A Letter from the Prime Minister of Israel

[DreamThrall]

I know it is long, but please take the time to read this in its entirety. I received this in an email, so I am not 100% sure this was actually released my the Prime Minister, but it should be read regardless.

EDIT: Apparently, this was published in Maariv, an Israeli newspaper, on July 31. Unfortunately I can't get to their English language site (www.maarivintl.com), but their Hebrew site is up if anyone can read it (www.nrg.co.il).

Ladies and gentlemen, leaders of the world. I, the Prime Minister of Israel, am speaking to you from Jerusalem in the face of the terrible pictures from Kfar Kana. Any human heart, wherever it is, must sicken and recoil at the sight of such pictures. There are no words of comfort that can mitigate the enormity of this tragedy. Still, I am looking you straight in the eye and telling you that the State of Israel will continue its military campaign in Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces will continue to attack targets from which missiles and Katyusha rockets are fired at hospitals, old age homes and kindergartens in Israel. I have instructed the security forces and the IDF to continue to hunt for the Katyusha stockpiles and launch sites from which these savages are bombarding the State of Israel.

We will not hesitate, we will not apologize and we will not back off. If they continue to launch missiles into Israel from Kfar Kana, we will continue to bomb Kfar Kana. Today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Here, there and everywhere. The children of Kfar Kana could now be sleeping peacefully in their homes, unmolested, had the agents of the devil not taken over their land and turned the lives of our children into hell.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time you understood: the Jewish state will no longer be trampled upon. We will no longer allow anyone to exploit population centers in order to bomb our citizens. No one will be able to hide anymore behind women and children in order to kill our women and children. This anarchy is over. You can condemn us, you can boycott us, you can stop visiting us and, if necessary, we will stop visiting you.

A voice for six million citizens
Today I am serving as the voice of six million bombarded Israeli citizens who serve as the voice of six million murdered Jews who were melted down to dust and ashes by savages in Europe. In both cases, those responsible for these evil acts were, and are, barbarians devoid of all humanity, who set themselves one simple goal: to wipe the Jewish race off the face of the earth, as Adolph Hitler said, or to wipe the State of Israel off the map, as Mahmoud Ahmedinjad proclaims.

And you - just as you did not take those words seriously then, you are ignoring them again now. And that, ladies and gentlemen, leaders of the world, will not happen again. Never again will we wait for bombs that never came to hit the gas chambers. Never again will we wait for salvation that never arrives. Now we have our own air force. The Jewish people are now capable of standing up to those who seek their destruction - those people will no longer be able to hide behind women and children. They will no longer be able to evade their responsibility.

Every place from which a Katyusha is fired into the State of Israel will be a legitimate target for us to attack. This must be stated clearly and publicly, once and for all. You are welcome to judge us, to ostracize us, to boycott us and to vilify us. But to kill us? Absolutely not.

Four months ago I was elected by hundreds of thousands of citizens to the office of Prime Minister of the government of Israel, on the basis of my plan for unilaterally withdrawing from 90 percent of the areas of Judea and Samaria, the birth place and cradle of the Jewish people; to end most of the occupation and to enable the Palestinian people to turn over a new leaf and to calm things down until conditions are ripe for attaining a permanent settlement between us.

The Prime Minister who preceded me, Ariel Sharon, made a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip back to the international border, and gave the Palestinians there a chance to build a new reality for themselves. The Prime Minister who preceded him, Ehud Barak, ended the lengthy Israeli presence in Lebanon and pulled the IDF back to the international border, leaving the land of the cedars to flourish, develop and establish its democracy and its economy.

What did the State of Israel get in exchange for all of this? Did we win even one minute of quiet? Was our hand, outstretched in peace, met with a handshake of encouragement? Ehud Barak's peace initiative at Camp David let loose on us a wave of suicide bombers who smashed and blew to pieces over 1,000 citizens, men, women and children. I don't remember you being so enraged then. Maybe that happened because we did not allow TV close-ups of the dismembered body parts of the Israeli youngsters at the Dolphinarium? Or of the shattered lives of the people butchered while celebrating the Passover seder at the Park Hotel in Netanya? What can you do - that's the way we are. We don't wave body parts at the camera. We grieve quietly.

