Israel responds to suicide attacks
As we might have imagined, it didn't take Israel long to respond to the latest Palestinian suicide bombings. I wonder how long it's going to take for some public figure to decry the Israelis' "lack of restraint" or "disproportionate response". OK; perhaps next time they should just lob a few shells into an area crowded with Palestinian civilians?
TEL AVIV, Israel (CNN) -- Israeli forces fired nine missiles at targets in Gaza early Monday, hours after two nearly simultaneous suicide bombings rocked central Tel Aviv, killing at least 22 and wounding more than 100 others.
Israel also announced a raft of additional restrictions on Palestinians including the closure of three Islamic universities in the West Bank and the banning of Palestinian vehicles from parts of the West Bank....
The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant offshoot of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, initially claimed responsibility for the attack and said the bombers were two Palestinians from Nablus. But in a fax sent later to CNN on the group's letterhead, the group denied all responsibility.
"The brigade remains fully committed to the legitimate Palestinian leadership headed by Yasser Arafat and stick by it," the statement said. The group is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
The Islamic Jihad, likewise on the State Department's list of terrorist groups, also claimed responsibility in a phone call to CNN's Beirut bureau, but its militant wing later denied the claim.
I applaud the Israelis for showing the resolve to respond immediately and in force. While any loss of life is regrettable, Palestinians by their silence have been implicitly supporting and enabling the work of suicide bombers. Perhaps if they realize the price they will have to pay for supporting terrorism, they will rethink their position. If not, and if they honestly believe that killing innocent civilians is a legitimate means toward their end, then they deserve to be exterminated, for they have sacrificed their humanity.
Civilized nations and civilized people do not target noncombatants. Where Israel is concerned, Palestinians will eventually reap the death and suffering they sow, and deservedly so.
