James Veverka: A sane country does not attack civilians, expel populations

To The Daily Sun,

Sheila Kufert, on the wrong side of history again, defends the most heinous war criminals. But in May, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert blasted Israel’s leaders, telling CNN he can no longer defend Israel against accusations of war crimes. “What is it if not a war crime?” Olmert stated that Benjamin Netanyahu's government is “committing actions which can’t be interpreted any other way. I hope that this government will disappear as soon as possible." In the Haaretz op-ed, "Enough Is Enough. Israel Is Committing War Crimes," Olmert wrote, “What we are doing in Gaza now is a war of devastation: indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians.” In May, former general and the current opposition leader, Yair Golan, accused the government of crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, telling Kan Broadcasting that a "sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." In an explosive Haaretz article last week, Israel Defense Forces officers and soldiers approached Haaretz to disclose that they were ordered to fire live ammunition at unarmed crowds near food distribution sites in Gaza, even when no threat was present. Over 600 Palestinians have been killed at humanitarian sites run by Israel and the U.S. They approached Haaretz because they were very disturbed for "being put in the position to use deadly force to stop hungry people trying to get food for their family." Officers were so angry that they also refused to even use non-lethal tear gas to control the crowds of hungry people. Wake up, America, “A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations."

James Veverka

Laconia