As Israeli air strikes reach the third day, it seems that Israel has no intentions of holding back. The Israeli defense minister stated: “this is an all-out war against Hamas and its branches. The restraint that we have demonstrated is the source of our strength when it is time to fight.” However, our friends on the left remind us once again why they can’t be trusted on issues of national security. Ezra Klein writes this amazing condemnation and criticism of Israel.

This is the paragraph that I can’t get out of my head:

Hamas had in recent weeks let it be known that it doubted Israel would engage in a major military undertaking because of its coming elections. But in some ways the elections have made it impossible for officials like Mr. Barak not to react, because the public has grown anxious and angry over the rocket fire, which while causing no recent deaths and few injuries is deeply disturbing for those living near Gaza.

No deaths and few injuries. “Deeply disturbing.” Hamas lacks the technology to aim its rockets. They’re taking potshots. In response, the Israeli government launched air strikes that have now killed more than 280 Palestinians, injured hundreds beyond that, and further radicalized thousands in the Occupied Territories and millions in the region. The response will not come today, of course. It will come in months, or even in years, when an angry orphan detonates a belt filled with shrapnel, killing himself and 25 Israelis. At which point the Israelis will launch air strikes killing another 70 Palestinians, radicalizing thousands more, leading to more bombings, and so the cycle continues . . . It is simple vengeance. There’s a saying in the Jewish community: “Israel, right or wrong.” But sometimes Israel is simply wrong.

Vengeance? Does Klein think this is really all about simple vengeance? The fact that Hamas has been bombing Israeli settlements on a daily basis for who knows how long has nothing to do with these attacks? Obviously Klein’s point is that Israel’s response lacks proportionality. Lets examine this a bit shall we. Hamas lobs a bunch of rockets over the border that they essentially have no control over. The rockets could hit a government building, but are much more likely to hit a civilian, which is just fine as far as Hamas is concerned. Israel’s response is much more controlled and “proportional” to their intended targets. What Klein really seems to mean is that it isn’t fair that Israel’s response is so effective and that it should be limited to few, if any deaths. Basically he wants Hamas to get away with their indiscriminate bombing and Israel should do nothing in response.

This is the fantasy world that Klein and to a large extent people like Barack Obama live in. They really believe that Israel is the bad guy and that these poor Palestinians are the innocent victims in all of this. We just need to understand the circumstances of the Palestinians and we can some how bring them into the 21st Century. Ace makes a great point to this effect:

It’s been said before but it is worth repeating a thousand times: if Hamas, Hezbollah, and most of the Arab states (and Iran) laid down their weapons tomorrow and forgot about their plans to dissolve Israel, there would be peace in the Middle East. The Israelis could forget about the fences and the Palestinians might one day have something approximating a Western standard of living. On the other hand, if Israel laid down its weapons tomorrow, the country would be utterly annihilated, the Israelis killed to the last man, woman, and child.

Israel is not always right in every situation, but they are fighting to defend their lives and country. In this case, responding to attacks is entirely appropriate and the fact that Israel is just better at their job then Hamas is shouldn’t be held against them.