Take a look at Steven David’s commentary in today’s L.A. Times (obtrusive registration required, or just sign in as “laexaminer”/”laexaminer”).
Short version:
As long as the Palestinian Authority is unwilling or unable to curb those who deliberately seek to kill innocent Israelis and bring these attackers to justice, it is up to Israel to do so. Targeted killing does this, and at a cost that is far less harmful to the Palestinians than its alternatives.
Targeted killing will not bring peace to the Middle East. Only a political solution that calls for an independent Palestinian state can do that.
A policy of targeted killing also must carry with it adequate safeguards, including civilian oversight. Targeted killing must focus only on combatants. Political leaders, no matter how odious, must be spared. And targeted killing cannot be carried out forever. It is a policy that makes sense only during war or armed conflict. Once a peace settlement is reached, it must end.
For a region going through a horrendous time, targeted killing is the worst possible policy–except for all the others.
Date: 07/28/2002 00:00:00 AM
Joel is correct. After the PLO/P.A turned down the Clinton/Barak peace proposal on the grounds it didn’t satisfy the “Palestinian” “right of return” (which no peace proposal supported by Israel can ever include because it would mean the end its existence), it should be apparent to any sentient being that the PLO/P.A. is only interested in prolonging the conflict until the Israelis surrender out of sheer exhaustion or a complete failure of will. As neither are very likely to happen, the PLO/P.A. has adopted a failing strategy – and blaming the Israelis and Sharon for this is mindless. At some point the PLO/P.A. will agree to a political solution that only comes about when they finally realize they cannot ever defeat the Israelis through either organized terrorism or military action. Until then no one should expect the Israelis to do anything but defend themselves ? and the longer they are forced to do so, the greater they will degrade the abilities and assets of the PLO/P.A., Hamas and Hezbollah to harm Israel and its citizens. And, for those cheering on outside Arab financial and moral support to their PLO/P.A. proxies, once Saddam is removed from power, from the PLO/P.A. perspective the political dynamic in the Middle East will change significantly for the worse. And it will get even worse for them if the mullahs are subsequently overturned in Tehran.
Date: 07/26/2002 00:00:00 AM
When in the past two years has any Palestinian leader shown meaningful interest in ending the attacks?Calling the Israeli government a “war government” is disengenuous. Israel had (relative) peace with the PA for several years, until the PA launched a new intifada some two years ago. In response to repeated terrorist attacks, and the apparent inability of a moderate Israeli government to deal with them, the voters of Israel put Sharon in office. His job, as clearly mandated by his people, is to put a stop to terrorism, using forceful means if necessary. Now he’s doing it.One would think that the PA could have foreseen this, but that would require rationality on their part . . .
Date: 07/25/2002 00:00:00 AM
i’d have to agree… and with israel destroying all of the PA’s security enforcement aparatus, i can’t see how they can be able to curb attacks, even if they were willing
Date: 07/25/2002 00:00:00 AM
I’m sorry, but didn’t the French use this same excuse in Algeria for torture?The problem here is that the government utilizing the assassination technique is basically a war government. It was put in place to apply a military solution, and it is incapable of creating the conditions for a political solution. This leads it to self-defeating assassinations like the killing of Raed Karmi, an al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade leader, which ended a real ceasefire that lasted over two weeks. Yes, Karmi was a criminal and a terrorist. But by killing him, the Sharon government took peace off the table once again, and it will do so into the bloody, bloody future.