Revenge isn’t the answer

Home demolitions do not create deterrence, produce vengeful terrorists

Reuters | Published: 07.07.08, 01:03

Revenge is a legitimate part of life. There’s no point in arguing, we are all familiar with it after all. It is an urge that constitutes a part of us, a need that is both personal and collective. So many situations bring us into contact with this primeval sensation, which cannot be escaped. Therefore, it is completely predictable for us to feel a desire for revenge following a killing spree that leaves in its wake innocents on stretchers and in coffins. The more outrageous the act of taking a life is in terms of its injustice, the greater the desire for revenge.

But - Of course there is a “but.” The legitimacy of the sense of revenge does not turn it into a work plan. Freedom allows us to feel “improper” or “animalistic” feelings such as revenge, but this does not mean that revenge should rule our lives, neither as individuals nor as a nation. In most cases, revenge is an awful advisor. A sort of sweet, short-term illusion that becomes toxic immediately after the illusionary sense of satisfaction evaporates.

Israel’s defense establishment has abandoned years ago the razing of homes as a major tactic in the war on terrorism. The Shin Bet and IDF made use of home demolitions as punishment since 1967. Legally speaking, it was easy: The Brits started razing homes around here in their struggle against the great Arab rebellion of the 1930s. They entrenched their right to adopt this harsh measure by law. This law, in a different format, is still valid in the State of Israel, including in east Jerusalem. Israel has no fundamental legal problem if it seeks to raze home when it comes to the law.

Attitude has changed

Yet the attitude to home demolitions has changed over the years. The initial objection to it was based on moral values: We are talking about punishing the offender’s family. Both enlightened and less enlightened states aim to punish the offender only, which is why courts were invented. However, many others have always raised the question of effectiveness – the usefulness of demolitions when it comes to fighting terrorists.

The IDF razed several thousands of homes during Israel’s rule in the territories. Only after years of using bulldozers as additional punishment, as the terrorists were already punished in court, the IDF thought of looking into whether this means served as a deterrent.

The IDF and Shin Bet stopped demolishing the homes of suicide bombers mostly because they were already dead. Punishing the family left behind by the terrorist seemed damaging even to security officials.

The defense establishment did not say that this method was useless, or immoral, or wicked – but rather, it said it wasn’t wise. Home demolitions were proven to produce terrorists who sought revenge for the razing of their relatives’ homes. The illusion of revenge too often turns into poison and venom that hit us a second and third time.

When we discovered, after a lengthy process, the ineffectiveness of home demolitions, we were only left with revenge. We were only left with the illusion. Mostly, we were left with the toxins that this kind of punishments produce, toxins which are not good for us at all.