I think you need Israeli right-wing POV here ... Ritu wrote <<I'd say Israel's current army chief of staff and four ex-security chiefs would know more about the situation there. And Moshe Ya'alon and four of Israel's ex-security chiefs think that their policy is counter-productive and intensifying the cycle of hatred and destruction, breeding militancy instead of preventing it. They are also worried about the effect the policy has had on Israel's polity and economy.>>
The right way to judge such thing is by results. King Hussein got them. President Asad got them. Our policy *is* counter-productive, but for the wrong reason. Zahal should have bombed Jenin instead of sending foot soldiers in. Sheich Yasin should have gotten bigger bomb. Gautam Mukunda wrote: << They have a better record than India, though, and a threat comparable to or worse than ours.>> Ritu <<I don't quite understand what you refer to here. What does Israel have a better record in? Human rights? Establishing peace? Neutralizing the threat? Preventing further attacks?>> India? All of the above. About child's life vs torture of terrorist. There one piece of information missing - our country's size. It's never "a child" - if it is not your child, it's your relative's, or friend's, or neighbor's, or somebody with whom you were in the same class in school/college, in same unit in Army in same guided tour. It's possible, that you don't know the victim of terrorist attack, but possibility that you don't know somebody who knows him/her is very low. When intended victim of terrorist attack has a face <SHRUG>. Russian proverb says: "Your own shirt is closest to your body" Iraq and Afghanistan. <SIGH> Israeli experience in Lebanon shows that rice turns into bullets pretty fast. It also shows that leaving makes things only worse. I hate the idea that soldiers are killed in Iraq. I know they protect me and forever grateful. Ilana from Israel _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
