Friends—
In the past several days, Israel has endured missiles fired from Gaza targeting residential neighborhoods in Eilat, Ashkelon and Sderot, including one that hit a children’s rehabilitation center. And on August 3, Lt.-Col. (res.) Dov Harari, was shot dead by a sniper from the Lebanese Armed Forces, while performing routine maintenance on Israel’s border with Lebanon. He was the father of four children. UNIFIL has confirmed that the Israeli soldiers doing maintenance work along the Lebanese border were well within Israeli territory.
These unprovoked attacks have become part of Israel’s daily existence. Israeli men, women and children–who simply wish to live in peace–are instead confronted by terrorist violence.
In addition to the death and destruction, there is another tragedy here. Because these attacks are so frequent, they are rarely even reported in the media. But for those of us who care deeply about Israel and about peace in the Middle East, these attacks are impossible to ignore. We urge you to write to your representatives and senators and ask them to condemn this violence.
Israel has already expressed its commitment to a two-state solution. It has given up territory, and is committed to more compromise for the sake of peace. In the face of war, missile attacks, and acts of terror, Israel has used force only as a last resort to defend itself. And yet every time that Israel defends its citizens from on-going attacks, their actions are condemned.
We take this opportunity to once again express our admiration for the people of Israel. We call upon those responsible to stop these attacks, and we urge the Palestinian Authority to return to the direct negotiations, the only path that will lead to two peoples, living side-by-side in peace and security.
Barry
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