We do not dance on the roofs at the sight of the bodies of our enemy's children - we express genuine sorrow and regret. That is the monstrous behavior of our enemies. Now they have risen up against us. Tomorrow they will rise up against you. You are already familiar with the murderous taste of this terror. And you will taste more.

In a loud and clear voice
And Ariel Sharon's withdrawal from Gaza. What did it get us? A barrage of Kassem missiles fired at peaceful settlements and the kidnapping of soldiers. Then too, I don't recall you reacting with such alarm. And for six years, the withdrawal from Lebanon has drawn the vituperation and crimes of a dangerous, extremist Iranian agent, who took over an entire country in the name of religious fanaticism and is trying to take Israel hostage on his way to Jerusalem - and from there to Paris and London.

An enormous terrorist infrastructure has been established by Iran on our border, threatening our citizens, growing stronger before our very eyes, awaiting the moment when the land of the Ayatollahs becomes a nuclear power in order to bring us to our knees. And make no mistake - we won't go down alone. You, the leaders of the free and enlightened world, will go down along with us.

So today, here and now, I am putting an end to this parade of hypocrisy. I don't recall such a wave of reaction in the face of the 100 citizens killed every single day in Iraq. Sunnis kill Shiites who kill Sunnis, and all of them kill Americans - and the world remains silent. And I am hard pressed to recall a similar reaction when the Russians destroyed entire villages and burned down large cities in order to repress the revolt in Chechnya. And when NATO bombed Kosovo for almost three months and crushed the civilian population - then you also kept silent. What is it about us, the Jews, the minority, the persecuted, that arouses this cosmic sense of justice in you? What do we have that all the others don't?

In a loud clear voice, looking you straight in the eye, I stand before you openly and I will not apologize. I will not capitulate. I will not whine. This is a battle for our freedom. For our humanity. For the right to lead normal lives within our recognized, legitimate borders. It is also your battle. I pray and I believe that now you will understand that. Because if you don't, you may regret it later, when it's too late.

 

[Core407]

This is going to end badly, but if that's what he decides then so be it.

 

[Geogaddi]

We gon' die

D:

 

[Ome_Vince]

Still Mr Olmert, your strategy sucks ass.

And when NATO bombed Kosovo for almost three months and crushed the civilian population

I actually forgot about that for a second, but we bomb the shit out of Kosovo :O

Ps, doesnt this belong in the politics thread where we have a whole bunch of joyfull Israel-Lebanon threads

 

[DreamThrall]

Still Mr Olmert, your strategy sucks ass.

Care to elaborate?

Ps, doesnt this belong in the politics thread where we have a whole bunch of joyfull Israel-Lebanon threads

There were a whole slew of threads in here that didn't get moved, so I thought this would be a good rebuttal.

 

[The Monkey]

I really doubt Ehud Olmert would misspell Adolf Hitler.

 

[DreamThrall]

I really doubt Ehud Olmert would misspell Adolf Hitler.

It may have been something off in the translation from Hebrew to English. I really doubt Ehud Olmert, or whoever writes his speeches would write it in English instead of Hebrew.

EDIT: Thanks Ravioli

 

[Ravioli]

Huh?

I dont think he wrote/spoke in english, its just a translator spokesman who wrote this down.

 

[The Monkey]

I dont think he wrote/spoke in english, its just a translator spokesman who wrote this down.

Then they should fire him and hire one who knows how to spell the name of one of the most well known people in the history of mankind correctly.

 

[DreamThrall]

Then they should fire him and hire one who knows how to spell the name of one of the most well known people in the history of mankind correctly.

