A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
Beilin and Self-Defense

In an anti-Sharon column in Thursday's Jerusalem Post, Yossi Beilin writes:

"The obvious pullout from Gaza became so important, so central, so precedent-setting, that leftists are willing to forgive Sharon the Lebanon War and his ascent to the Temple Mount, the targeted assassinations, and his cruel economic policy, and are willing to give him a security net or even join his cabinet."

Beilin - the architect of Oslo and the Geneva Accord - obviously has different views than Sharon about Israel's best approach to the conflict with the Palestinians. However, his criticism of "leftists" for being "willing to forgive... the targeted assassinations" is shocking.

There has long been a consensus in Israel in support of the liquidation of terrorists who murder Israeli civilians. In early 1996, Yahya Ayyash, Hamas' chief bomb maker, was killed in a targeted assassination. Beilin was a member of Shimon Peres's cabinet then. He did not oppose taking out Ayyash; nor did he resign his cabinet position.

When Ehud Barak was Prime Minister, Beilin served as Justice Minister. When the Palestinians launched their current war of terror, Barak ordered the assassination of terrorist leaders, including Thabet Thabet of Fatah. There was no protest from Beilin.

Yitzhak Rabin used to say that Israel would negotiate peace as if there were no terror, and fight terror as if there were no peace process. Beilin apparently opposes fighting terror even when there is indeed no peace process.
posted on 8/25/2004