Who can blame them?
Israel criticised on Monday comments by a visiting United Nations envoy, accusing him of equating Israeli military operations in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip with the rockets fired by militants into the Jewish state.When last seen, Holmes was wringing his hands over the grim situation in Gaza, as if the Israelis are responsible for conditions in that hellhole.
Israel's public rebuke of U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes underscored long-standing tensions between Israel and the world body, which has described Israel's blockade of the impoverished Gaza Strip as "collective punishment" -- banned under the Geneva Conventions.
Holmes rejected the criticism.
Israel said that at issue were comments Holmes made during a visit on Sunday to the Israeli border town of Sderot, a frequent target of rocket attacks from Gaza. Holmes called for an end to the salvoes but urged Israel not to launch a large-scale military offensive in response.
"I've seen terrible things in Gaza on their side, and suffering of their civilians there. And here I can see the suffering of the civilians on the Israeli side in Sderot. We have to break that cycle of violence," Holmes said.
The director-general of Israel's Foreign Ministry, Aaron Abramovich, protested at Holmes's reference to a cycle of violence during a meeting in Jerusalem on Monday.
"The use of expressions such as these creates an analogy between the terrorists and those who are defending themselves against terror," Abramovich told Holmes, according to a statement issued by Israel's Foreign Ministry.
The statement added: "Holmes' remarks do not serve the interests of peace, as they may unwittingly encourage terrorists to believe that the international community will exert pressure on Israel, instead of dealing with the roots of the violence."
Holmes, who sought meetings with Israel's foreign and defence ministers but was turned down, said he stood by his comments in Sderot.
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