Take a look at the timeframe here. In March we had lots of attacks, almost one a day. Then the Jenin operation combined with the isolation of Arafat virtually halted all attacks against Israel. Then Israel was forced to back out of Jenin and release Arafat and immideately the suicide attacks began again.
Death toll of Israeli civilians inside Israel per month
2000
Sep 0
Oct 0
Nov 4
Dec 0
2001
Jan 0
Feb 1
Mar 6
Apr 3
May 5
Jun 18
Jul 1
Aug 14
Sep 0
Oct 8
Nov 6
Dec 23
2002
Jan 9
Feb 1
Mar 65 (Defensive shield launched end march, continued 1 month)
Apr 13 (during defensive shield)
May 23
Many of the March casualties came after Defensive Shield was launched. In total, 29 Israelis were killed by suicide bombers
during Defensive Shield.
The figure for April, during the height of Defensive Shield, is one of the highest monthly totals on record. And that's not including IDF casualties during the operation.
In March we had lots of attacks, almost one a day.
Dates of fatal attacks in March:
2nd
3rd
5th
9th
17th
20th
21st
27th
30th
31st
Then the Jenin operation combined with the isolation of Arafat virtually halted all attacks against Israel.
Dates of fatal attacks in April:
2nd
3rd
4th
10th
11th
12th
Then Israel was forced to back out of Jenin and release Arafat and immideately the suicide attacks began again.
Dates of fatal attacks in May:
5th
6th
19th
22nd
27th
Where does the IDF say most suicide bombers come from? Jenin.
Look again at the figures:
Jan 9
Feb 1 (stabbed by a Palestinian youth)
March 1st 0
March 1st IDF raids Jenin, kills 8, including a 16 year old boy and a 9 year old girl. Other raids kill 3, including an 8 year old boy.
March 2nd Suicide bomb kills 8
Attacks again on 3rd, 9th etc ad nauseum
Yeah, these raids really work.
How is Isreal doing what is necessary to stop the bombings revenge? I don't get that.
Read this
http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?category=World&story=/news/2002/03/19/mideast_censor020319and watch this video of it
http://cbc.ca/clips/ram-lo/macdonald_censored020318.ramIt shows how the IDF blew the door off a family home, injuring a woman inside the house. For an hour her husband and children begged them to allow her to go to hospital in an ambulance, they refused. When she finally got there, she died from her injuries. The soldiers then ransacked the house, and found nothing.
Why is allowing a woman to bleed to death necessary?
And Israel's reaction was at first anger that the TV station had shown the clip, in defiance of the Israeli military censor.
They then appologised, but it is still a regular practice for the IDF to delay medical assistance.
I wonder if the womans son, who's in the video, will grow up wanting revenge?
Some more "necessary" anti-terrorist actions:
26th May a 45 year old woman and her 13 year old daughter were killed whilst walking across a field near their refugee camp. The IDF fired an anti-tank missile at them, saying they thought they were terrorists.
27th May A 50 year old man, sitting at home, was killed when the IDF fired through his window.
27th May A 20 year old severly mentally handicapped man was shot in the leg by a soldier, whilst standing with his hands up, and being covered by an armed policewoman. The soldier had been asleep, woke up, saw the situation and opened fire.
(All these reports come from the Israeli press, not Palestinian sources)
None of this is necessary, it only happens because Israel is engaged in colonizing the West Bank and Gaza. That needs military action, because the land is already occupied.
From todays Haaretz editorial:
First, a month after the forces were withdrawn, it turns out the terrorist infrastructure did not collapse. Despite the large-scale destruction, not only are the leaders of the Palestinian Authority alive and well, but so are the leaders of the terrorist groups - except for Marwan Barghouti, who may yet turn out to be stuck in Sharon's throat, leaving him unable to swallow or regurgitate him. The suicide attacks and the attempted attacks continue. Moreover, there's a new trend, aimed at mass, spectacular attacks. Blowing up the fuel depot at Pi Glilot could have had a thermal effect that would have killed hundreds, if not thousands, between Herzliya and Tel Baruch in a matter of seconds
Benjamin Ben-Eliezer (Israeli defense minister) was right when he warned ahead of time, and publicly, that if there's no political process within a few weeks, the situation will revert to what it was
The conclusion from the operation is that terror will only be ended through a political settlement, and not by force. Just repeating the scenarios of going in-leaving-arresting-assassinating-leaving, won't end the terrorism.
So, "we taught them a lesson." But the carrot should follow the stick - to initiate ideas, to hint what concessions and confidence-building measures the Palestinians can expect from Sharon, to increase their motivation to get into a political process and start seriously fighting terrorism
