The Conference is a central coordinating body representing 51 national Jewish organizations in the US.

 

In a statement, the Conference leaders said: "The terror attacks from Gaza have been escalating for many weeks with rockets and mortars falling on civilians and property in a wide band of heavily populated locations.  There was an almost deafening silence on the part of the international community as these deadly missile attacks were being mounted with increasing frequency.  That silence was interpreted by Hamas and other terrorist entities as a license to continue their murderous assaults.  Hundreds of thousands of civilians live today within range of these terrorist missiles.  As has been witnessed, the terrorists have access to ever more sophisticated weapons with increased range."

 

"It is simply inaccurate and unfair to refer to attacks on Israel from Gaza as a matter of shared responsibility, equivalence, or provocations of both sides.  Israel responded in a very restrained manner, but ultimately had to act to defend its citizens.  We cannot think of another country in the world that would have behaved with such restraint in the hope of minimalizing the escalation of violence."   

 

"We are disturbed by the nature of the media coverage which repeatedly equates Israel’s restrained response with the actions of terrorists across an international border, shooting hundreds of rockets and missiles, planting roadside bombs, and tunneling under the border in order to kidnap and kill Israelis.  Often Israel’s targeted responses are mentioned without citation of the causes which precipitated them.  Pictures depicting only the funeral of a soldier obscure the fact that the majority of both the targets and victims were Israeli civilians." 

 

"We wonder why is there no mention in the media of the fact that despite the terrorist onslaught, goods, construction material and people continue to cross from Israel to the Gaza Strip?  This is happening despite the fact that rockets were launched at both the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings.  At the latter, more than 80 truckloads continued crossing every few hours.  At the Erez crossing, among those crossing since the escalation were 100 patients and their companions going for medical treatment in Israel," said Stone and Hoenlein. 

 

They noticed that there has not been a condemnation of the murderous attacks by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. 

 

"Regrettably, this strongly suggests that Abbas is not ready to assume the responsibilities of leadership and take on the obligations that are essential preconditions for the recognition he seeks," they said.

 

source: EJP