Replies: 3 Comments

MEA CULPA ON BOTH COUNTS

Ami,

On the name, I'm sorry it must be mj bad typing which I see I have repeated in the last message, and will try not to do again.

On the more substantive issue, I think your facts have convinced me that what I still think will work with the Gaza families will not work with the bulldozer families.

In addition, I now see that this sort of collective punishment of Israeli citizens is not compatible with the principles of a free and democratic society.

Unfortunately, I don't see that your solution of hopgin for more orthodox Jews to take up bulldozer driving is any solution, especially in the short term.

And it does not help that organs like the BBC keep sending out misleading headlines.

All the best, John

John Furedy, Friday, July 25th

Theories are nice, facts are inconvenient. In both cases of bulldozer attacks, the families insisted publicly that they oppose terror and violence. That is not like the Gaza terrorists. Moreover, the IDF study showed that there was no deterrent effect from the destruction of houses, while we know that it causes radicalization and gives opponents of Israel an "issue."

Why do you insist on calling me "Ari?"

Ami Isseroff

Ami Isseroff, Thursday, July 24th

It is true that for the murdered the 72 virgins (together witih his positive self esteem at being a martyr for the cause) is likely to outeigh any penalty suffered by his family.
However, while growing up, this murderer has been encourgaed by other members of his family to view maartyrdom in a positive light, and that family encouragmenet is likely to decrease if other family members know that they will lose their house as a consequence of his martyrdom, even if the family may be lauded by their peers. The family is also likely to think twice before encouraging another of their sons to be given to the cause.

So I don't think that the motives of the individual martyr is the only issue to consider in connection with punishing the martyr's family.

In contrast to this solution, I think Ari's solutoin of getting more orthodox Jews to take up bus driving over torah study, this mahy be a good idea, but surely Israelis cannot wait for this solution to be implemented. Better, I think, to deal with the undesirable behavior of Israeli-Arab martyrs by punishing the famlies which have nurtured them and which gain presstige from giving martyrs to the cause.

All the best, John

Ari and I had a similar argument about the policy of wiping our the spots from which rockets are fired, with a 24 warning to reduce civilian injuries. I think the same principle of behavior modification applies there, but in that case there is the added difficulty that weapons have to be emploiyed outside Israel, rather than what is essentially a civil aciton that occurs also when a super highway is put through a neighbourhood some of whose occupants are not happy about it.

John Furedy, Thursday, July 24th

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