But if what I was once told is correct (and please correct me if it is wrong), that every citizen of Israel must serve a mandatory term in the army and then become reservists subject to recall at any time, then by your definition, Islamic Jihad and Hamas are freedom fighters. The Israeli settlers in occupied Palestinian lands are nothing more than an undercover invading army.
Only half of your assumption is correct. Israelis do have to serve, and are reservists. I know quite a few. They can be called up at any time. That is true as well.
HOWEVER, have you noted the age of the suicide bombers victims? Frequently, women and children are involved. Not every Israeli is subject to military service, either, since there are exemptions for various reasons.
Furthermore, a reservist doesn't purely represent a military target. Many people at the WTC were reservists, I'm sure, or National Guardsmen. But they weren't the target of the attack.
Blowing up a seder and justifying it by saying it was a military act because there were reservists there isn't a compelling argument. The vast majority of people there are citizens who happen to have ties to the military. That doesn't make them part of the army.
Frankly, most of the Israelis I know aren't fond of the arrangement, but only comply because of their fierce loyalty to their country. They don't even like the current invasion, but they (unlike the US at times) do feel "my country, right or wrong".
The problem with the Israeli action in the West Bank is that it gives some kernel of justification to the reasoning you employed. As a result, the Israelis are really only hurting themselves.
BTW, did anyone see the picture of the soap factory they destroyed? It was front page of NYTimes yesterday.
Anyone know what soap can be used to make? I know a few vets on this page who can figure that out. |
