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A Disproportionate Response? The Case of Israel and Hizballah

[Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs] Joshua L. Gleis - In responding forcefully to Hizballah's provocation in the summer of 2006, Israel not only restored much of its deterrent capability, but did so against a weapon of the Iranian and Syrian militaries. Israel acted only after exhausting a number of other options over the decades, including everything from all-out invasion and regime change to quiet diplomacy and open negotiations. Israel's overall response was not disproportionate when considering the enemy Israel was fighting, the tactics Hizballah used, and the past unprovoked attacks that had been left unaddressed. Appeasement simply does not work when dealing with terrorist organizations. Hizballah is not interested in gaining a portion of land from Israel, but plans to continue fighting until "all" of "historic Palestine" is "liberated." The writer is a Research Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Studies at Harvard University.
2006-12-29 01:00:00
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