NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC called on the international community to condemn the latest onslaught of rocket attacks from Hamas-ruled Gaza against Israel.

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"Where are the voices of anger and outrage?" asked AJC Executive Director David Harris. "Israel withdrew entirely from Gaza in 2005, seeking only one thing -- quiet on the Israel-Gaza border. Tragically, that was not to be. Instead, Hamas seized power. The terror group is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and supported by Iran and the global jihadist movement. Hamas opted to use its new freedom of action to target Israel, whose very existence it refuses to recognize, with literally thousands of missiles and rockets."

"For years, highlighted by the latest round of attacks, Hamas has used Gaza as a staging ground against Israel," Harris added. "In response, the world remains largely silent, while the Emir of Qatar travels to Gaza to lend his political and economic support to the Hamas regime. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyap Erdogan has announced that he is considering a similar journey."

The latest barrage began yesterday with an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza at an Israeli army jeep in Israeli territory, wounding four. Dozens of rockets have since hit Sderot and the Shaar Hanegev region, forcing schools to close. More than one million Israelis have been told to be ready to move to bomb shelters on 15 seconds notice.

"No one should be surprised if Israel, like any other country in a similar situation, responds to defend its citizens when they are attacked by a terrorist regime," Harris concluded.

AJC cautioned that at some point Israel may be compelled to respond to the relentless rocket attacks. "Protecting its citizens is the first priority of the Israeli government, and when it does act the international community should show empathy and understanding by explicitly condemning Hamas and others who refuse to end the conflict."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee