First of all, I did not make the posting of 09 Jun 03 - 10:54 AM. Someone was obviously trying to discredit my position by providing a link, under my handle, to an anti-Israel publication. Unfortunately, the computer that I use is unable to accept cookies, hence I cannot sign in and am vulnerable to unethical parties who post here.

Secondly, what McGrath describes as terrorism by the Israelis was, in fact, a military retaliation. The Israelis retaliated for the latest terrorist hits on Israeli soldiers and civilians, by attempting to assassinate Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a senior leader of the terrorist organization Hamas. They did this several days after the new Palestinian premier, Mahmoud Abbas, publicly declared that he would "under no circumstances" act against Hamas, and after Hamas itself had publicly pledged to continue terror strikes on Israel. From his hospital bed, Rantisi repeated his call for the extermination of all "criminal Zionists" -- an expression which in the Hamas lexicon means all those Jews not descended exclusively from Arab forebears (who would thus be entitled to "dhimmi" or protected minority status in return for paying special taxes under an Islamic theocracy).

The terorist murderers of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Arafat's Alqsa Martyrs Brigade, and their puppetmasters like Abdel Aziz Rantisi, choose to hide themselves like cowards among innocent civilians. Israel cannot not go after such murderers and Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Arafat's Alqsa Martyrs Brigade know that. They need the rage of the Palestinian masses for their support, so they commit actions that they know will fuel that rage.

Israel will not stop retaliating for terrorist hits. Nor, for that matter, will they be stopped from dismantling West Bank settlements, if they can see the prospect of something in return. In yesterday's case, there was nothing in return: for Mr. Abbas had already declared he wouldn't himself act against Hamas.

Israel will not stop retaliating for terrorist hits. Nor, for that matter, will they be stopped from dismantling West Bank settlements, if they can see the prospect of something in return. In yesterday's case, there was nothing in return: for Mr. Abbas had already declared he wouldn't himself act against Hamas.

The Israelis will make hard decisions, but not suicidal ones, and granting an open season on Jews to Palestinian terrorists would be suicidal.