Subscribe to Print Edition | Sat., May 10, 2008 Iyyar 5, 5768 | | Israel Time: 02:47 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 10:11 21/01/2008
Strong in numbers
By Gideon Levy
Tags: Sderot, Gaza, Qassam, Israel

Here we have the yardstick for security success: the number of Palestinians killed. As in the most primeval wars, the heads of the defense establishment are boasting about the number of people Israel has killed. Their job is to ensure protection for the residents of the state. And, as we know, the residents of the "Gaza perimeter" are not receiving this protection. So the death toll has become the measure of their success.

Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin briefed the cabinet last week about the "achievements" of his organization: 810 Palestinians killed during the past two years. His predecessor, Avi Dichter, once appeared before the editorial board of Haaretz and proudly presented a sophisticated slideshow from his laptop computer: a pie chart of Palestinian casualties, in several colors. Last week, the brigade commander in Gaza, Colonel Ron Ashrov, defined the operation in the Zeitun neighborhood as "very successful." Why? Because his troops killed 19 Palestinians in a single day and further inflamed the conflagration in the South. How depressing, morally and in practical terms, to think that this is the measure of success.

Has the daily mass killing in Gaza improved the security situation? No, it has only made it worse. Has it reduced the number of Qassams? No, it has led to their proliferation. So why are we killing? We need "to do something" and there needs to be "a price tag." These are hollow cliches. A review of recent newspapers presents a clear picture: As long as the U.S. president was still in the country, Israel refrained from liquidations, and the number of Qassams decreased. When George Bush left, we resumed killing and, as a result, Sderot has faced the most difficult days it has ever known. The burning question that arises is: What are we killing for? Someone must answer this.
Advertisement
The distinction that Diskin and his ilk make between "armed" and "unarmed" Palestinians also does not change a thing. Whether 600 armed men were killed (the number cited by the Shin Bet director) or only 455 (according to Haaretz's calculation), this does not justify the scope of the killing or serve as an indication of its effectiveness. Not every armed person deserves to die. All of the killings, of armed and unarmed, have only led to an escalation of the violence on the other side. For every "senior Jihad commander," for every Qassam launcher killed, seven others immediately emerge. The killing is useless, and the defense establishment boasts about it only to satisfy public opinion.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak should understand this better than anyone. He has certainly read a book or two about history, and he knows that it is impossible to forcefully extinguish a determined and protracted struggle for freedom, like that of the Palestinians. He is also the person who once said in a television interview, courageously and frankly: "If I were a Palestinian, I would join a terror organization." He is the one who is now orchestrating the sowing of death in Gaza.

One's heart goes out to the residents of Sderot, but one should also remember that they bear the same responsibility for the situation as do all Israelis. If a survey were conducted in this battered city, it would show that there is also a majority in Sderot in favor of continuing the occupation and siege, as everywhere else in Israel. And despite all the suffering they are experiencing, the situation of their neighbors to the south is much worse.

Haaretz presented a mirror image last week on its front page: a crying toddler in Sderot and a crying toddler in Gaza, both in the arms of their fathers. The other newspapers deemed it sufficient to print pictures of the weeping in Sderot on their front pages. But in recent days, Israel has killed dozens of residents of the besieged, blacked-out and starved Gaza Strip. This information cannot be ignored, with all due sympathy for Sderot.

