Shalom,

As an Israeli living in Iceland, I'm witnessing a lot of anti-Israeli resentments among locals, circulating emails and online anti-Israeli groups flourish and the numbers just grow, even though the war in Gaza already ended. Israel might be winning the war in Gaza but its loosing the war on the media, the fight for the public opinion. I find it hard to understand how people from free nations support extremist who are denying others right to live in peace. I wonder if Icelanders ever gave themselves 5 minutes to think, Why Israel fighting in Gaza? When Hamas killed its own people during its Gaza revolt against Fatah administration many Palestinians were killed and the world kept silence, While Hamas targeted Israeli civilians with rockets for over 6 years killing men, women and children, no one protested. I can’t help but to ask myself why? Israel, is the only Jewish state in the world and its hoping to remain so, a country of free people living in peace with its neighbors. The past taught us that there is no one else to trust except ourselves, Jews have no where else to go, (Iceland refused to receive Jewish refugees during WW2). Our will to survive in a hostile Arab environment, who for its part doesn't accept Israel right to exist, is what we are being blamed for. Israel as a state as a duty to protect its citizens even in the cost of others life, we paid enough in blood. Not like the America's war in Iraq, Israel has no choice. Hamas, Hezbollah, and their sponsor Iran are openly calling for the destruction of Israel, and for that goal they are sacrificing their own people including their children which they use as human shields. Now, when Jews are being attacked (again) in Europe just because they are Jews the importance of independent and secure Israel is clearer than ever. Unfortunately we can't afford another Holocaust.

Guy Gutraiman, Ólafsvík, Iceland