WE demand the immediate release of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers!

In an editorial published in the New York Sun, July 5, 2006, Youssef Ibrahim, a top Arab Journalist of International repute, urged the Palestinian Arabs to wake up to reality. "Your young people are growing up illiterate, ill, and bent on the rites of suicide...Every day your officials must beg for your daily bread, while your CRIMINAL Muslim fundamentalist government continues to fan the flames of a war it can neither fight nor hope to win". The editorial goes on to state that the Palestinians "could have had their own state in 1948. The chances of the Arab states going to war in order to liberate the Palestinians is next to nothing. The war with Israel is over. You have lost. Surrender to negotiate and secure a future for your children".
Since 1996 over one thousand Israelis have been killed, and many more have been severely injured as victims of constant harrowing suicide bombings in the heart of Israeli cities. Many attacks also included attempts to detonate bombs, kidnapping of Israeli soldiers and civilians, dismemberment of young Israeli teenagers who were waitin for buses or simply hiking, drive by shootings,kidnappings and murders, and many missiles and rockets that have hit several Israeli towns and cities.

Remember the dancing in the streets by Palestinians after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center...celebrations duly filmed and witnessed worldwide? This reflects a people hoping for peace? The Palestinian have no qualms about housing active terrorists in houses full of families and children or using of human shields to try to deter Israeli shelling.

Mohamad Al Zahar of Hamas stated "we will not hesitate to kidnap Israeli soldiers to exchange for Palestinian prisoners should the opportunity arise", on March 7, 2006. This has now obviously occurred...

Shall we imagine releasing the Unibomber or the persons responsible for 9/11? These are not ideological political prisoners we are talking about here but trained assassins, with one goal, that of murdering as many Israeli's as they can in the name of Palestinian statehood.

Imagine the inhabitants of Puerto Rico, firing missiles into mainland US.
Imagine Italy shooting rockets into France. Would the French Minister's view still be that the "level of response is disproportionate" to the incitement? The kidnapping of three israeli soldiers in the last three weeks is not the sole precedent for Israel's armed reponse; it simply made clear that Hamas, and the Palestinians will continue their aggression against Israel in order to force Israel's hand so that they can win the release of their murderous political prisoners now waiting for release in Israeli jails.

The Gaza withdrawal was one of the most heartwrenching acts of withdrawal Israel has ever experienced. Exactly how did the palestinians celebrate this withdrawal? In June of 2006 alone, there were more than 89 rockets fired into the town of Siderot from Gaza. The recent Hizbullah attack from Lebanon, only proved that Lebanon has not secured it's border or disarm the terror group as demanded in the UN charter. The UN has officially "deplored Israel's repression of the Palestinian Intafada" Excuse me, is this for real? Deplored Israel for repressing the murderous intafada?

If the Arab nations, Hamas, Hizbullah and the Palestinian people would heed the pleas of one of their own, the noted Arab journalist, Youssef Ibrahim, recognize Israel's right to exist, accept the land israel has already offered many times, and stop educating their children to be suicide bombers and martyrs, Palestinian statehood could become a reality, as it could have become in 1948.

We the undersigned vigerously affirm Israel's right to defend herself,and demand the safe release of the three kidnapped Israeli soldiers immediately.