04 January 2009 - As ground war advances, 10 things to remember

Here are a few things to remember to survive the persistent, ignorance- and prejudice-driven media bias over the next several days:

1. Israel withdrew completely from Gaza in 2005, dragging its own citizens from their homes to do so.

2. Hamas and other terror groups continued to fire thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians.

3. After winning the 2006 parliamentary elections, Hamas used its power to arm itself and incite its citizens against Israel, not to improve Palestinians' lives.

4. Hamas refused to comply with the basic demand of the international community that it give up terror.

5. In 2006 Hamas infiltrated Israel and kidnapped an Israeli soldier whom it is holding under conditions that violate international law.

6. In 2007, Hamas launched a bloody coup against the Fatah executive, killing many Palestinian civilians in the process.

7. Humanitarian aid, worth billions of dollars in cash and supplies, has continued to flow to Gaza in spite of all that has happened.

8. Hamas unilaterally refused to renew a truce that had held since the middle of 2008 and launched hundreds of rockets at Israel when the truce expired.

9. In the Gaza War, Israel's response has not targeted civilians and has not been disproportionate to the military objectives it seeks: ending Hamas rocket fire.

10. Even now, Hamas alone rejects a truce. It continues to execute and maim its own people. Its objective remains Israel's destruction.