Assassination in Syria ;Reckless and myopic

[Englander]

The Guardian
Leader
Tuesday September 28, 2004

>>t is unlike Israel to be coy about getting rid of one of its most implacable foes, but that may be because the assassination of a leading member of the Palestinian group Hamas in Damascus was more brazen and potentially dangerous than many of its past strikes. Government officials in Jerusalem have refused to confirm that Israeli agents killed Izz el-Deen al-Sheikh Khalil in the Syrian capital on Sunday, but their nodding and winking is easy enough to interpret. Hamas, in any event, had no doubts, quickly and inevitably threatening blood-curdling retaliation. Since the organisation's speciality is dispatching suicide bombers to blow themselves up on Israeli buses, as it did - killing 16 - in Beersheba last month, it is not hard to guess what form its vengeance is likely to take, though impossible to know how many more innocent victims will die when it comes.
>>Israel counters that in such cases it is acting in pre-emptive self-defence, and that there is no difference between targeting al-Qaida operatives or Hamas leaders like Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel-Aziz Rantisi, who were killed, to widespread international condemnation, in Gaza this spring. Israel clearly feels less isolated when its loyal US ally is waging an unfettered "global war on terror". But that does not mean there is a military solution to its conflict with the Palestinians. Critics of Ariel Sharon's government, including some Israelis, point out that just because something is possible, and can be done with impunity, it is not necessarily the right thing to do. Factor in the provocation and humiliation of state-sanctioned murder in the heart of an Arab capital and Mr Sharon looks not only reckless but shortsighted.<<

[bemildred]

1. "But that does not mean there is a military solution to its conflict"

Sure there is, great progress is being made, there is light at
the end of the tunnel, hectares and hectares of land have been
added to Greater Serbia Israel, it will all be worth it in the great
bye and bye in the sky. The Palestinians will soon collapse and
all move to Jordan or somewheres, or something. (Hums a few
bars from "The Big Rock-Candy Mountain".)

[Englander]

2. Um,riiiight...you're gonna have to translate most of

that for this Burrdisher,because
the refs. went straight over my head.

[bemildred]

4. What's "Burrdisher" mean? nt

[Englander]

5. Burrdisher=British,like 'Murkan=American..

it makes sense if you pronounce it like *,
no really, it does!

:) :-)

[bemildred]

6. Thanks, it dawned on me later.

It's probably not worth explaining my allusive sarcasm,
but roughly, those of us who have been watching here for
the last few years will remember a good deal of blather in
earlier days about defeating the Palestinians militarily
and a long series of claims that this or that initiative
would finally lead to security for Israelis and defeat for
the intifada. I was just parodying some of that. Sometimes
I just need to get it off my chest. All the blood and treasure
pissed down a rathole in pursuit of phantasms and chimera
tend to set me off once in a while.

Welcome to DU and the I/P dungeon in any case. :hi:

[Englander]

7. Thank you,I'll try not to get shackled in this here dungeon..

There isn't a military solution,as we
finally realised with regards to Ulster.
Ending the occupation and having two states
will go a long way towards resolution,I believe.

It's the self-defeating insanity and injustice
that riles me,the dis-regard of earthly laws.

[tinnypriv]

3. Interestingly

In a rather upbeat analysis of this operation, Yossi Melman in Ha'aretz (Hebrew only) compares it to Israel's international terrorist attacks ("amateurish sabotage" - his words) against Egypt in 1954.