Israeli Collective Punishment, À La Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman
Source: Haaretz, by Amos Harel
Defense minister's ideas put him in tension with Israeli army's top brass, as he demands IDF adhere to public fury and employ harsh collective measures against Palestinians, while army tries to maintain calm.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman broke his media dry spell Wednesday with a press briefing on a new diplomatic-military plan for the West Bank. Basically, Lieberman seeks to distinguish between “good” Palestinians and “bad.”
Villages from which terrorists set out to commit attacks will be severely punished. Villages and areas where quiet is maintained will enjoy extensive economic benefits and be able to pursue infrastructure projects.
The defense minister also announced that he would seek alternative contacts with Palestinians. Under his guidance, defense officials will talk to other people in the Palestinian Authority, not just those linked to aging President Mahmoud Abbas.
The carrot-and-stick method and the alternative channels sounded like a return to the 1970s and ‘80s, when a military administration governed the territories. The chances that Lieberman’s new ideas will be successful are questionable, and it would be interesting to know what the people at Central Command and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories think.
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