From: perlman@qso.Colorado.EDU (Eric S. Perlman)
Subject: Re: Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian boy
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 18:28:56 GMT

In article <1gk7s2INNhi8@manuel.anu.edu.au> bdm@cs.anu.edu.au writes:
>In article <1992Dec14.181022.14513@colorado.edu> Eric Perlman writes:
>>In article <1ghfbrINN5b1@manuel.anu.edu.au> bdm@cs.anu.edu.au writes:
>>>Some are certain to be collaborators, but I'm sure many are not.
>>>I would be 99% certain that this corruption of the focus of the
>>>intifada had more than a little Israeli help.  No, I'm not talking
>>>about death squads necessarily; there are many subtler ways to go
>>>about it.  On the other hand, as I've said before, the killing of
>>>collaborators is an unfortunate invariant of "resistance movements",
>>>especially at similar stages.
>
>>Not sure what you're trying to say here, Brendan.  Does the IDF try to
>>recruit Palestinians to help in the security situation?  Of course it
>>does - that's just plain common sense.  But the vast majority of those
>>assaulted by the Death Squads aren't guilty in the slightest.  Even PLO
>>activists realize this yet make no attempt to rein in the squads. 
>
>I bet your "make no attempt" comment is just plain wrong, but I don't
>have time to argue it.  The point I was trying to make is this:
>
>In addition to the usual stuff like random detentions, beatings,
>shootings and so on, it is to be expected that Israeli agencies
>(read Shabak) are working to corrupt the intifada from within.  The
>sort of thing I mean is recruiting more "informers" than necessary,
>possible deliberate exposure of collaborators, funding activities 
>of anti-PLO persons, speading rumours, many other things.  The 
>result of such a campaign is that is fuels the paranoia of 
>Palestinians, who start becoming suspicious of one another and
>basically start seeing an Israeli agent under every bed.  Resistance
>movements at this stage of development always suffer from an
>increase of infighting.  It would happen even without outside help,
>but a good security service (which Shabak is) can help this process
>along dramatically.  I think that if this is not the case they 
>would be ashamed of themselves.

I'm not sure how much of this is going on.  I do know that numerous
PLO-affiliated activists who've stated even slightly non-standard
opinions have been forced to seek protection from Israeli authorities
not for being collaborators - which they're not - but just for speaking
something that some party or other doesn't approve of.   When this
happens, we don't see statements by, e.g.,  Faisal Husseini or Hanan
Ashrawi (or some other prominent Palestinian), denouncing the death
threats.  Indeed, what we do see instead is an attempt to pass off such
actions as those of "Israeli death squads."  That's the kind of thing I
was referring to in stating that Palestinian activists aren't trying to
rein in the squads - indeed, they seem to be either too frightened of
them to admit their existence or they are trying to make the situation
seem far worse than it is by passing off all the violence to Israeli
authorities or "death squads." (sic)
-- 
"How sad to see/A model of decorum and tranquillity/become like any other sport
A battleground for rival ideologies to slug it out with glee." -Tim Rice,"Chess"
     Eric S. Perlman 				 <perlman@qso.colorado.edu> 
  Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, University of Colorado, Boulder
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast