The Israeli far-right coalition government is struggling to come to terms with yesterday’s attack by settlers on a military base in the occupied West Bank, with knee-jerk hawkishness running afoul of many of the factions’ central tenets, that settlers are uniquely virtuous and can do no wrong.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman condemned the settlers involved in the attacks as “weeds that must be uprooted,” while Defense Minister Ehud Barak likened them to terrorists.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to avoid too much controversy himself, insisting that he would not allow the settler movement responsible for the attack to ever be labeled a “terror group.”
The difference is a semantic one, however, as Netanyahu did say he was approving recommendations for the military to treat the settlers involved in the same way they traditionally treat terror groups (or indeed Palestinian civilians involved in peaceful protests), with summary detentions in military custody and no access to civilian courts.
Information about yesterday’s attack continues to trickle out, with reports that it was launched because of rumors that the Israeli military was going to tear down a settlement illegally constructed without regime permission. The government insists this was not true, and recently has moved to retroactively legalize such settlements.
You can bet the farm, though, that if Palestinians had committed these crimes they'd be labeled as "terrorists" and the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza and the West Bank would begin within minutes.
Just as an exercise in semantics, though, I wonder what label he applies to the Stern Gang or the Irgun of days gone by.
"Freedom Fighters."
What else COULD he call them and still be Prime Minister for more than an hour?
The entire Israeli government by virtue is a terrorist organization. They have acted with criminal malice for the last sixty four years. The settlers unto themselves are looked upon as vermin by the entire world minus the sickening US congress, and senate. Bring these settlers over here, and we will see justice take place. These barbaric racists deserve to be beaten where they stand.
These activits are as much activits as the Ni'lin and Bi'lin protesters are. Both attack the army and both should be dealt with with an iron fist….
Well, we can't muddy up the definition of terrorist by using it indiscriminately. Right?
Only Americans are uniquely allowed to do that!
well if they attacked the israeli military that can mean only one thing…
they are trying to make another holocaust.
so imprison them
shell their neighborhoods
deny them movement
bulldoze their homes
and remember that any complaints they raise are only because they are holocaust-loving jew-hating terrorist.
Netanyahu is quite correct – attacking military forces is not terrorism so perhaps Israel wll now stop calling all attacks on its military forces terrorism.
"…he would not allow the settler movement responsible for the attack to ever be labeled a “terror group."…
I wonder which end of Netanyahoo that statement came out of…
Sounds a lot like Dr. Frankenstein railing against the "Frankenstein Monster" for being a murderous psychopath, when it was he himself, who created the monster.
Sounds a lot like Dr. Frankenstein, railing against the 'Frankenstein Monster' when was he, who in fact, created it.
well if they attacked the israeli military that can mean only one thing…
they are trying to make another holocaust.
so imprison them
shell their neighborhoods
deny them movement
bulldoze their homes
and remember that any complaints they raise are only because they are holocaust-loving jew-hating terrorist.