How should you feel when your neighbouring country would shell you everyday and fire rockets over your border; with the goal to make many victims? Should you not insist your government to stop it? Also with all militairy means possible?
Hoe zou u het vinden wanneer België dagelijks raketten op Nederland zou afvuren?
Source: www.standwithus.com
Joint Press Conference with Secretary Gates and Minister Barak from Tel Aviv, Israel, March 24, 2011
QUESTION REPORTER: Sure. Do you believe a heavy-handed Israeli response to yesterday’s bombing and today’s rocket attacks would play into the hands of those in the region who want to sever peace talks? And what path should Israel pursue in regards to peace?
MIN. EHUD BARAK: "I think that’s it not about giving a name or description to this response, though is a need to respond. Every sovereign would have responded when its citizenry is -- became a target for indiscriminate launching of rockets. I do not know any government that would sit idle. So we have to respond.
Now, we do not want to become the -- kind of the -- kind of the victims of our own (inaudible). So we keep the right to pass a judgment about how, when and in what kind of amount of firepower or ammunition to respond. But we will respond. We have to respond. And we are determined to bring back tranquility to the region. And unfortunately, this tough neighborhood, it cannot be done without the readiness and practice of using, from time to time, force."
SEC. ROBERT GATES: "I think the Israelis will have to make their own decision in terms of how to respond. No sovereign state can tolerate having rockets fired at its -- at its -- at its people.
I think one of the -- one of the significant features of what is going on across the region is that as diverse as the countries are, where there is -- where there are demonstrations and unrest, in virtually every case, the theme of those demonstrations has been directed inward at problems in those countries. And I think we all just need to be mindful to keep that we don’t want to do anything that allows extremists or others to divert the narrative of reform that is going on in virtually all of the countries of the region."
