Thursday, June 8, 2006
As the civilized world justly celebrates the long overdue killing of Abu M Zarqawi, it must recall that his death was brought about by what has come to be known as "targeted assassination" or "targeted killings." This is the same technique that has been repeatedly condemned by the international community when Israel has employed it against terrorists who have murdered innocent Jews. When Israel targeted the two previous heads of Hamas, the British foreign secretary said: "targeted killings of this kind are unlawful and unjustified." The same views expressed at the United Nations and by several European heads of state. It was also expressed by various Human Rights organizations.
Now Great Britain is applauding the targeted killing of a terrorist who endangered its soldiers and citizens. What is the difference, except that Israel can do no right in the eyes of many in the international community. Surely there is no real difference between Zarqawi on the one hand and terrorist leaders from Hamas and Islamic Jihad on the other hand. If it is argued that Sheik Yassin was merely a spiritual leader of Hamas (a total lie since he explicitly authorized numerous terrorist acts), then it must be noted that one of the people targeted by the United States was Sheik Abd-al-Rahman, who was also described as a "spiritual advisor."...
Superb.
And instead of the tit-for-tat spats which are occurring on various blog comments today, a far more fruitful discourse could be taking place, including Israel and the issues Dershowitz is raising here. Israel is a very real front in the war. Each front, whether in Waziristan, the Philippines, Indonesia, some ties with FARC in Columbia, or Israel, has its own particularities, thus requires its own commensurate and specifically tailored strategies and tactics. Yet the MSM and others typically fail in terms of their commentary and calculus in this vein, Israel is too often lost or absented from this context, and is treated as something apart, something altogether different - and today better than most days hi-lights that all too salient fact. That ends up being a more fundamental miscalculation than might appear.
This reminds me of the old westerns where the good guy would holler at the bad guy before shooting, giving the villian a chance to draw and die with honor. Hmmm. Perhaps the Israelis should offer to duel Hamas leaders one on one, at twenty paces, choice of weapons to Hamas. Oops, Hamas chooses a suitcase nuke. Well, short but brightly lit battle, that.