For those who have watched my posts on these boards, you may have noticed that I am certainly no fan of Israel, or at least the unfettered support that the USA government gives it.  Now that said...

In the recent assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai, in an "Ocean's Eleven" style caper (they even used 11 agents, heh heh), the subject was snuffed with little fanfare.  The team got in, did their work, and got out in less than a day.  All, of course, using fake passports of ostensibly European issuance and James Bond 007-esque disquises.  The Israeli government is saying little, other than that the deceased was more or less a scum bag who was smuggling arms into Gaza to conduct war against Israel.  They have no need to talk about it.  The clean hit speaks for itself, and a pesky military enemy was dispatched.  Israel is content to have simply got the job done.

Let's contrast this with the recent capture of Mullal Baradar, the #2 guy in the Afghan Taliban.  In this case, the CIA let the Pakistanis arrest him, and his existence will now be a festering sore.  And there's all this press release garbage.  Bleeding hearts all over the world will be clamoring for the release of this guy who has conducted acts of war against Americans and Afghans alike.  Baradar should have been shot on sight, or rendered back to Afghanistan and then dispatched as he attempted escape.

The current administration's handling of this case is little different than the old "Gitmo Approach".  We still have a military criminal in custody, and we'll pussyfoot around as to what to do with him.  Or even worse... he'll stay in Pakistani or Afghan custody and be released in one of their perpetual early releases.

When it comes to handling the upper echelon of its enemies... Israel does know how to Git 'R Done...

Whether you shoot them or capture them, whether it's Gaza or or Belfast, imperialism will always result in human suffering, and sooner or later the ones who suffer shall strike back against the ones who they believe make them suffer.

I'm no more impressed with what Israel did than with what the U.S. and Pakistan did.

Certainly the Brits whose passports were cloned and used by the Israelis seem to be a little bit nonplussed...

But you can't get information out of a dead guy, and I'm sure the CIA are wanting to ask Baradar a question or two.  (is it just me who hears the name and thinks "Barad Dur"?)

What pisses me off is the hypocrisy: if the Palestinians were to infiltrate and knock off an Israeli leader.. that would be reported as "terrible"; ditto if Al Q managed to kidnap the Chief of Staff or someone similar.  Yeah, I know that they're "on the other side" but just because we think we're "the good guys", that means that the sorts of tactics we abhor in others are supposed to be OK when we use them.

What pisses me off is the hypocrisy: if the Palestinians were to infiltrate and knock off an Israeli leader.. that would be reported as "terrible"; ditto if Al Q managed to kidnap the Chief of Staff or someone similar.  Yeah, I know that they're "on the other side" but just because we think we're "the good guys", that means that the sorts of tactics we abhor in others are supposed to be OK when we use them.


Hey if the Palestinians knock off an Israeli politician, I'm not going to complain.  Those two entities are at war.  My whole beef with the Israel/Palestine thing is that it has been dragged out for over 60 years because the rest of the world won't keep their noses out of it.  My opinion?  Let the Arabs and Jews have their fight.  Whoever wins, wins.  Russians can't solve the issue, Americans can't either.  Only the Arabs and Jews (and that is what it comes down to, this conflict is NOT about Islam or an Israeli state, it is about Arab .vs. Jew) can resolve this, by whatever means are required BY THEM.

If you are at war against an entity, of course you will see killings of people on your side as "terrible"; they're on your side so of course you're gonna deplore it.  But if you are an effective warring state, you will not be afraid to do what needs to be done to eliminate the threat on the other side.

Holding Baradar to get some intel out of him?  Hey I have no problem with that.  But it should have been kept quiet, and then later he should have been shot whilst trying to escape. This business of advertising this sort of thing is stupid.

By the way I am of the same opinion on how those Somalian hijackers should be treated.  NATO countries simply do a "catch and release".  Hijackers found on the high seas should have their boats sunk underneath them and left to swim back to shore.  Today's treatment of them is a complete farce.  Note that not even the Geneva Convention requires a force to take prisoners.

INTERSTINGLY, in the Mossad hit in Dubai, the only people whose identities are known FOR SURE are two Palestinians who helped finger the target.  ;D  They are in custody in Dubai.

Hey if the Palestinians knock off an Israeli politician, I'm not going to complain.  


I'll believe it when I see it.

8)

As far as I'm concerned, both sides suck and both sides have committed war crimes. A plague on both their houses - which is what we are seeing.

Whether you shoot them or capture them, whether it's Gaza or or Belfast, imperialism will always result in human suffering, and sooner or later the ones who suffer shall strike back against the ones who they believe make them suffer.

I'm no more impressed with what Israel did than with what the U.S. and Pakistan did.


Well, to be fair, the case against the Taliban is much more clear cut than the case against Hamas and Fatah.

The Taliban and Al Quida are both forces that have to be eliminated or at least minimized.  Hamas and Fatah are more of a regional concern that is representative of Israel's ongoing settlement of Palestinian lands.

I'll believe it when I see it.

8)


Well back when Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated, I was not posting here at inthe00s.com

However at the time, my thoughts were "He who lived by the sword died by the sword" and I was quite indifferent to it.  Although in his case it was an extreme right-wing Israeli who did the deed and not a Palestinian.

So let's move on to the case of Benjamin Kahane, leader of the racist political party that, amongst other things, wanted to expel all Arabs from Israel.  Heck, even the Israeli government banned the Kahane Chai party because it was racist and that says alot right there.  The Kahane Chai was not just a political organization, as it also sponsored a lethal grenade attack in Jerusalem and other mayhem.

Anyway, a few years back, Mr. Kahane was assassinated by the Palestinian Force 17 and I did not shed any tears.

I WOULD have a problem with either Israel or Palestinian forces assassinating public figures who in no way have naything to do with the armed conflict.  So, if a Health Minister (who did not have any history of military ops) were assassinated, you might see me carp about that.