Hamas must end attacks

Miami Herald: If the terrorists of Hamas were firing lethal rockets into any country besides Israel, howls of outrage would rise from every corner of the world. The U.N. Security Council would meet around the clock and condemn, or at least warn, the aggressor. The Council of Europe would demand a cessation of hostilities. Even Moscow and Beijing might be moved to express concern. A crisis would erupt. But since it’s just Israel, none of this is happening. Ho-hum.

Israel is accustomed to this double standard. The U.N.’s Human Rights Council routinely issues baseless condemnations against Israel while ignoring the actions of some of the world’s worst human rights violators. Justification is sought for suicide bombers, while every Israeli act of self-defense, like the construction of a security barrier separating the territories from Israel proper, is redefined into an act of aggression. It’s news only when the suffering is on the other side, as when tens of thousands of hungry Palestinians broke through a fence along the Egyptian border that was intended to isolate Gaza following the takeover by Hamas.

Double standard

But the double standard is immoral and unacceptable, just as Hamas’ rocket attacks on Israel’s civilian communities like Sderot are increasingly intolerable and likely to spark a genuine crisis. A U.S. congressional resolution cosponsored by 68 members describes the damage in stark terms.

Since Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza in 2005, more than 4,000 rocket and mortar shells have been fired at Israel, 420 this year alone. Homes, buildings, roads and power lines have been destroyed. The number of wounded Israelis, terrorized civilians and traumatized children rises by the day.

Backed by Syria and Iran, Hamas is determined to prevent Israel from reaching a peace deal with Palestinians on the West Bank led by Mahmoud Abbas. Any such agreement would represent a rejection of Hamas and its terror methods.