(Washington Post) John Ward Anderson and Molly Moore - After four years of fighting between Israelis and Palestinians, Israel has established dominance on the battlefield, sharply reduced loss of life among its soldiers and civilians, and advanced its own agenda for the West Bank and Gaza in the absence of negotiations to bring peace, according to officials and analysts from both sides. In a pivotal shift in the conflict, Israel has crippled the effectiveness of the Palestinian militants' primary strategic weapon - the suicide bomber - with frequent military operations in the Palestinian territories, targeted killing of dozens of militant leaders, improved intelligence, and construction of a massive barrier through and around the West Bank. According to the IDF, two out of three suicide bombers reached their targets in 2001. This year the ratio has fallen to one in nine.
2004-10-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive