Why 16 Palestinians Were Killed in Gaza Last Friday - Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Why 16 Palestinians Were Killed in Gaza Last Friday

Tuesday, April 03, 2018 |  Ryan Jones  ISRAEL TODAY

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Last Friday was the eve of Passover, a day on which nearly every Israeli Jewish family was busy marking one of the Bible's most foundational events - the Exodus from Egypt.

Last Friday also played host to a classic example of deadly Palestinian propaganda.

We say "deadly" not because of the terrible long-term effects it will have on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which it will. But our present concern is more immediate. The "deadly" in this case is the cynical exploitation of Palestinian Arab civilians to score points against Israel in the international media. Yes, there are a great many of us in Israel who take offense at the despicable exploitation of average Palestinian Arabs as pawns in the grand scheme to destroy the Jewish state.

A prime example of this was witnessed on Friday when Hamas activists sent a 7-year-old Palestinian girl to breach the Gaza security fence during massive riots in the terrorist-ruled coastal enclave.

With cameras trained on the frightened little girl, she slowly made her way toward the heavily-armed Israeli soldiers. There could be only one reason for doing this - Hamas hoped the Israelis would assume the child was carrying a bomb and gun her down, thus providing the Palestinian cause with a PR victory that would make headlines for years to come.

The Israelis didn't take the bait.

The girl was stopped by the soldiers and returned to her parents unharmed. It was a clear demonstration that Israel had no intention of harming Palestinians who were either innocent or could not be held accountable for their actions.

Toward those who were not innocent and who could be held accountable for their actions, Israel was far less forgiving.

Hamas leaders made clear that the goal of what they called the "March of Return" was to breach Israel's southern border, and then...who knows? Attack nearby Jewish towns?

Singling out Israel for protecting its border against such a breach and subsequent violence and mayhem is hypocritical in the extreme, considering that any other nation would have done the same.

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