Originally posted by preemptingyou03
What is everyone's opinion on Israel killing Arafat? Should they? Shouldn't they?
I think offing Arafat is a bad idea for a number of reasons. In fact, I think it is a terrible idea.
First the policy of "targeted assassination" is both illegal and immoral according to an increasing number of Israeli pilots who have refused orders to carry out assassination missions.
Israeli Pilots Refuse
Occupation Orders
by Dean Andromidas
Twenty-seven Israeli pilots have signed a letter refusing to serve combat missions in the Israeli occupied territories. Although over 500 Israeli reserve Army soldiers have signed a similar letter since early 2002, the signatories of this letter are all officers, including a brigadier general and two lieutenant-colonels, making it without precedent in Israel's history.
The letter, sent to Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Dan Halutz and publicized in the Sept. 25 edition of Ha'aretz, declared, "We, both veteran and active pilots, who serve the state of Israel, are opposed to carrying out illegal and immoral orders to attack, of the type Israel carries out in the territories." The letter also declares their refusal to transport IDF troops on missions into and out of occupied Palestinian territories, or to provide air support for combat troops in those areas. The letter concludes, "We, for whom the IDF and the Air Force are an integral part of our being; who were brought up to love Israel and to contribute to the Zionist ideal, cannot take part in the operations in the center of populated civilian areas; and [we] refuse to endanger innocent Palestinian civilians.... The continued occupation is critically harming the country's security."
Complete text available at:
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2003/3038idf_pilots.html
Originally posted by preemptingyou03 I feel that if he's killed, it'll cause a whole shitload of problems and terrorism. But then again... terrorism will get worse before it is defeated. We might as well inflame radicalism sooner than later. Arafat has blood on his hands.
The entire world's anti-Israeli stance is quite pathetic.
If I were Bush, I'd give Israel a green light to not only kill Arafat, but to take out all of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. [/B]
Granted, the moral questions are more personal. Some view the biblical admonition: "Thou shall not kill" as an absolute, others do not. Whatever your personal views on the morality of assassinating someone, there are practical reasons for not killing Arafat.
You pointed out the most obvious in your post: "cause a whole shitload of problems and terrorism."
"Shitloads of problems and terrorism" in Israel means a lot more schoolchildren get blown to peices. There is no two ways about it. Is this somehow a good thing? I reallhy don't understand how you can acknowledge that killing Arafat will lead to increased terrorism and conclude somehow that it is okay. Setting aside that fact that the children you seem willing to sacrafice are not your kids (assuming you don't live in Israel), exactly how is more dead kids in anyone's interest. Don't those pictures make you sick? You want to see more of them?
The only thing I can figure is that you feel that killing Arafat will lead to less violence between the Israeli's and the Palentinians. How you figure that I don't know. Killing Arafat will kill the "road map" which, although far from perfect, is the only game in town for bringing about peace between the two waring parties.
Make no mistake, Arafat is considered by the Palestinians (not necessarily by me) as their legitimate leader. If Israel kills him, there will be no hope for peace.
So that begs the obvious question. What are you hopeing will be accomplished by killing Arafat? If it will bring more death on innocent Israeli's and Palestinians, and crush the US led "Road Map," initiative that holds out the only chance for peace now on the table...why kill him?
Originally posted by preemptingyou03 But then again... terrorism will get worse before it is defeated. We might as well inflame radicalism sooner than later. [/B]
Terrorism may well "get worse" and I doubt that it will ever be defeated. Terrorism is not a country. But this statement raised three questions in my mind.
1. Why is it better to "inflame radicalism" at all? It is not as if there are a limited number of radicals who are willing to blow themselves up and all Israel has to do is kill them and then the problem will go away. Killing arafat turn hundreds of otherwise ordinary students and cab drivers into the ranks of the martyrs. Irrael is far better off if they are studying history instead of bomb making.
2. You wrote: "We might as well..." Who is this "We" you are writing about. Do not confuse the US wars in Afghinistan and Iraq with the conflict in Israel and the occupied territories. They have some things in common, but they are very seperate. The conflict the Israeli's are facing is a result of the occupation. The US war in Iraq is about issues that are very different. (Not even the Bush Administration has claimed that the Palestinians were behind 9/11).
3. If the US backs the assassination of Arafat, not only could Israel find itself at war with its neighboring states, the US may well find itself a war with the Arab states. The consequences of that are staggering.
World War I was started by the assassination of one Prince. The world does not need another world war. The US does not need another world war. You are playing with fire.
