Agree with the point about stealing the main weapon of the terrorist, namely terror. “Respond, don’t react” would be my motto.

What I’m saying regarding Jewish vs Arab reaction to terrorists is that there is definitely something different between the two. Don’t know what to attribute it to, but there is something glaringly different. As I said, one punishes their terrorists, the other promotes them. Sure, the Arabs are similar to everyone else in that they want many of the same things. However, the means by which they appear to want to attain them differs greatly, and the tolerance for those violent, terroristic means stands in stark contrast. There is no moral equivalence here.

Thanks. I appreciate your hospitality here. You’re polite and you keep me on my toes. I’ll be upfront, I’m about as liberal as they come, but it’s difficult to find someone with different philosophies that is capable of communicating over the noise. I have this hypothesis that average citizens actually have more interests in common with our neighbors who vote differently than with our elected in Washington of the same political bent.

I’m well aware that the Kahanists are outlawed, but they are still extremely disruptive and violent. This small faction of extremists are extremely efficient at keeping hostilities and hatreds alive against the will of the majority of Israelis. I guess if I had a point, it would be that we could let the terrorists lead us around from one violent incident to the next and allow extremists on both sides to push each other toward holy war, or we can resist and remain fearless and rational — if a terrorist can’t terrorize, what has he got?

If you’re tryng to tell me that there is something qualitatively different about Palestinians, Muslims, or Arabs, well, that will be a tough sell. They’re a different culture but the same species. Don’t most of them want a home, a family and food on the table just like every one of all God’s other children worldwide?

Appreciate the smilie, but in any event you can’t compare the Rabin assassin (the correct term), who specifically killed the object of his ire, to a terrorist who blows up a disco full of people who have little to nothing to do with the terrorists anger. Completely different.

And I looked up Kahanism on Wikipedia and found that since ’85 and forbidden to participate politically. Further, when the Kach party praised a terrorist attack by the Kahanists, they too were booted from the Knesset. When Israeli terror groups appear, they are removed from power. When Palestinian ones appear, they get elected. Again, there is absolutely no comparison. At least Israel is working towards having no home-grown terrorism. It’s a tragedy that there are Palestinian victims of Jewish terrorism, but please look at the big picture a bit more dispassionately.

Thank you for the clarification. I wonder though, now that the Palestinians have some self-rule and territory, if the daily barrage of rockets from the West Bank and Gaza will diminish. Somehow, I doubt it.

1. Do you retract your statement that they “don’t exist”?
2. I’m not talking about individual extremists. I’m talking about organized far right factions committed to ridding the Holy Land of Arabs, with violence if need be, a fundamentalist theocratic Jewish state and committed to disrupting any efforts at peace.

“(And technically, Rabin’s assassin wasn’t trying to instill terror; he was trying to kill Rabin.”

Now you’re just nit-picking. 🙂

“As a major threat to Arabs, the idea of an Israeli terrorist just isn’t on the radar.”

Their Palestinian victims would beg to differ.

“Additionally, the Israelis don’t have entire political parties for whom that is their modus operandi.”

Oh, yes. They most certainly do. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Look up “Kahanism”

“And the fact that we’re allies with them doesn’t mean, by some strange definition, that they have terrorists or engage in terrorism. ”

I’m sorry. I don’t think I made my point clear. What I meant is that terrorism is usually the tactic of stateless groups without any organized military or militia. Since the Israelis are the people with the benefit of a formal state and hi powered arms — the emergence of terrorist groups among the powerful runs counter to where you’d normally expect terrorist groups to form – but they most certainly have and they are not nice people.

And the fact that we’re allies with them doesn’t mean, by some strange definition, that they have terrorists or engage in terrorism.

You SURE about that pardner? There do indeed exist Israeli terrorists. Who assassinated Rabin? What about the thwarted plot to bomb a Muslim school for girls famously documented on PBS’s Frontline? Right-wing Jews. Just because it isn’t reported over here doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen — and they have all the force of one of the world’s elite militaries backed by the good ol’ US of A. Why would a right-wing Israeli need to resort to terrorism? They have nukes!!

Care to redact anything in your post above in light of this newfound existence of Israeli terrorism?