Israel's history of assassinations
Great piece by Jackson Diehl in today's Washington Post.
In it, he details how in each of June 2001 and December 2001-- though he erroneously referred to this having happened Dec 2002-- American diplomacy had seemed to be successful in winning a ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and then the Israeli security forces heated things up again by undertaking one of their 'assassination specials' against the Palestinians...
Not that June 2001 was the first time that had happened, either.
The record goes back at least as far October 1995, when Rabin's security forces assassinated Fathi Shiqaqi, of Islamic Jihad. Then the Mossad (when Peres was PM) took out Hamas's Yahya Ayyash, in January 1996.
Both those assassinations were undertaken at times when the Israeli political echelon was also trying to effect a breakthrough in the peace process. (Actually, that could make it a little different from Sharon's use of assassinations, which is much more widespread and also not necessarily linked to any engagement in peacemaking that is anything like as serious as Rabin's and Peres's engagement in that 1995-96 period.)
Details of the 1995-96 assassinations, by the way, are in my 2000 book on the Syrian-Israeli peace talks of 1991-96.
But still, as Diehl demonstrates in his piece, this matter has a significant history.
Sometime, when I have time, I'd like to write more about how I see Sharon's motivations and maneuvering in all this.
One key point to note is the "appeasement of domestic critics of the peace process aspect." It's NOT necessarily the case that, when ordering such assassinations, Israeli leaders have a clear and visionary idea of how this plays into the peacemaking. It's not even-- as Diehl seems to indicate-- that they do it precisely in order to torpedo the peace process. In my view, it's more like they do it as a cheap and unthinking way to appease their domestic critics and reassure them that they are "still security hawks".
What that totally neglects, however, is the quite illegal nature of such killings. Their quite inhumane effects-- especially when carried out in crowded places!! And of course, their effect on the continued re-radicalization of the Palestinian street.
Even given the very best interpretation of Rabin's or Peres's or Sharon's motives-- that is, the "explanation" that they themselves give for these actions: that is, that they are designed to weaken the Palestinian hardliners and empower the Palestinian moderates-- can't they see that it just doesn't work that way???
Also, how extremely patronizing and de-humanizing can you be, to think that swooping in to kill Palestinian hardliners is going to "help" Abu Mazen.
I've read your book on Syria-Israel and highly recommend it to others -- lots of good historical background that will help anyone to understand the current issues between Israel and its Arab neighbors/adversaries.