Except Matt doesn't equate these actions to "terrorism," he doesn't make a false equivalency to Hamas rockets, and he explicitly acknowledges these actions are a standard staple of war, something you argued the exact opposite.

The war strategy which Friedman is heralding -- what he explicitly describes with euphemism-free candor as "exacting enough pain on civilians" in order to teach them a lesson -- is about as definitive of a war crime as it gets. It also happens to be the classic, textbook definition of "terrorism."

Yglesias writes accurately:

Friedman is positing a much sicker rationale for military action than its actual initiators have been willing to articulate.

Very true, and why Friedman is a pathological nutjob. But what Matt gets and you don't is that the actions are common-place in war. Right or wrong, this isn't what you describe as "terrorism" is, it's what "war" is.

Now how's about checking the Matt Yglesias post I was directing you to (about the outlawing of Arab political parties)? You might learn something about placing an action in both global and European context before ranting about its "injustice."

Let's assume that your simplistic and misleading version of the events that occured between 1900 and 1948 are true, though they are not. What possible use are they in evaluating today's situation?

Let's look at this strictly from a completely self-serving Israeli view. Israel has annexed large amounts of the West Bank and Gaza where three million Palestinians live under de facto martial law. One third of its population in Jerusalem is Palestinian, and without rights. Another twenty percent of its population within the 1948 borders of Israel is Palestinian and are second class citizens. Tens of thousands of domestic workers from the third world have been brought over to do the work that Palestinians once did before the Intifada.

Is this the way you maintain an exclusive Jewish state? By giving your country an extreme legitimacy problem when defining itself as a secular democratic nation? Come on dude, if you really are interested in the welfare of Israel, you know this state of affairs cannot continue. Israel's time as an exclusive Jewish state is winding down, and the end came from its own expansionist hand.

Now can we please get away from the Israel must die dittoheads which GG attracts and start getting down to negotiating the deal to end all of this?

Stop whining! C'mon, you can't tell me that you haven't noticed the shift to the kvetching phase of Hasbara today? "Critiques can be made..." "Tell us what Israel should do...", "What's your solution...." and now the dread "Negotiations...."

And that after how many days of steady abuse from you fine folks? After two weeks of being insulted, libeled and slandered, now you want from us "Critiques", and "Negotiations"?

And Glenn, after two weeks of the most scurrilous insults from Zionists, is the guy who's got to do it!

If this is the quality of the thinking behind Israel's strategy and tactics, let alone it's diplomacy, I say start dismantling that sucker and sell it off now, while you can still get something for the fixtures. You've been taken, bad.

Good thing you haven't got too much more than spittle and keystrokes in the enterprise.

Now can we please get away from the Israel must die dittoheads which GG attracts and start getting down to negotiating the deal to end all of this?

Me? Us? We get to design the next Arab-Israeli peace accords?

Neato! Where do I submit my proposal?

First, cut off all American military aid to Israel.

Second, get the UN into Gaza so Israel will stay out.

Third, set up a democratic, viable, and reasonably well-armed self-policing state in Gaza and the West Bank and sit back and watch the peace grow.

Any objections?

In his reply to Timothy3, I think we can discover all we need to now about WinSmith's awareness of current events with regards to Israel and Gaza.

The more terrified and brutal the Israelis become.

Why is that?

I appreciate the sentiment - really, I do -- but I just can't leave someone's home number up here.

If anyone deserves it, Tom Friedman does, but even there, just can't do it.

yeah, I agree with you: there is no equivalency between a modern military and home-made Qassam rockets. And there isn't equivalency between the scope of destruction either.

OTOH the desire to kill is overwhelmingly Palestinian. Incompetence is not a defense or justification.

But whatever you call it, the last thing it is is justified.

Truly spoken like a man who has no "skin" in the game. Don't like this war? Write a letter to Hamas and ask them to play nice. Heh.

Because Israel-haters hate to observe the complicity of Egypt and the war-crimes of Hamas in this scenario. It doesn't jibe with the awesome Star Wars narrative that the "rebels" are fighting the "evil empire."

I realize that storyline is very compelling, but if you want to understand the suffering of the Palestinians, simply blaming Israel is as easy as it is false.

I think it's atrocious. Israel falls short of many ideals of democracy, and they can and should be critiqued for this. However if you'd read Matt Yglesias, he provides the actual sober and serious contemplation on this issue that your one-sided rants sorely lack.

-- WinSmith

... but I'm curious, WinSmith. What exactly do you think is the "other side" of the move to ban Arab parties from the political process? What would justify treating every Arab person as if they are indistinguishable one from the other? Interchangable because "they all look the same to me" - perhaps?

What IS the sober and serious other side to this?

God help us.

Very true, and why Friedman is a pathological nutjob.

And that's why you, and lots of big-time Jewish organisations are beseiging the New York Times with letters demanding to know why a "pathological nutjob" is allowed to represent Zionism and eplicate the actions of Israel in the NYTs.

It hardly leaves you time to comment here, when you include all the other columnists and commentators you have to protest, too.

And then of course, there's stuff like this:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FABqq_jjRRo