From: CurtAdams@aol.com
Date: Mon Apr 08 2002 - 21:25:42 MDT
In a message dated 4/8/02 18:11:49, bradbury@aeiveos.com writes:
>On Mon, 8 Apr 2002 CurtAdams@aol.com wrote:
>
>> Sure; Isreal bombed (actually often shelled) Palestinian cities in response
>> to most terror bombings over the past intifada.
>
>But *why* was there an intifada and *why* were their terrorist bombings?
>
>It seems you assume that assaults on innocent civilians is a valid
>response relative to political solutions.
>
>If terrorists assault civilians, is not an equal response on civilians
>justified? [There are two choices -- you can clean your own house
>or I can clean it for you.]
No, you don't respond to attacks on civilians by killing civilians. Attacking
*the responsible people* can be justified and civilian casualties may be
an inevitable effect of that. Shelling apartment buildings more-or-less at
random is not justified. IMO if you kill an innocent in the process of
killing
somebody guilty you're at least partially responsible for the death and
due to make recompense, just as if you smack up somebody's car by
accident.
The *current* Israeli campaign is in the abstract justified - they've invaded,
and are seizing arms and militants from a wanted list or with cause, and
they apparently intend to leave after the current incursion. A lot of
specifics
- unnecessary violence, a judge/jury/executioner problem, etc. - create
some ethical problems. OTOH, I think something like this is necessary -
somebody has to get at the militants and the PLO obviously isn't going to.
Unfortunately, I don't expect the Israeli government to then act against
the Jewish nuts, especially the settlers, who are mostly on stolen land.
>If you have no police authority over the state in question, how else
>do you impress upon the people of that settlement that originating
>terrorist attacks has consequences. [I'll note that the Israelis
>have uncovered something like a dozen clandestine explosives
>manufacturing labs.]
Attacking innocents is exactly what the terror bombers are doing.
Attacking innocent Palestinians is just as counterproductive as attacking
innocent Israelis, and no more justified.
>If your goal is "peace", then the selective removal
>of the terrorists should promote that.
Yes, but Israeli has been doing anything but selective removal until
recently. It's still probably not very selective.
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