1. Bill Levinson said:

I'm against targeted killings of Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Aqsa, and so on because "targeted" means killing only selected individuals. My position is that, the instant someone joins an organization that deals in terroristic violence like subway bombings and so on, and is not subject to the jurisidiction of ordinary law enforcement and its requirements for due process, he can be killed just like a rodent or other pest animal. In other words, ALL members of Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Aqsa, and so on should be gunned down on sight.

2. Theway2k said:

I would tend to agree with you Bill, however the political fallout from the Western powers would be too much for the nation Israel to overcome. It would be a leftist feeding fest calling for the termination of Israel. Targeted assasinations is more politically viable, at least until a military war ensues. Then all bets are off.

3. Bill Levinson said:

The lives of Israeli civilians are worth more than "image." If the leftist media objects (or if left-wing church groups object), they should be invited to offer themselves as human shields for Israeli shopping malls, synagogues, and the like. If they refuse, they should be accused of lying and aiding the terrorists. Israel is not very good at propaganda; if it was, the leftist organizations would have their credibility destroyed very quickly.

4. Ed D said:

Bill, I agree with you, but even more so. There are somewhere around 2,000,000 Arabs living in the West Bank and Gaza. Everytime the Israelsis take out a Hamas or Aksa terorist leader, one is ready to step into the lead. Nothing is really accomplished by ding this. By selective assassinations on all members of these organizations does little more than driving these people underground.

Better to unilaterly go on the offensive with all resources, boots on thg ground, to go through the terrorists like a knife through butter, driving the Arabs southward away from Israel proper. Gaza and a large part of Judea and Sammaria should be immediatly annexed.

This action would remove the terrorism in close proxemity and more emphasis could be directed toward Iran and Egypt. The passage between Israel and Egypt should be closed, subject to Israeli control and all Egyptians and UN personnel removed. At this point only, can the Israelis feal safe.

5. Bill Narvey said:

Ziv Hillman's article calls for the need to re-define "unlawful combatant" in the context international law regarding the legality of Israel’s policy of targeting Palestinian terrorists.

Hillman notes that while most nations characterize Israel’s targeted killings of terrorists, contrary to international law or as extra-judicial killings, some of those very nations that condemn Israel engage in the same actions and are proud of it.

When it comes to the double standard the world applies to Israel, it is clear that what is sauce for the goose is definitely not sauce for the gander, Israel.

Still, Hillman’s analysis is valuable in providing yet further insight into just one more facet of the Israel vs. Palestinian war, the multiple issues arising therefrom and of course the many hurdles the world places in Israel’s path while clearing the road for Palestinian perfidy.

In the context of the Israel-Palestinian war however, there is reason to search for a new definition of “innocent civilian”.

Palestinian terrorists deliberately mix with the Palestinian civilian population to give them cover and protection and in so doing put so called innocent Palestinians in harms way in the event of Israeli retaliation.

Given recent polls, it appears that 65% of the described innocent Palestinian population support Hamas and rejoice at their murdering innocent Israelis. That support flows to the other splinter Palestinian terrorist groups that have not declared candidates in the upcoming January 25th, 2006 Palestinian election.

It is one thing for terrorists to intimidate innocent civilians and force them to be their shield.

It is quite another when a majority of so called innocent civilians support the terrorists and willingly allow terrorists to use them as a shield, being their contribution to the terrorist cause.

The world, for so long as it suits their purposes vis a vis Israel, will continue to maintain the pretense that only those Palestinians directly engaged in plotting and executing terrorist actions are terrorists. The world will also continue to speak out of both sides of its mouth, in first supporting Israel’s right to defend itself and then condemning Israel when it does so.

Further, the world in spite of knowledge to the contrary, will also continue to insist that all other Palestinians are innocent civilians who have and want no part of terrorism against Israel and that Israel has the legal duty to protect them and keep them from harms way.

All things being equal, the world will continue to strongly object to Israel targeting known terrorists, even as some carry out such policy themselves without recriminations from anyone.

The world will object in even stronger terms, if not take action against Israel, should Israel in defending itself broaden their barrage to start taking out these terrorist complicit civilians as part of the collateral damage of Israel’s self defensive actions in the Israel-Palestinian war that the world continues to pretend is just a dispute.

6. Bill Levinson said:

"Given recent polls, it appears that 65% of the described innocent Palestinian population support Hamas and rejoice at their murdering innocent Israelis. That support flows to the other splinter Palestinian terrorist groups that have not declared candidates in the upcoming January 25th, 2006 Palestinian election."

Well then, I wouldn't say that the only good Palestinian is a dead Palestinian, but two out of every three would obviously be better off that way. The next time the Pallies have a public funeral of a terrorist (or a death-to-Israel rally), the IDF ought to fire a barrage of rockets into the event and follow up with machine gun fire. The vermin should be killed indiscriminately.

WHY, by the way, do you think these sand apes don't pull their crap on the Russians (except in Chechnya) or the Chinese? Come to think of it, when they DID pull their crap on Ivan, not a single one of them was taken prisoner. The Russians did make a mistake, they used some kind of a gas that also killed many of the hostages they were trying to rescue, but the surviving hostages were given medical attention. The only medical attention the terrorists got (if any) consisted of a bullet through the skull, and that is how it should be. First aid for wounded terrorists should consist of a single nine-millimeter cartridge.

7. Bill Narvey said:

To Bill Levinson,

Your point referencing Russians and Chinese regarding terrorism within their borders illustrates differences in culture and attitudes between them and other Western democracies and as well points out that while the West holds Israel to impossible standards, it says little or nothing regarding Russian and Chinese excesses measured by Western standards:

The Russians just relatively recently moving towards democracy still exhibit some of the old repressive notions of the communist oligarchic order. While somewhat sensitive to world opinion, the Russians still had no compunction in bombing Grozny rather indiscriminately and levelling most of that city. In taking out terrorist strongholds and terrorists, so called innocent civilians were the victims of the collateral damage. The West did not condemn Russia and did not condemn their methods in taking out the terrorists in I think Beslin where they had taken a school hostage and students died as a result of the Russian measures to kill the terrorists or where as I recall terrorists took over a theatre, holding the audience hostage and hostages died as Russians took out the terrorists.

As for China they have a 0 tolerance policy with terrorists, who know that the Chinese are as brutal as they are. Muslim terrorists therefor stay away or just don't start up.

That should be instuctive to the rest of the West as to what takes to eradicate radical Islam, but so far, it is not.

8. Leonard said:

There can be no denying that the elimination of the Hamas leadership has been a significant factor in the reduction of suicide bombings in Israel. It would appear to work.