The continued killing in Gaza is leading nowhere, except for exacerbating the situation in Sderot. It will not weaken the Palestinians' struggle for freedom and will not bring security for Israel. The yearning for a "large-scale military operation" in Gaza, as described by warmongering generals and commentators, is also infuriating. This operation already started a long time ago - just listen to the death figures of Diskin and his colleagues. We have killed over 800 Palestinians in two years, and it is appalling that some take pride in this. And what have we solved?
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Stronger than its ills
The 60th anniversary celebrations are accompanied by a bad taste.
Rise in racism
Israeli Arabs say institutionalized racism has increased.
  1.   Hats off to mr Levy 10:21  |  Eleni 21/01/08
  2.   Who benefits from all the violence? 10:28  |  Natallie Durson 21/01/08
  3.   In return for HOURLY targetting of Israeli civillians Pal.hit&run 10:34  |  PETER SM 21/01/08
  4.   Levy levitates on hot air 10:35  |  Star of David 21/01/08
  5.   We kill to "to satisfy public opinion. " 10:39  |  Laura Heintze 21/01/08
  6.   ISRAEL HAS BECOME A MURDER MACHINE: IT CAN`T DO ANYTHING ELSE 10:49  |  TrippleJump 21/01/08
  7.   Strong in numbers 11:00  |  JL 21/01/08
  8.   I am not accepting Israel`s right to exist as such 11:36  |  Dutch 21/01/08
  9.   800 islamofascists less, excellent 11:43  |  maurice 21/01/08
  10.   As Churchii was used to say, "with the ennemies... 11:46  |  maurice 21/01/08
  11.   The US learned in Vietnam and has relearned 11:47  |  spyguy 21/01/08
  12.   Hear, hear 11:51  |  Outsider 21/01/08
  13.   Israel needs to go back into the pages of history .. 11:54  |  Dutch 21/01/08
  14.   WHAT WOULD YOU DO, MR. LEVY? 11:58  |  Zvi 21/01/08
  15.   Natalie #2 12:09  |  Gabe 21/01/08
  16.   Levy is a lousy journalist, good propagandist 12:34  |  Joe Sittizen 21/01/08
  17.   Fantastic opinion piece from Levy 12:37  |  Johnboy 21/01/08
  18.   Dutch loves his Palesitnian war criminals 12:39  |  Joe Sittizen 21/01/08
  19.   Nothing new,Levy`s Dad was against allied offensive against the N 12:45  |  Absolute Sweden 21/01/08
  20.   Dear outsider, why not visit inside and find the reality? 12:46  |  Joe Sittizen 21/01/08
  21.   TRIPPLE JUMP SCREAMS IN RAGE,NO FREE KICK FOR HIS BROTHERS 12:47  |  PETER SM 21/01/08
  22.   THE PRIDE OF AVI DICHTER 13:36  |  indrajaya 21/01/08
  23.   PETER SM#21: YOU SHOULD BE VERY CONCERNED! 13:37  |  TrippleJump 21/01/08
  24.   gazans 13:42  |  habakook 21/01/08
  25.   # 16 Levy is a lousy journalist 13:45  |  Arnold 21/01/08
  26.   TRIPPLE JUMP IF YOU CANNOT ACCEPT PARTITION OR PEACE 13:52  |  PETER SM 21/01/08
  27.   TRPPLE JUMP You ARE very concerned its not going to plan 14:12  |  PETER SM 21/01/08
  28.   Mr. Levi, what do you suggest we should do about the Kassams? 14:17  |  David 21/01/08
  29.   Respect for this article 14:30  |  Bob 21/01/08
  30.   Levy : very strong in number 14:39  |  Nathan from Rehovot 21/01/08
  31.   THE IDF SHOULDN`T BE PROUD OF 800 14:46  |  Robert 21/01/08
  32.   Gideon Levy should go live in Sderot 15:02  |  Free Gilad Shalit 21/01/08
  33.   Starvation? Not according to the UN 16:06  |  Lynn 21/01/08
  34.   Levy hates Israel 16:32  |  Elke M 21/01/08
  35.   to JL #7 16:42  |  zeev 21/01/08
  36.   What mass killing? 16:42  |  Pssd off American. 21/01/08
  37.   1: But he needs his hat firmly on his head (2nd try) 16:50  |  David Teich 21/01/08
  38.   Levy: ThereAre Enemies. And There Are Sworn Enemies. 16:52  |  Stash 21/01/08
  39.   # 23 Tripplejump...no, and your gov is in 16:52  |  Lynn 21/01/08
  40.   17: JB likes it because it is opinion, not fact 16:54  |  David Teich 21/01/08
  41.   # 6 Tripplejump. ...reality is the signs of 16:55  |  Lynn 21/01/08
  42.   Bad luck, we didn`t raze Gaza like the russian did in Grosny 17:02  |  maurice 21/01/08
  43.   to David #28 17:02  |  zeev 21/01/08
  44.   jewish and pals beliefs had penetrated the 17:08  |  bozhidar balkas 21/01/08
  45.   1,2 BILLION PEOPLE BEHIND THE PALESTINIANS 17:17  |  indrajaya 21/01/08
  46.   Levy DEFENDING War Crimes 17:21  |  B 21/01/08
  47.   Further proof 17:25  |  M.O. 21/01/08
  48.   to Zvi #14 17:34  |  zeev 21/01/08
  49.   I remember three years ago, when it was said that going after 17:44  |  Jacob Blues 21/01/08
  50.   Thanks 18:40  |  Pal 21/01/08
  51.   # 45 Indy...I don`t think so.......it is important 18:57  |  Lynn 21/01/08
  52.   # 2 Who benefts from violence ? 18:59  |  Margot in Asnieres 21/01/08
  53.   It is scarry 19:15  |  Danite 21/01/08
  54.   Levy a lousy Journalist no 16 19:15  |  Shmaryahoo 21/01/08
  55.   Just One word for all .... 19:33  |  Mary Boskin 21/01/08
  56.   total war 19:37  |  Michael 21/01/08
  57.   What is Genocide....Remember Warsaw 19:52  |  Jim Zoghby 21/01/08
  58.   Pride goes before fall 20:06  |  Kris 21/01/08
  59.   to Michael #56 - wrong analogies ... 20:13  |  zeev 21/01/08
  60.   18 Wilful killing has no place in today`s Huma Rights world 20:17  |  Dutch 21/01/08
  61.   45When you count the Christians with the Jews you`re out-numbered 21:12  |  Reality 21/01/08
  62.   To Zeev #43 some questions 21:18  |  David 21/01/08
  63.   # 60 Dutch that also goes for the Islamic fascists 21:19  |  Lynn 21/01/08
  64.   # 53 Danite...very astute 21:21  |  Lynn 21/01/08
  65.   46 B, It may surprise you-militants aren`t always terrorists 21:21  |  Dutch 21/01/08
  66.   46 B, It may surprise you-militants aren`t always terrorists 21:21  |  Dutch 21/01/08
  67.   # 55 Mary Boskin ...what genocide? 21:24  |  Lynn 21/01/08
  68.   Dutsh re 60 21:27  |  Margaret 21/01/08
  69.   no end of leftist loons! 21:36  |  Moshe 21/01/08
  70.   #64 Dutch - does the Kassams lack of success justify their firing 21:50  |  Lior 21/01/08
  71.