Date: Monday, 11 January 1993 20:16:19 MST
X-Mailer: TMail version 1.16R
From: "D. C. Sessions" <dcs@witsend.tnet.com>
Subject: Policing the Territories
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast
Distribution: world

In <1993Jan7.150956.14128@ncsu.edu>, hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU (Brad Hernlem)  wrote:
# 
# I find that I must agree with Mr. Keren on this matter, to some extent.

  This made my week.  It's incredibly refreshing to see something
  other than straight party-line reflexive posting.

# It is not clear that the soldiers fired AT the girl or intended to hit
# her. It is not clear that she was involved in any action that the
# soldiers were responding to. Israel-bashers beware: what evidence do you
# have that the soldiers killed the girl with intent or that they were
# firing purposefully at her? Arab-bashers beware: what evidence do you
# have that the girl was involved in any protest, violent action, or other
# involvement in the incident?

  Hear, hear!  It ain't all melodrama, folks.  Confession being good
  for the soul, how about we all admit that our side (whatever that
  might be) snarches up from time to time?

# It is not so much the individual soldiers who are to blame but rather
# the occupation itself. The superiors who send soldiers into situations
# where they are not needed and for which they are accomplishing nothing
# but stirring up resentment and anger are the ones who are ultimately
# responsible, in my opinion. It would seem that in most of the instances
# where there are a great deal of Palestinian casualties, the soldiers
# find themselves in a situation where they cannot think rationally.
# Furthermore, because these soldiers are protecting no Palestinians (I
# know that some will claim that they are protecting "collaborators" but
# the cases of high casualties usually give no indication of this), these
# soldiers ought not to be placed in these situations in the first place.
# 
# The Israeli government should end the occupation and should allow the
# locals to police themselves. 

  Without agreeing about the justice of occupation *per*se*, I and
  many others deplore the use of combat troops as policemen.  The
  practice seriously undermines their suitability as combat troops
  and yields less than satisfactory police work.

  A good first step would be to establish a joint constabulary with
  both Israeli and local members chartered to maintain order locally.
  Cynics on both sides object to this, however.  One Palestinian
  objection is based on the slippery-slope argument.  Israeli cynics
  add a couple more: (a) the life expectancy of the Palestinian
  'collaberators' involved would be too short to measure, and
  (2) any community involved in such a program would become a target
  for outsiders bent on scuttling the effort.

  How many of us can agree *in*principle* that this approach would be
  a good *first*step*?  Of those who do agree, do any of you have
  answers to the cynical objections?

--- D. C. Sessions                            Speaking for myself ---
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