"There was no massacre" - which massacre is that, Keith? It gets copnvoluted trying to ffollow this. There have undoubtedly been more than enough massacres which have indubitably taken place, signed sealed and delivered, and links to information about these have been propvided.

And please don't pretend ("might lack the guts to contradict Jim Carroll,") that I have not stated on several occasions in this thread that I think the use of missiles is wrong, and also tends to hurt Palestinians, since it helps the Israel government to justify its own reliance on far greater levels of violence than the Palestinians have ever been able to deploy. I disagree with Jim on this point.

I suppose, insofar as the use of the missiles may have encouraged this behaviour on the part of Israel, behaviour which I believe threatens the future survival of the country, it might be possible to argue that, in the long run, the missiles will turn out to have damaged Israel rather than helped it - but obviously I wouldn't see that as "justifying" such use. "In the long run" we are all dead, after all.