Sunday, July 9, 2006
A rather typical Gaza or West Bank scene:
Is the man carrying the rocket a military target? You betcha. If he's shot, how many seconds do you suppose it takes to grab the rocket and the gun and turn him into a "civilian?" Three? How many civilians, even kids, are in danger around him? Lots. Are enemy soldiers supposed to stand with their arms at their sides and allow this man to shoot them therefore? No.
Snapshots has an entry (from which, this photo) looking at how Palestinian Arab youth are sometimes even coerced into running cover for "gunmen," and civilians are intentionally put in harm's way: A Revealing Look at Palestinian Casualties
Yes, and in keeping with the adjacent post as well. So why do people continue to support the pullout? I supported it with some diffidence, because the PR from the Left and the MSM required that an object lesson of sorts be writ large, so more people can observe what the purportedly "Palestinian" movement, or Arafatistan, is really like; but that object lesson has now been demonstrated, hence continued support of the pullout possesses what rationale or foundation, beyond tactical/pragmatic problems?
It really hasn't been that long. Entrenched opinions take time and example after example to shift...as recent polling indicates may in fact be happening. Don't go wobbly. If they'd do what I suggested in the post below, it would help. Personally, I can't see the sense in the whole "arrest" of the Hamas "legislators." That one makes no sense to me. If they were ready to go to war then they should do so in which case the Hamas leadership becomes a fair target. Terrorists in jail only create a gravity around which more violence circles. The only good terrorist is...well, you know.
He looks like he's going to a picnic at the beach :P