(Ha'aretz) Yossi Sarid - Great anguish gripped us all during the past two weeks at the sight of 13 coffins draped in the state flag of soldiers killed in the Gaza Strip. The death of soldiers is more painful to us and vexes us more, because they were young, because they are our beloved sons, because every one of us has, or will have, someone there. There is not only solidarity here, but also alarm - when soldiers are killed, it's as if we are all more exposed, and there is no choice but to immediately rehabilitate the IDF "deterrent capability." The differences in the Israeli response also attest to the stupidity and maliciousness of the Palestinians. Some say they know Israeli society much better than we know theirs. If they really did, they would know already what hurts us most. And then those war criminals, headed by Yasser Arafat, would rid themselves and us of their appalling terror, they would not be forcing themselves into the world of international pariahs, and would not be marking their war of independence with the indelible stain of terrorism against civilians. If they really knew us, and had a little more wisdom, the Palestinians would behave in war as in war - not as in a slaughterhouse.
2004-06-01 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive