Who Would You Trust If You Were Unarmed: A Palestinian Cop Or An Israeli Soldier?

There is so much in this story (here) about the lawlessness in Gaza that the world needs to keep in mind. There's the kidnapping of aid workers by a Palestinian terrorist group, the wave of violent attacks on Palestinian government buildings by other Palestinians, and the armed takeover of a border crossing by Palestinian policemen. That's right, policemen, the ones who are supposed to obey the law and enforce it.

None of this bodes well for Gaza. And it says a lot about why Israel is unilaterally setting its own borders by withdrawing from Gaza and building a fence in the West Bank. Non-Israelis might want to keep this story in mind the next time they think about criticizing Israel's unilateral disengagement policy.

But the most telling part of the story is what happened at the border crossing. When the armed Palestinian police attacked, the unarmed European observers there to enforce the border agreement between Israel and Palestine, fled. And where did they find safe refuge? "[I]n a nearby Israeli military base."

That pretty much says it all. Palestinian police launch a lawless attack; Israeli soldiers provide safe refuge. Another something to keep in mind the next time charges of massacre, war crimes, or human rights violations are leveled at Israel.

-tdr