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Fri, Jun 20th 2008, 17:06

Lior Petek, University of St. Gallen, Gold Contributor (105)

"We should talk to Hamas, not because negotiations will necessarily get anywhere, but because a failure to negotiate will necessarily get nowhere."

This sentence summarizes the weak logic of the whole article. The author of that article suggests to start negotiating with Hamas, because not negotiating with it does not work, even though he himself confesses that the former strategy does not work, either.

Moreover, the author quotes interviews with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to support his thesis that the Israeli blockade increases the support and motivation for extremism and terrorism without even questioning the credibility of their statements as he himself is well aware of the fact that the Gaza Strip under the rule of Hamas is a "police state". Furhtermore, a more scholarly research would have revealed to the author that there are also voices - anonymous ones, of course - that are critical of Hamas (for instance, because of its confiscation of fuel for their own purposes, while hospitals end up with nothing).

Finally, even if the rise in support and motivation for terrorism was indeed the case, the author fails to acknowledge the fact that the blockade, on the other hand, has made it more difficult for Hamas to import weapons into the Gaza Strip. So whereas as a result of the Israeli blockade the motivation for terrorism might have risen, the capability to engage in terrorism has equally decreased.

Fri, Jun 20th 2008, 19:56

Lior Petek, University of St. Gallen, Gold Contributor (105)

Well, you are right, of course, in principle (although I fail to see how bomb detectors would recognize the know-how of an unarmed terrorist concerning bomb manufacturing, which he could pass on to Arab Israelis or Palestinians in the West Bank visiting him, or how they would recognize the intelligence he may have received from insiders just to name a few scenarios).Yet the problem is that "Gazans pay doctors to declare them ill" to get terrorists inside Israel according to the Israeli secret service:

www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1208422652388&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Wed, Jun 25th 2008, 13:34

Donald Stadler, Self-employed, Platinum Contributor (619)

Some things you can't stop, Dr. Petek. I doubt a very sick baby girl would be a danger although it's possible that some visiting *relatives* might be. As for the Fulbright scholar and other in-transit types one could arrange an escort to the plane and back. Know-how is more difficult to stop, I agree.

I support Israel on most things, especially the 'fence-building' - even though it hurts the Israel economy and destroys the Palestinian one. But my view is that if Palestine wished to have a thriving economy they would find a way to stop the suicide bombers from attacking Israelis.

Thu, Jun 26th 2008, 16:16

Lior Petek, University of St. Gallen, Gold Contributor (105)

I completely agree with everything you have written. Yet I want to emphasize again that my objection is not that "a very sick baby girl would be a danger" ("although it's possible", and this is important, "that some visiting "relatives" might be" - this is why Israel is organizing shuttle services to hospitals in Cairo as a possible, satisfying way out of this dilemma) but that I doubt there are so many sick babies Israel does not take care of as terrorists bribe doctors to declare children sick to demonize Israel in the international community by claiming Israel lets those children die.