Seven Palestinian fugitives apprehended in W. Bank
Growing Terror Threat From Gaza
Thwarted: Attempt to Form Terrorist Kidnapping-Cell
A Dereliction of Duty [Lack of Effective Response to Kassams]
Excerpts;
“With the eyes of the nation turned toward Jerusalem, where our prime
minister struggles to recover from a debilitating stroke, it is not
surprising that otherwise important developments might escape our attention.”
“A recent remark by a senior Israeli military officer is particularly worthy of note, if only because of its terrifying significance for the future of the nation’s campaign against Palestinian terror.”
“In a briefing to journalists late on Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz addressed the issue of ongoing Palestinian Kassam rocket attacks against Israeli towns and cities.”
“‘In order to deal with the Kassams,’ Halutz said, ‘we would need to breach various constraints that we have imposed upon ourselves, moral constraints and others, that we do not wish to breach, and I do not recommend that we do so.’ The chief of staff later explained that he was referring to more aggressive counterterror operations designed to stop the rocket launchings against Israel, as these would inevitably harm innocent Palestinian civilians.”
“What Halutz is saying, in effect, is that Israel has the means and the ability to stop Palestinian rocket attacks which threaten innocent Israelis, but that it prefers not to do so for fear of harming innocent Palestinians.”
“This moral calculus is as twisted as it is ineffective, because it essentially places a higher value on the lives of Palestinian civilians than on those of Israeli civilians. Forced to choose between whom to endanger, the chief of staff has chosen the latter even though he is sworn to protect the former. ”