tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6742667886912606708.post2147517957223582806..comments2023-10-20T05:36:23.587-04:00Comments on Can You Be A Part Of My Life: My Call To Congressman Gary Ackerman's Office This AMUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6742667886912606708.post-51636841828525785342010-06-01T18:51:49.387-04:002010-06-01T18:51:49.387-04:00Well, I don't know if what Mark posted is true...Well, I don't know if what Mark posted is true because he didn't leave the site attribution but I let it up. I hope it is legit.A New Yorkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11997572457756451648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6742667886912606708.post-34617079157126574692010-06-01T17:26:49.565-04:002010-06-01T17:26:49.565-04:00Ackerman Blasts International Condemnation of Isra...Ackerman Blasts International Condemnation of Israel; Holds Hamas to Blame<br />June 1, 2010<br /> <br />Congressman Gary L. Ackerman (D-NY), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, today released the following statement:<br /><br />“I strongly support Israel's right to defend itself, and the right of Israel's naval commandos, who were executing a legal mission, to defend themselves by using force when they were brutally attacked. I strongly condemn the action of those who assaulted the Israeli troops and made the use of violence by Israeli troops necessary in self-defense. The loss of life is regrettable, but wholly the fault and responsibility of the organizers of the effort to break through Israel and Egypt’s legitimate closure of terrorist-controlled Gaza.<br /><br />"If the true intent of the people on the boat was humanitarian, their goods could easily and readily have been delivered to Gaza through the Israeli port of Ashdod, as has been the result of other ships intercepted while trying to break the blockade. Clearly, their intent was cynical, and political; to provoke a confrontation with Israel for the benefit of Hamas and as part of the international effort to delegitimize Israel’s existence.<br /><br />"Israel is confronted in Gaza by a de facto authority, Hamas, a violent, terroristic and extermination-minded enemy. The naval blockade and the closure of access points into Israel from Gaza are entirely justified, legal, and necessary to preserve Israeli lives and to minimize the smuggling of more and more powerful arms into Gaza to be used against Israeli civilians. <br /><br />"Instead of spastically and outrageously attacking Israel, the international community should be focused on the true villain in this drama, Hamas, which if it cared about the people of Gaza in even the slightest measure, could end the blockade and closure within hours. How?<br /><br />"Very simply, by publicly and emphatically accepting the conditions established by the United Nations, the Russian Federation, the European Union and the United States (“The Quartet”) which calls on Hamas to accept Israel's right to exist; to reject the use of violence against Israel; and to adhere to all the prior political commitments made by the PLO and the Palestinian Authority. <br /><br />"The fact of the matter is this: the tragic events that occurred over the weekend are the responsibility of Hamas, not Israel. Failure to recognize the moral responsibility of Hamas for these events is possible only by confusing cause with effect, or by holding Israel to an unacceptable double standard."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06435927233644915908noreply@blogger.com