Thanks for your comments, but in regards to the purpose of the thread, the fact that the word "Adolf" was spelled incorrectly (I DID say in the OP that this was received via e-mail, which was copied from an online newspaper) is completely and udderly irrelevant. If that's all you have to say about it, then please move on. On topic, please.

 

[Solaris]

I'm truly scared, for the people of Lebanon, the middle east, and the world.

We cannot let these bastards do this, if we don't remove the imperialist western governments that support, fund, and supply Isreal, I cannot see a bright future.

Where does it end?

 

[DreamThrall]

I'm truly scared, for the people of Lebanon, the middle east, and the world.

We cannot let these bastards do this, if we don't remove the imperialist western governments that support, fund, and supply Isreal, I cannot see a bright future.

Where does it end?

All Lebanon has to do is say HIZBULLAH GTFO and they're done. There's nothing imperialistic about what Israel is doing.

 

[Solaris]

All Lebanon has to do is say HIZBULLAH GTFO and they're done. There's nothing imperialistic about what Israel is doing.

Take it to the politics tbh.
Isreal occupy Palestine, round up and imprison thousands of people including children without trial.

 

[pvtbones]

I don't agree with his strategy but I must admitt he must have balls the size of grapefruit.

Assuming that is infact from the PM of Israel.

 

[Solaris]

I don't agree with his strategy but I must admitt he must have balls the size of grapefruit.

Assuming that is infact from the PM of Israel.

He's a coward.

Where is the bravery in ordering young men to drop bombs on children?

 

[lePobz]

I read as far as "The Israel Defense Forces will continue to attack targets from which missiles and Katyusha rockets are fired at hospitals, old age homes and kindergartens in Israel." and then stopped. Phrases like this make me sick. People take this bullshit and believe every word?

Yeah, Israel only target 'Hezbollah soldiers' ... just like America only targets insurgents. But as soon as a rocket hits anywhere in Israel, it's always innocent old people and children that die ... Come on, israel and america have been targetting civillians for a long time, it's part of war. Bullshitting the civillians is fine too, but i'm not going to believe it.

 

[DreamThrall]

Where is the bravery in ordering young men to drop bombs on children?

I've been waiting for an excuse to use this:

Thanks!

 

[DreamThrall]

I read as far as "The Israel Defense Forces will continue to attack targets from which missiles and Katyusha rockets are fired at hospitals, old age homes and kindergartens in Israel." and then stopped. Phrases like this make me sick. People take this bullshit and believe every word?

So you believe that Israelis target civilians, but not that Hizbullah targets them? Wow, they really got to you didn't they?

EDIT: Oops, double post, sorry

 

[Solaris]

I've been waiting for an excuse to use this:

Thanks!

Shame it's wrong as someone did actually suggest it was brave by saying:
" he must have balls the size of grapefruit."
I pointed out that he is not brave, and that telling people to kill children, which is what he does, is not brave.

So please read what I've posted before accusing me of a logical fallacy.

Edit:

So you believe that Israelis target civilians, but not that Hizbullah targets them? Wow, they really got to you didn't they?

No, but we are not siding with Hizbullah, or Isreal. Isreal started it, and are killing more people, and they have the power to stop.

 

[DreamThrall]

which is what he does

Of course you could twist "targets from which missiles and Katyusha rockets are fired" to mean "children"... I should've known.

EDIT: Are you nuts?? Israel didn't start anything. Israel has been getting attacked by its neighbors and their puppets since the state was created. Do you seriously think Hizbullah is going to stop shooting rockets into Israel if they say "Oops, sorry guys, we were wrong, we're going home now..."

It hasn't happened with any of the cessations they've made yet in the interest of furthering peace. Why would it suddenly work now?

 

[lePobz]

So you believe that Israelis target civilians, but not that Hizbullah targets them? Wow, they really got to you didn't they?

Of course hezbollah targets everyone over the border - regardless of age, colour, gender or belief. I never said they didn't. They don't set out to target 'kindergartens' or old folks' homes though. It's just a blatent attempt at lying, even scaremongering, to the population. It's propaganda, and I hate it.

