News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Long time anti-Yesha and pro-Arab rights American reform leader Eric Joffe has shifted his views 180 degrees and backed Israel's retaliation against Arab terrorists. In a meeting with Protestant leaders, in which they complained of Israel's "disproportionate" military response to the attacks, Joffe wrote in the New York Jewish News, "You are absolutely right. Israel’s response has been wildly disproportionate because it has been far more restrained than what would be expected from any other civilized, democratic government."

He added, "Did they [Protestant leaders] realize that a "proportionate" response would involve 7,000 Israeli rockets fired at civilians in Gaza? Did they appreciate that the relatively small number of civilian casualties in Israel resulted not from the humanitarian intentions of Hamas but from the crudeness of their weapons, and that those weapons were now improving? Did they know that the traumatized children of Sderot lived in constant fear? On what basis, I asked, did they expect Israel to tolerate these attacks?"

Indicating Joffe's shift in view, he also countered Protestant leaders' suggestions that Israel's presence in Arab population centers is to blame for the rocket attacks. "Prime Minister [Ariel] Sharon pulled out of every inch of Gaza in 2005... and yet there has not been a single day of quiet following that withdrawal. Indeed, rocket strikes significantly increased after it was completed," he added.

Joffe still backs diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis with the Palestinian Authority (PA) but added, "Chances for such a diplomatic resolution are small, and Israel must prepare for the worst."