Israel takes action

Anthony writes:

Looks like Olmert is serious about getting the hostage back. The bombing of the Palestianians’ only power station, which powers their water supply, is well deserved and militarily effective. The only reason that I can think why Olmert is acting upon this latest outrage so forcefully is that it’s like earlier times here in America, when killing a cop was considered just about the worst thing possible. The thought was that if someone would kill a representative of the law, they were capable of anything, and as such, they were the greatest danger to society. Maybe the same dynamic is at play with the taking of a soldier.

But the psychology of such a mindset may only be a part of the reasoning. Perhaps there are other political calculations at play which might explain why the indiscriminate blowing-up of civilians by these agents of mayhem is of less effect in garnering a like military response than the kidnapping of a single soldier. I think Israel has shown itself in the past to be very loyal in rescuing those fellow citizens and individuals who have shown loyalty to Israel. Remember the raid at Entebbe, or the reprisals against the terrorists who represented the Black Dawn organization who murdered the Israelis at the Munich Olympics in 1972? Remember how Oscar Schindler was buried in Israel after his death, and honored as a “righteous gentile”? Jewish organizations actually paid his widow a pension in his honor. I think there are certain lines one cannot cross with the Israelis.

LA replies:

Then maybe this is a, from the Israelis’ point of view, principled exception. Practically speaking it still comes to the same thing however. They hand over territory to their mortal enemies, they let their mortal enemies operate against them almost with impunity, and they only react against a certain class of aggressive enemy acts which “go too far.” The Israelis remain liberals who refuse to defend themselves effectively or even to contemplate the possibilty of defeating their enemy.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at June 28, 2006 09:52 AM | Send