 

[Solaris]

Of course you could twist "targets from which missiles and Katyusha rockets are fired" to mean "children"... I should've known.

More than 54 civilians, at least 34 of them children, have been killed in a town in south Lebanon in the deadliest Israeli strike of the conflict so far.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5228224.stmBy 'killng children' I mean dropping a bomb on a group of elderly people and children hiding in a basement and killing more than 54 of them.


Edit: And cummon, you logical fallacy thing, defend it.

 

[DreamThrall]

Got a 404 on that link. Just because they were there doesn't mean they were targetted.

 

[Solaris]

here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5228224.stm

So? I said they were ordered to go out and drop bombs on children. Which they were, whether they knew they were killing children is disputable, but they sure as hell don't care.

 

[pvtbones]

Solaris:

I did not explain myself correctly, for that apoligize.

what I meant to say was that I perfer politicians who are honest with their audience, even if it's not what I want to hear. Most politicians these days filter the truth through layers upon layers of double speak and blatant lies.

now I do not agree with your opinion (again I do not agree with some of Israel's actions) and I have no wish to clutter this thread up with useless arguements.

<3

I hope I better explained myself.

 

[DreamThrall]

here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5228224.stm

So? I said they were ordered to go out and drop bombs on children. Which they were, whether they knew they were killing children is disputable, but they sure as hell don't care.

If you can find proof that the Israeli military was directly ordered to "drop bombs on children", I'll shut up. Until then, your argument has absolutely no merit. Again, "sure as hell don't care" - that's your opinion, and it proves absolutely nothing.

 

[Solaris]

If you can find proof that the Israeli military was directly ordered to "drop bombs on children", I'll shut up. Until then, your argument has absolutely no merit. Again, "sure as hell don't care" - that's your opinion, and it proves absolutely nothing.

Simple.

They were ordered to drop bombs on building a.
Building 'a' contained children.

They were therefore ordered to kill children.

 

[15357]

Not actually. They were ordered to destroy building 'a'. Building 'a' got destroyed. Mission accomplished.


This is how a nation that is surrounded by 100+ million enemy populations defends itself.

 

[Sulkdodds]

I don't know where he gets his "Iraq and the world is silent etc" bullshit from. I seem to recall quite a lot of people were in opposition to the invasion, and a sizeable amount are still up in arms about it.

 

[Solaris]

I don't know where he gets his "Iraq and the world is silent etc" bullshit from. I seem to recall quite a lot of people were in opposition to the invasion, and a sizeable amount are still up in arms about it.

QFT.
How he trys to use the holocaust to justify what he's doing is disgusting too.

 

[Ome_Vince]

Solaris, its just hilarious how black and white you see the world.
You think Olmert sits in in office like Dr Evil and thinks up a plan to bomb Lebannon with no apparant reason deliberatly targetting children?

As a lebanese said it best:
"..I hope the international force disarms Hezbollah, if Iran wants war let them fight it on their ground instead of ours"..

Also, Olmert is refering to how hypocrit we are, not to justify the civilians killed.
With everything you say your loading it up by constantly implying Israel purposely targets children and the most innocent of innocents.

When i mentioned Mr Olmert strategy sucks, i meant that bombing the sickest criminal organisation isnt a good tactic. A ground offensive, even though costing more soldiers lives, would have been a better choice, even if it were just for the outside world.
Especially when Hezbollah puts HQ's in residential areas, a HQ bunker underneath a primary-school and stashes weapons in hospitals..

And shouldnt this topic be moved to the politics forum? With all the other Israel-Lebanon discussions...

 

[DreamThrall]

I don't know where he gets his "Iraq and the world is silent etc" bullshit from. I seem to recall quite a lot of people were in opposition to the invasion, and a sizeable amount are still up in arms about it.

True, but I don't think nearly to the same extent that people are protesting this.

Simple.

They were ordered to drop bombs on building a.
Building 'a' contained children.

They were therefore ordered to kill children.

