Now that it has joined the worldwide fight against terror,
the Palestinian Authority decided that it must ensure that
there are no big demonstrations in support of master
terrorist Osama Bin Laden. The Palestinian street, however,
is upset that the Americans are trying to catch him. They
support the ideas he expresses and, apparently, the tactics
he favors. Thus, last week there was a very large
demonstration in support of Bin Laden in Gaza and in several
other places.
What did the security forces of the Palestinian Authority do?
They broke up those demonstrations, and in doing so they shot
and killed several Palestinians (at least three).
Did they use excessive force in putting down the
demonstrations?
The PA said that Molotov cocktails were thrown at its forces
and masked gunmen shot at them, so they had to shoot back.
Did they use excessive force in putting down the
demonstrations?
No American spokesman said so, nor did any European condemn
them.
For more than a week the Americans have been bombing
Afghanistan, a backward country that happens to be the home
of the most wanted criminal in the world today: Osama Bin
Laden. The Taliban rulers of Afghanistan are also considered
legitimate targets of American wrath since they allowed Bin
Laden to build and direct his terror from their country and
now refuse to hand him over to the U.S. where he is accused
of crimes.
Last Shabbos a Navy FA-18 fighter-bomber jet dropped a 2,000
pound "smart" bomb onto a residential neighborhood of Kabul,
the capital of Afghanistan. Reports from the scene said that
four civilians were killed and eight were wounded. The U.S.
said that it was an accident. Earlier a cruise missile
apparently killed four UN employees who were working to clear
mines. The Pentagon said that it was aimed at a radio tower
but it went off course.
The Taliban have said that many more civilians were killed in
the American attacks, including over 200 who died in a
bombing attack on a village near the eastern city of
Jalalabad. A senior U.S. Defense Department official said the
accidental bombing would not force the Pentagon to change its
tactics or targets. It would learn its lessons and move
on.
Conditions were never that great in Afghanistan, and they
have certainly worsened for the average citizen there due to
the extensive bombing.
Israel has been fighting terror for decades and in particular
during the last year. Though it has been -- by nature and
inclination -- extremely careful to avoid innocent casualties
and has generally been successful, it has been regularly
criticized for its efforts to defend itself.
One notable example is the 11 year old Palestinian child
Mohammed Dura who was killed in a firefight that began when
Palestinians opened fire on Israeli soldiers. Despite the
fact that extensive simulations showed that it is very likely
that he was killed by a bullet shot from the Palestinian
side, he is considered a martyr for the Palestinian cause and
a symbol of Israel's indiscriminate killing of civilians.
For the past year, the world condemned Israel, and the United
States was always one of the first.
The rule must be applied universally: all harm to innocent
bystanders is to be avoided and deeply regretted. However the
responsibility for such harm must be assigned to the side
that initiated the attacks and not to those who respond in
legitimate self-defense.
