Jonathan Freedland (Guardian Utd): Why Israel killed Yassin

[Jack Rabbit]

From the Guardian Unlimited (UK)
Dated Wednesday March 24

Why Israel killed Yassin
The key to the Hamas assassination is Sharon's plan to pull out of Gaza. But he has again strengthened extremism
By Jonathan Freedland

To the outside world, Israel's assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin looks either indefensible or inexplicable or both. Some have moral objections to the killing of a paraplegic cleric, wheeled out from morning prayers; others have legal worries about extra-judicial killings. Even those with no qualms of principle, and with sympathy for Israel, scratch their heads to work out the logic of such an act.
For surely it will be Israelis themselves who will pay the price, becoming the targets of a fierce and bloody revenge. Few doubt that Hamas will respond to the death of their venerated leader with a different order of violence - not "just" another bus bombing which kills 20 or 30, but an atrocity that will claim Israeli victims in the hundreds. What kind of instinct for self-harm could prompt an Israeli government to stage such a provocative act? European commissioner Chris Patten caught the mood when he suggested yesterday that Israel had dealt with a fire by pouring gasoline on the flames.
Others are no less baffled by a recklessness that seems bent on turning what was a national dispute over land between Israelis and Palestinians into a religious war between Jews and Muslims: what other outcome can there be from killing a leader in a mosque? Hamas is already threatening to take its war beyond Israel and the occupied territories, warning that all Zionists (and Americans) will now be targets. The movement's new leader calls for "the Muslim nation" to wake from its sleep and take up arms; another faction calls for "War, war, war on the sons of Zion."
How could any of this be in Israel's interest? Hamas will now galvanise support using the most powerful symbol possible, a martyr whose face was already a national totem. Many in the al-Aqsa brigades, nominally aligned with Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, had already been moving towards Hamas, especially in Gaza. Now they will complete the shift and accept Hamas's leadership, say those who observe radical Islamism close up. Hamas will increase its standing within global Islamism, too, now that it has its own bona fide martyr, say these same experts: witness the street demonstrations for Yassin across the Muslim world. Even within Israel proper, the assassination is causing tremors. Thousands of Arab Israelis, citizens of the state, massed in Nazareth yesterday, the greatest show of anger by that community - which makes up a fifth of the Israeli population - since Ariel Sharon's notorious walkabout on the Temple Mount in September 2000.

Read more.

[Rhiannon12866]

1. I am totally baffled

I can see this as only something that will exacerbate the already volatile atmosphere here. The anger will be total and his successor is professing a take-no-prisoners attitude. It is incomprehensible to me, almost as much as the Bush* administration's ignoring of this desperate world crisis.

I remember Ariel Sharon's notorious walkabout on the Temple Mount in September 2000. It directly led to the subsequent escalation in violence, which is still continuing. This came at the same time as Clinton's sincere attempts to make peace, between Barak and Arafat, at Camp David, which were thwarted by Richard Perle, who counseled Barak to hold out for a Bush* presidency. And Bush* has only given this most important crisis token attention. We need some intervention here, an American administration who genuinely wants to engender peace in this region and not wage war in the already-volatile Middle East.

[smartass]

7. not true. Arafat walked out on peace process and started second

intifada using Sharon as an excuse.

[Rhiannon12866]

21. You are totally wrong on this

Barak walked out on this, when his advisors, listening to the words of "the Prince of Darkness," Richard Perle, saying to hold out for a Bush* presidency. And what has Bush* accomplished on this front since he took office? Ignored the most important conflict in our world.

[tinnypriv]

2. Freedland

Is a decent chap, but not exactly up on current events.

Israel isn't literally "pulling out" of Gaza. According to very loud proclamations (from senior officials), it intends to maintain the Philly corridor and perhaps a couple of settlements, and then pull out of the rest.

No surprise, that sort of move is supported by everyone in Israel beyond the Cohen and Federman types (not an insignificant number, but still). The reason is obvious - who wants to patrol that hell-hole? Answer: nobody.

In any case, Israel wants to maintain the right to continue with "severe bombing liable to also kill many civilians" even after withdrawal. A "balance of terror", if you like. That may not be reported outside of Israel, and even suppressed in material intended to reach the eyes of the international (i.e. US) public, but that doesn't make it any less true.¹

Still, all this commentary is an interesting demonstration how far to the extreme-right the compass has shifted over the last few years when just a partial withdrawal from Gaza (destitute, no resources, unmanageable, highest pop density per capita etc), constitutes the "only glimmer of possible progress".

Even more so when senior Israeli government officials brazenly state that their only intention in doing this is an exchange: i.e. Gaza for the usable resources of Judea and Samaria.

That's an impressive achievement for US/Israeli rejectionism. And that doesn't even address whether Israel has the right to "sear" into the minds of the Araboushim that they might live there, but they'd better walk with their heads lowered and cowed - all the time.²

-----

1. See "Compensation package for the right", Ma'ariv, 4 Feb 2004 (Hebrew). An interesting experiment is to compare the text of this (prominent) article with those by Aluf Benn in Ha'aretz, or his counterparts at the Jerusalem Post.

2. Or, to pick virtually at random from current press coverage - "flood Gaza with blood", "not withdraw under fire", "leave with a 'big bang' to erase the disgrace of leaving Lebanon", "leave with a show of strength", "disinfect and cleanse the area" etc. cf. Ma'ariv, 26 Feb 2004, Ha'aretz, 23 Feb 2004, Ma'ariv, 23 Feb 2004, BBC News, 22 Feb 2004. Hazofe, 23 Feb 2004. That just about covers the entire spectrum.

