I’m bad at it.

I’ll admit that I’m not much of a news hound. Most of the great events of the day seem… transitory to me, and not worth commenting on here, or wasting time filing away. I trust that truly important events with a certain amount of historical importance will resonate more deeply and with more importance than the opening of the Masters on a redesigned Augusta golf course — my attention will be drawn to them.

Then there are events like the Middle East/Israel issues, which are certainly important, but where it doesn’t seem critical to register each and every attack, since they fight all the time, right?

Still, this last bout of violence was slowly starting to sink in as “above average”, so I finally read up a little. Here’s some tidbits on the bombing that’s been going on: Israel’s history of bomb blasts.

Let me point out the most obvious factoid: suicide bombing attacks in 2002 are already 150% higher than the 2001 totals, and we’re only a quarter of the way into the year. 18 attacks in about 100 days.

Let’s imagine: Once every five days, there is an intentional explosion in your hometown that will kill or injure anywhere from five to two dozen people. It started around Christmas of 2001 and has continued, unabated, ever since. How do you feel about seeking peaceful solutions right at this moment?

Meanwhile, reading other articles leaves me with the distinct impression that the U.S. doesn’t necessarily want peace and quiet as much as they want to be the only bully on the playground. Colin Powell argues that (Israeli) force will not solve the problem of terrorism.

Colin hasn’t been paying attention to current U.S. policy, has he? Maybe that’s actually just a “policy for the U.S.”, with a different (contradictory) policy for everyone else.

Meanwhile, quoting Ariel Sharon: “You can talk all about peace, but you cannot reach peace as long as terror exists […] it’s our right to defend our citizens and there should be no pressure put on us not to do that.”

Since 9/11, we’ve been outraged, fighting a war for the last half-year brought on by our victimization at the hands of terrorists. Isreal’s been doing the same thing for… let’s say half a century, give or take.

What right do we have to critique, scolding with one hand and directing troop movements with the other?

I know Doyce dislikes politics, I love it.

Good post man.

I lived in Israel for a bit and I was there for the two April 94 bombings, and some others not listed on the linked article, I was also there for the June attacks across the Lebanese frontier by Hezbollah, and was personally shelled by Hezbollah in june of '94. I was also there when 3 dead IDF soldiers that had been stationed at the Kibbutz came back through when thier M-113 was knocked out by Sagger AT missiles. But I also lived in the Old City and Tel Aviv for a bit and got to know some Palestinians, so I saw both sides of the thing, in '94 peace was in the air, it's a much different place today.

My editorial is, the majority of girls in the IDF are hot.

Good post, man, indeed.

I found Secty Powell's assertion (on the radio this a.m.) that Israel should consider the effect of its offensive actions on the feelings of its neighbors to be particularly ... odd, given US activities in the region over the last several months.

I'm not in favor by any means of Israel just going in and shooting everything that moves. But if it made sense for the US to go into Afghanistan to root out Al Qa'eda and, if the current regime there demurred, well, heck, a new regime would be nice icing on the cake, then it makes sense for Israel to pursue a similar course.

Yes, but are they defending their people? Haven't more bombs been detinated(SP) since the incursions than before? What about the terror to the law abiding Palestinians (not everyone is blowing themselves up) who have been terrorized by tanks in their street and a 24 hour curfew for the last two weeks? There is enough blame to go around all the parties that are involved in this confligration; the problem is we need people who are willing to suffer and even die to achieve peace. Peace is always more expensive than war, though the cost is usually personal.

I agree that, obviously, Israel is bombing more.

We bombed Afghanistan much more after 9/11 than we did before 9/11.

I agree that law-abiding and general peace-desiring members of both sides of the Israel/Palestinean conflict are suffering needlessly for the acts of a small number of people. They do not deserve this.

This issue is not clear, and I can't say I personally support anyone unreservedly -- my point, lost amongst the weak writing, no doubt -- was to chide the U.S. for calling the kettle black, when the Israeli leaders say nothing less than the same things our own 'leader' voices on the same topic.

I need to read up on just exactly was the US involvement in 're-establishing' Isreal (I don't even remember the year the war was fought)

I don't think peace is possible. Both dogs want the bone and are willing to fight until death to win it.

But I am not sure, as a species, peace will ever be possible. Where is the lasting precedent? The ideal to point at and say, "see, it can be just like that."

Anybody?
I'm open for enlightenment.

70% of the Palestinians support suicide bombings -- total war, where every person on the other side is a target. They have attacked concentrations of small children several times. These peopla want peace? Sure they do: the peace of Buchenwald.

An observation or two on suicide bombers: http://www.dianahsieh.com/blog/2002_04_07_weekly.html#85003211

Hmm. Doyce, I agree with your reserved support for the Isrealis. However, I think that it is too simple to say that the Isrealis are doing the same thing we are doing in Afghanistan. Two points:

First, the attack on us was less morally ambiguous. Bin laden wasn't trying to force us to give up disputed land or to do anything. He attacked because he hated our non-muslim way of life. Our only choices were to convert, en masse, to Muslims or to fight. Although the dispute between the Palestinians and the Isrealis has been intractable (and Arafat walked away from a sweet deal brokered by Clinton) there is at least the possibility of a political solution to the underlying problems.

Second, and more importantly, what the Isrealis are doing won't work. Think of it as a gamer. What do you need to make a suicide bomb attack? Pissed off and hopeless people, explosives, and a few people to coordinate the destruction. The Isrealis are creating thousands of new pissed off/hopeless people, and there was no shortage before. They have to recognize that their police and military cannot fully protect them. We aren't assured of winning our war on terrorism, but we are at least not making it worse. Michael