. The concern for the innocent remains high on the IDF agenda he explained, rejecting all allegations to the contrary.
 
YWN reported on motzei Shabbos that one such commander, Golani Brigade Commander Colonel Avi Peled, who was wounded in the war, was quoted as telling his wife he will be fine, telling her they will visit the United States instead of Europe.
 
Despite the government’s correct position of defending the IDF against a new form of terrorism, it seems unwilling to respond to calls from the Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center (reported HERE on YWN) which seeks to have Hamas prisoners from the war classified as “war criminals” and not prosecuted as criminals as has been the case in the past. Some explain this may be due to Israel’s long-standing policy of using prisoners as bargaining chips for prisoner release deals, but classifying them as “war criminals” would make them ineligible for pardon or release.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)