[cantwealljustgetalong]

3. Freedland's Part II...

Why Israel killed Arafat...

stay tuned...

[Jack Rabbit]

4. Your crystal ball must be working better than mine

The sarcasm in that statement is meant only to imply that you don't know that is going to happen any more than I do. It is not meant to imply that such an event is beyond the realm of possibility.

Indeed, it would do the Israelis less good to assassinate Arafat than it did and will do to assassinate Yassin. At least Yassin was in a position to control events. Other than any value he has as a figurehead, Arafat has been largely irrelevant since the onset of the second intifada.

[Gimel]

5. A correct assessment

as far as Israelis view the withdrawal plan and the execution of Yassin, from what I've also heard.

Mr. Jonathan D. Friedland is my US Consular representative in Haifa. I don't agree with all his views, but he has become a fairly concerned and helpful Consular representative.

However, I think it is another Jonathan Friedland, as the last name is spelled differently, and he doesn't look at all like that face on the Guardian page.

[tinnypriv]

6. Different guy (nt)

[smartass]

8. Let's see, everytime Israel opens up territory all you hear

in Israel is *kaboom*. So he has no choice. Impossible to negotiate with Arafat or the rest of the terrorist palestinian leaders.

[tinnypriv]

9. You got that from "different guy (nt)"?

Are you smoking your avatar?

[smartass]

10. Hee Hee. I wish. But I'm Jewish so I'm not impartial.

[cloudSeven]

11. Yassin was a terrorist and needed eliminated

It's really that simple.

[Darranar]

12. No it isn't...

the killing of Yassin accomplished absolutely nothing.

The new guy is just as bad, if not worse, and plenty of Palestinians are even more angry at Israel, now.

The strike was highly idiotic and unconstructive.

[cloudSeven]

13. The new guy is just as bad

If he is a terrorist then he must be eliminated too. It's really that simple.

[Darranar]

14. How many times will leaders need "elimination"?

How many innocent people will die in those "eliminations"?

How many innocent Israeli deaths are acceptable from retaliation resulting from those "eliminations"?

How much anger in the Arab world is acceptable as a result of such "eliminations"?

How much increased terrorism, violence, and hatred is acceptable as a result of such "eliminations"?

All the "eliminations" accomplish is a continuation of the ongoing violence in I/P.

[Muddleoftheroad]

15. The violence continues in either case

The difference is Yassin can't plan it.

There is a way to stop this and that is for the Palestinians to act on terror so Israel doesn't have to do so.

[Darranar]

16. So Rantisi can plan it instead!

How constructive... :eyes:

[Muddleoftheroad]

17. His time is running out as well

Perhaps, after a bit, nobody will really want the top job.

[sushi]

22. I'm afraid you're wrong

Perhaps, after a bit, nobody will really want the top job.

"Even though Israel routinely kills or captures militants, Hamas' al-Qassam Brigade is always able to replenish its ranks."

"Few expect that the killing of Yassin will do anything to deter Hamas, which derives most of its power not from individual leaders but from the appeal of its ideas to a generation of despairing Palestinians."

"Hamas' hold on the Palestinian imagination is...rooted in its ability to offer pride to a wounded people and, on a more practical level, social services..."

"...much of the world agrees in the justness of the aspiration for a national homeland for the Palestinians."

(TIME)

Edit: punctuation

[cloudSeven]

20. Speaking of constructive

How ironic a reply... :eyes: :eyes:

[sushi]

23. Will it ever get through to you

that Israel can accelerate the peace process by leaving the occupied territories? The Palestinians will probably make a mess of running their own country. Well, they will experience growing pains, but it will get better, especially with outside help. If Israel doesn't want to help, there are other countries that will.

[cloudSeven]

18. Handle the truth

>How many innocent people will die in those "eliminations"?

Zero by intention.

>How many innocent Israeli deaths are acceptable from retaliation resulting from those "eliminations"?

Zero.

>How much anger in the Arab world is acceptable as a result of such "eliminations"?

All of it as long as no innocents are targeted.

>How much increased terrorism, violence, and hatred is acceptable as a result of such "eliminations"?

terrorism: Zero
violence: Zero against innocents
hatred: As much as a narrow mind can allow.

>All the "eliminations" accomplish is a continuation of the ongoing violence in I/P.

Nope. Ignorance, hate and bad education continue the violence.

[Darranar]

19. Why don't you?

>How many innocent people will die in those "eliminations"?

Zero by intention.

I think it's pretty clear that when you fire at a car in a crowd, you're going to kill a few innocent people...

>How many innocent Israeli deaths are acceptable from retaliation resulting from those "eliminations"?

Zero.

In that case, they should stop.

>How much anger in the Arab world is acceptable as a result of such "eliminations"?

All of it as long as no innocents are targeted.

Innocents will be targeted and terrorism will be continued. Hundreds of thousands of people calling for revenge isn't what any state should want.

>How much increased terrorism, violence, and hatred is acceptable as a result of such "eliminations"?

terrorism: Zero
violence: Zero against innocents
hatred: As much as a narrow mind can allow.

Again, if you think so the "eliminations" should stop.

>All the "eliminations" accomplish is a continuation of the ongoing violence in I/P.

Nope. Ignorance, hate and bad education continue the violence.

And where does that hatred come from? The inherent genetic quality of Arabs to hate Jews, as a certain member of the GOI seemed to suggest a while ago?

[Rhiannon12866]

24. Welcome to DU, cloudSeven

Glad to have you with us. How many deaths are acceptable on either side? IMO, none. We need peace in this region and it is long overdue.