How he trys to use the holocaust to justify what he's doing is disgusting too.

You know what? I'm done arguing with you. Its like you TRY to miss the point on everything possible and then spin it around to mean Israel = monsters. This is pointless, and we aren't even discussing what I posted in the OP anymore.

Thanks, Ome_Vince for being one of the few in this thread that has made any sense at all.

Mods, please lock.

 

[Sulkdodds]

I understand his position, but it irritates me how he plays the 'Jew card'. That's just conforming to the bullshit that anti-semites spout about jews always playing victims.

 

[DreamThrall]

I understand his position, but it irritates me how he plays the 'Jew card'. That's just conforming to the bullshit that anti-semites spout about jews always playing victims.

Look at the history books. For the last several thousand years, Jews HAVE been the victims. Such is the case in the current climate in the middle east, and it isn't because of any reason other than the fact that they are Jews. The fact that their neighbors are trying to destroy them is not a card to be played, it is the cold hard truth.

 

[bliink]

Religion is a product of politics.

God is a creation of man's own hand- like voltaire said; "if god did not exist, it would be necessary to create him". Religion is just an excuse or something to hide behind.

 

[Sulkdodds]

The fact that their neighbors are trying to destroy them is not a card to be played, it is the cold hard truth.

I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about "what is it about the Jews blah blah blah".

Sorry, but I'm pretty sure many people have been up in arms about Palestinian and Muslim violence; that they have been up in arms about terrorism in Iraq and 9/11 and half of the other examples he cited. The reason there is anger against Israel over Lebanon is not because they are Jews, not because they are an easy target or a minority (although probably there are a few crazies for whom this is the reason) but because it's percieved as bullying - one big country with a nasty army walking all over a civilian population.

And even then, it's not as if public opinion is one on this, is it? Israel is not being universally condemned, and there are plenty of people (certainly if these forums are any indication) who are either on their 'side' or refuse to take sides.

And, as Bliink said, I doubt it really is as simple as 'it's all about religion'.

 

[Ome_Vince]

i agree sulkdodds, though even looking at the random bullshit lately coming out of celebs like Michael Jackson and Mel Gibson who out of nowhere target jews, + the history i can understand the paranoide behavior.
Though indeed, that doesnt justify throwing the jew-card around.

As for "big country" = there are only 6 million people in Israel, of which 4% christian, and a good portion Israeli Muslim.
The years of hatred and vowing of destruction even lately again by Iran during the global Islam meeting (whatever its called i forgot), makes Israel more and more paranoid.
And its not like the world has done anything or paid much attention to the daily terror, its "same old same old news".
Perhaps the world should try to do something to end the terror and violance, before its too late and some "strings of reason" snap...

 

[Sulkdodds]

I dunno man, the western world regularly supports Israel while denouncing Iran and so on...the US supplies Israel as well. That could be seen as condemnation of those who adopt terrorist tactics against it.

And by 'Big Country' I meant not just in terms of population, but the state of its economy, armed forces, etc.

Another reason that this is big news is because it's all happening so fast. What's the death toll now? A few days ago it was six hundred and something...it's all happening in a very short space of time as a result of one initiative. Obviously it's going to attract more attention. Another thing that contributes is that Israel is supposed to be a "good" nation. Hezbollah and other organisations are reasonably assumed to be evil by default, and its almost accepted that their tactics and standard of morality will be disgusting. Whereas people don't expect 'the good guys' to kill hundreds of innocent people through indiscriminate bombing.

 

[Raziaar]

I'm truly scared, for the people of Lebanon, the middle east, and the world.

We cannot let these bastards do this, if we don't remove the imperialist western governments that support, fund, and supply Isreal, I cannot see a bright future.

Where does it end?

So your goal is to eliminate the united states and other countries that support Israel... to solve the middle eastern crisis?

Why doesn't that make any sense?

 

[Sulkdodds]

I think he means "remove them through democracy and/or positive non-violent direct action campaigns."

I think.