Sunday, September 30, 2007

Military strategy works

It's Possible to Defeat Terrorism -Amos Harel & Avi Issacharoff

It's common to claim it is impossible to defeat terrorism. But the IDF and the Shin Bet have reached the closest possible point to achieving a victory.

Since the beginning of the year, two soldiers and six Israeli citizens were killed as a result of terrorism. At the high point of the intifada, 450 Israelis were killed in 2002. The last suicide bombing in central Israel occurred 18 months ago, in April 2006.

The winning formula is a combination of aggressive intelligence-gathering by the Shin Bet, the obstacle created by the separation fence, and the complete freedom of operations granted to the IDF in the Palestinian cities.
(Ha'aretz)

The "Nonexistent" Military Solution? -Evelyn Gordon

In March 2002, Israel reconquered the West Bank in Operation Defensive Shield - and Israeli fatalities dropped dramatically, that year and every year thereafter.

In 1993, many Israelis hoped that a peace agreement would end terror. Fourteen years later, after having suffered more fatalities from Palestinian terror post-Oslo than during the entire preceding 45 years, most Israelis have concluded that the allegedly nonexistent military solution does a much better job of protecting their lives.

[U]ntil there is concrete evidence of Palestinian willingness and ability to do the job as well or better, there will be no Israeli majority for any deal with the PA.
(Jerusalem Post)

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