The cruelty of Israel's defense minister *** haaretz.com
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s decision to impose a general closure on the West Bank
from the eve of Sukkot on Wednesday until the following Saturday night,
11 days, is a belligerent and disproportionate reaction to the terror attack in Har Adar – even for Lieberman, a belligerent person without a sense of proportion.
As
we know, the defense minister favors selective collective punishment.
As a fan of the carrot and stick approach, he believes that we should
distinguish between “good” and “bad” Palestinians. Israel should punish
villages from which terrorists emerge, and reward villages and areas
where security quiet is maintained with economic benefits and
infrastructure. However, to indiscriminately impose collective
punishment on all the residents of the West Bank, is a cruel and
disproportionate step, even for him.
The
length and scope of the closure are blatant in their severity, even
against the backdrop of the belligerent declaration of the prime
minister. Benjamin Netanyahu said at the cabinet meeting
last week that in response to the attack, the terrorist’s home would be
demolished, a siege would be imposed on his home village of Beit
Sourik, and his extended family would lose their Israeli work permits.
It’s a far cry from that to the punishment that will ultimately be
imposed on all the Palestinians.
After
the attack, Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich said that the police had
yet to decide on what steps to take regarding Palestinian workers, but
made it clear that “many workers work with a permit within the Green
Line, it’s a fabric of life. We won’t make extreme decisions.”
Alsheich’s description is correct: Many residents of villages near Har
Adar work there, and there is a high level of trust between the Israelis
and the Palestinians. The case of a Palestinian with an Israeli work
permit carrying out an attack has been a rare occurrence in the past two
years. So what’s the explanation for the extreme decision to impose an
11-day closure on all the territories?
The
basic position of the defense establishment is that Palestinians who
work within the boundaries of the Green Line and the settlements help
calm the security situation since they almost entirely eschew terror
attacks. In light of this traditional view, it is surprising that all
the establishment groups, including the Israel Defense Forces, which
usually presents a relatively moderate policy as compared to the
belligerent one led by the political leadership, were party to the
recommendation for the long, general closure.
Collective
punishment is immoral and illegal. Nor has it ever been proven in its
effectiveness as a deterrent that prevents additional terror attacks. On
the contrary: It usually only fuels the violence. Israel must not allow
public feelings of anger and the desire for revenge, for which populist
politicians are the mouthpiece, to dictate a cruel and futile policy.
The above article is Haaretz's lead editorial, as published in the Hebrew and English newspapers in Israe
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