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The Israeli Lesson

[Wall Street Journal] Editorial - The news about Monday's suicide bombing in the Israeli town of Dimona is that it's the first in more than a year. This didn't happen by accident, or because Palestinian radicals have somehow become less hostile to Israel. Responsibility was claimed by the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, which is affiliated with Mahmoud Abbas' ostensibly moderate Fatah party. Islamist Hamas remains even more ardently dedicated to Israel's destruction, a point it emphasizes with rocket barrages at southern Israeli cities close to Gaza. Key to Israel's increasingly successful antiterrorist efforts has been the construction of its ostensibly "illegal" security fence, its equally "illegal" targeted assassinations of key terrorist leaders, its "disproportional" attacks on terrorist enclaves in Jenin and elsewhere, and other actions that saved innocent lives. As Israel put pressure on terrorist leaders, they were forced to spend their time running for their lives rather than planning the next attack. As Israel set up physical obstacles to terrorism, the need for large-scale military incursions declined, allowing a semblance of normal life to return for Israelis as well as Palestinians. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, Israel proved that terrorists can be defeated.
2008-02-05 01:00:00
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