THERE IS NO SOLUTION TO THIS MADNESS: I don't have the energy to give this ridiculous Times editorial the same attention I gave to April 9th's iteration, but the editors haven't learned any lesson.
Israel's long-term interest lies in nurturing Palestinian development, not demolishing it. While Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's determination to strike back at terrorists is understandable, Israel's destruction of Palestinian homes, businesses and public utilities is not. Knocking down houses, destroying electricity pylons and interfering with health care, as Israeli forces have done across the West Bank, cannot be justified by any compelling military need.
Um...how about the fact that terrorists are enmeshed within the civilian population, using civilians as human shields and houses as bases? Getting to the terrorists seems like a compelling military need to me, though the Times apparently disagrees.
And while the Times is right that it is in Israel's ultimate long-term interest to have a functioning Palestinian economy, Keynes' aphorism was never more apt. In the long run, Israel will certainly be dead unless it can stop the terrorists now. If the Palestinian economy is a short-term casualty, that is certainly unfortunate, but Israel's primary "long-term interest" is survival.
These gains have been obliterated by the past 19 months of conflict, with the greatest damage concentrated in the past two weeks. Yasir Arafat bears much of the blame. Now Israel claims to have proof that he has not only failed to oppose terrorism but has directly authorized it.
Good. The Times' editors have read their own paper for a change. Is there any ramification of this proof of Arafat's perfidy?
Still, Israeli military tactics are responsible for much of the civilian destruction.
While the ostensible goal of Israel's offensive is capturing terrorists and uprooting their organizations, it has resulted in a prolonged siege affecting hundreds of thousands of civilians trying to go about their everyday lives. Mr. Sharon needs to make it clear to his commanders that Palestinian civilians are not Israel's enemy and that their lives, livelihoods and property deserve respect.
Better yet, with Secretary of State Colin Powell in Israel, Mr. Sharon should belatedly heed President Bush's call for immediate withdrawal. Continuing this offensive may yield more terrorist arrests, but at grievous cost to Israel's long-term interests.
Of course not. Sure, Arafat has been directing terror every step of the way, and he should pay a price, as long as it doesn't interfere with the necessity to get back to the process that led to...Arafat directing terror.