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Skunk · 04-20-2004, 09:21 AM

The initial burst at the start of the infitada is quite normal - that's the period when the religiously motivated zealots begin their action. What you see after that is the settled down period, when the zealots are no longer carrying out the attacks but instead the desperate.

For the past year (mid-2002 onwards), numbers of successful sucides have remained static - despite an ACCELERATED building program of the curtain and VASTLY increased military activity.

If the war on the palestinians was really being won, then you would have seen a corresponding descrease in numbers from mid-2002 until now - there hasn't been any such drop. Furthermore, according to the same newspaper that your figures came from notes that:

"These Shin Bet statistics do not include shooting attacks in which assailants open fire in a city or on a settlement, with very little chance of surviving the assault. The data apply only to suicide assailants who themselves carry bombs, or operate booby-trapped vehicles. The total of 206 includes would-be assailants who were caught with bombs on their backs, just before they carried out planned attacks; the number, however, does not include terrorists who were seized in their homes or hiding places during Israel Defense Forces raids, and who were not at the time of their capture wearing explosive belts.

The Shin Bet statistics point to a major shift in the identities of suicide assailants. Prior to the current intifada, all such terrorists belonged to militant Islamic groups, mainly Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Out of 145 suicide strikers in the current intifada, 52 were Hamas men and 35 belonged to Islamic Jihad, while Fatah has sent 40 suicide strikers."

and goes on to note in a separate article over the death of Rantisi that:
Nevertheless, from the viewpoint of the public support some 1.25 million Gaza residents bestow on Hamas, not only has the movement not suffered any damage, but, to the contrary, support for it has grown...

The Gaza Strip appears therefore to be heading toward a new regime, which won't exactly be a continuation of the Palestinian Authority, but rather "an action committee under the auspices of the PA," as Mohammed Dahlan has suggested. If in previous years there was talk of Hamas joining Arafat's regime, it appears now in Gaza that the talk is more to do with the PA joining Hamas.

In any event, the Hamas way has emerged victorious: There is no political process; the armed struggle has returned; the fight is against "the Zionist entity;" and the issue of the right of return has once again been brought to the fore.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/416795.html

[ 04-20-2004, 09:45 AM: Message edited by: Skunk ]

04-20-2004, 09:21 AM	#44
Skunk Banned User Join Date: September 3, 2001 Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Age: 63 Posts: 1,463	The initial burst at the start of the infitada is quite normal - that's the period when the religiously motivated zealots begin their action. What you see after that is the settled down period, when the zealots are no longer carrying out the attacks but instead the desperate. For the past year (mid-2002 onwards), numbers of successful sucides have remained static - despite an ACCELERATED building program of the curtain and VASTLY increased military activity. If the war on the palestinians was really being won, then you would have seen a corresponding descrease in numbers from mid-2002 until now - there hasn't been any such drop. Furthermore, according to the same newspaper that your figures came from notes that: "These Shin Bet statistics do not include shooting attacks in which assailants open fire in a city or on a settlement, with very little chance of surviving the assault. The data apply only to suicide assailants who themselves carry bombs, or operate booby-trapped vehicles. The total of 206 includes would-be assailants who were caught with bombs on their backs, just before they carried out planned attacks; the number, however, does not include terrorists who were seized in their homes or hiding places during Israel Defense Forces raids, and who were not at the time of their capture wearing explosive belts. The Shin Bet statistics point to a major shift in the identities of suicide assailants. Prior to the current intifada, all such terrorists belonged to militant Islamic groups, mainly Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Out of 145 suicide strikers in the current intifada, 52 were Hamas men and 35 belonged to Islamic Jihad, while Fatah has sent 40 suicide strikers." and goes on to note in a separate article over the death of Rantisi that: Nevertheless, from the viewpoint of the public support some 1.25 million Gaza residents bestow on Hamas, not only has the movement not suffered any damage, but, to the contrary, support for it has grown... The Gaza Strip appears therefore to be heading toward a new regime, which won't exactly be a continuation of the Palestinian Authority, but rather "an action committee under the auspices of the PA," as Mohammed Dahlan has suggested. If in previous years there was talk of Hamas joining Arafat's regime, it appears now in Gaza that the talk is more to do with the PA joining Hamas. In any event, the Hamas way has emerged victorious: There is no political process; the armed struggle has returned; the fight is against "the Zionist entity;" and the issue of the right of return has once again been brought to the fore. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/416795.html [ 04-20-2004, 09:45 AM: Message edited by: Skunk ]