Originally posted by: justint
I would like to clarify however, that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians killed in the current intifada were not terrorists or combtanants of any sort, just as the overwhelming number of Israelis killed in the current conflict by terrorist actions have been non-combatants. One need only look at the appalling number of Palestinian and Israeli children killed to know this fact. It is virtually impossible to effectively suppress terrorists operating amongst a friendly civliian population using conventional military forces without killing large number of non-combatants. Notice I said it is virtually impossible to suppress terrorists, it is impossible to defeat them under these circumstances. Kill one there will always be another to take his/her place. This is a historical fact, demonstrated in many conflicts including Vietnam, Afghanistan, Algeria, etc. etc.
Additionally, IDF, Border Police, and Paramilitary Security forces have been using lethal force on people who would not fit the definition of terrorist, in the first weeks of the Al Aqsq Intifada over a hundred Palestinians mostly teenagers and young men were shot by Israeli troops using live ammunition during protests where the only weapons were rocks and burning tires. Many have been killed ancillary to combat operations against terrorists such as assasinations of terrorist leaders, raids on towns and villages, sniper fire from Israeli troops to enforce curfews and protect settlements, shooting incidents at checkpoints etc. Some of these incidents were mistakes, some were collateral damage, and some were deliberate actions designed to suppress the Palestinian population.
I am not making any judgements about the morality of these actions, and there effectiveness is open to debate amongst both Palestinians and Israelis. Palestinians know that terrorism against civillians particularly in Israel causes them great damage in the realm of public opinion, yet Hamas, and Islamic Jihad continue to enjoy wide support for thier activties due to the fact that they are seen to be doing SOMETHING against the occupiers. Sharon and his government is aware of the fact (reinforced by repeated statements and assessments from the Shin Bet, the Mossad, the Israeli National Security Council, and the Defense minister that the military activities of the Isreali security serivices will not ever stop terrorism or bring permament security yet they persist in escalating thier activities as they need to show as doing SOMETHING against the terrorists.
The current armed conflct is more based on political and emotional resons on both sides rather than strictly military ones.