Opinion  Ron Ben-Yishai
IDF restraint policy backfires
Ron Ben-Yishai
Published: 13.12.12, 00:06
Comment Comment
Print comment Print comment
Back to article
26 Talkbacks for this article
1. A well written and balanced article
David ,   Shiloh Israel   (12.13.12)
Keeping a level head in the face of extreme external pressure is not an easy act, however it is essential to do so. I only hope that other Jews of both the right and left wings can appreciate the need to preserve our integrity. As a soldier - warrior it is easy to incite other Jews in Israel, including the settlements, towards taking heavy action. However, any intelligent soldier understands the dynamics of a battlefield. It is our wives and children who are on the frontline, and while we should do whatever is needed to defend our people, we should also be mindful of the proverb about letting sleeping dogs lie. There is a time to box clever, and that is now.
2. Going after fleeing prey is a basic phenomenon in nature:
tom ,   tel aviv   (12.13.12)
Arabs are very basic. (so is warfare) End of that discussion!
3. Inspired to the point of death
Jacob E ,   Holon, Israel   (12.13.12)
The more they push the IDF with acts like this the less restraint will be shown until a group of people get shot for throwing rocks. And then they'll cry for war crimes.
4. Allahu Akbar
RickD ,   USA   (12.13.12)
That's what the little terrorists are saying in the video. The problem is that soldiers are trained to shoot and kill their enemy. What seems to be needed is water cannons, skunk stink, and maybe potato guns. Maybe rubber bullets would work but water cannons makes more sense. Anyway, I guess we're likely to see some dead stone throwers rather than waterlogged stone throwers.
5. What nobody mentions
Tracy W   (12.13.12)
is that for years motorists have been grappling with rock throwers and police do absolutely nothing. This is not a harmless venting out of anger on the part of Arab youth. It can have deadly consequences, as the murder of Mr Asher Palmer and baby son proved it a couple of years ago. What was peculiar was that police characterized their demise as the result of bad driving. It was only when an alert photographer produced evidence of a large rock inside the vehicle at the time of the crash that police were forced to admit it was an act of terror. So we have not only inaction with respect to rock throwers, but when they end up murdering civilians, police covers it up.
6. The arabs know two things. Respect a heavy hand. Take
Bunnie Meyer ,   Los Angeles, CA USA   (12.13.12)
advantage of any soft spot the enemy has. If you treat the arabs as nice normal people they will think you are morons to be taken advantage of and killed, it truly is that simple.
7. Restraint has always been a lunatic policy.
Chaim ,   Israel   (12.13.12)
If restrain towards one's mortal enemies was a wise policy, other nations would follow it. They don't. Every nation, besides Israel, believes in defeating their enemies by all necessary means. Restraint has always been a lunatic policy and it's way past time Israel abandoned it.
8. Israel needs to use anti-riot foam
Chaim Ben Kahan ,   Efrat, Israel   (12.13.12)
Lots and lots of foam, that will be sticky and smelly, but non-toxic. There have been experiements with foam in the fifties in England and it might need to be developed, but there are many possibilities of using foam to control crowds.
9. Non-lethal technology upgrades
Jo-Jo ,   Jerusalem   (12.13.12)
The non-lethal technology of skunk juice together with rubber bullets and tear gas can disperse just about any demonstration. However, as the author says, a large group of soldiers needs to be brought in to do this.An Apache helicopter firing rubber bullets would have made them run home to mommy.
10. Sad to say, but
tiki ,   belgium   (12.13.12)
Arabs understand only one language! Compromise and YOU will be the loser! Water kannons, soldiers on running horses and armies of little piggies running through the streets might also keep these rioters at home.
11. Ron Ben-Yishai
Ariel Ben Yochanan ,   Kfar Tapuah, Efraim   (12.13.12)
B"H - As usual, Ben-Yishai over-intellectualizes simple matters and thus confuses his leftist public into suicidal doubt. The simple fact is that wars have to be won and "managing" a conflict is maintaining it: With other words, it’s a war process, not a peace process. To achieve peace one side has to win the war first, no way around it, sorry. Ben-Yishai should encourage his audience to decide to win the war, rather than to lose it, as he does habitually.
12. SPARE DA ROD SPOIL DA CHILD
DA URBAN POET ,   SAFED OPERA HOUSE   (12.13.12)
13. Spray Them With Rotten Pig Fat
HG ,   Boston USA   (12.13.12)
Cheap, harmless, effective.
14. The Chinese Torture At Work Here
Noah Lev ,   LosangelesUSA   (12.13.12)
It's amazing how inept Israeli leadership can be at times. Here, the mightiest country in that region, bar none, with the best soldiers manforman, cannot subdue a bunch of hooigans, throwing stones. What does that say for Israel in general? Prehps they should watch some of our Law and Order, or Criminal Minds programs..and learn that smart profiling coupled with overwhelming force, will "end" it. Throwing or firing a lethal weapns at a border guard, police, memer of the iDF, should be a felony at once. 3 strikes and you are in a no nonsense prison soimewhere in the desert, no airconditioning, or frills. Let the leftists, and Pales supporters go hang. If they interfere, throw their in jail too. While pragmatic for the moment ("we do not want blood), in the long run, like premature withdrawals..it makes the situation worse. It's like this Israel" if you dont kill a UTI, it gets worse and really begins to hurt, Get it.
15. Inept Thinking All Around
Noah Lev ,   LACA   (12.13.12)
Tiy cab kead a canak ti water but...as the saying goes. Israel never seems to learn anything and makes the same mistakes over and over again. Recall Orient House and the "tunnel incident.s. Now Orient House is meaningless..ancient history, with Israel the loser. In a game of chess or checkers, Israel always loses, though it has the best in the world. t's about politics and image. Israelis think like ghetto Jews. the Arabs think like the Waffen SS. in 1945 1m Hungarian Jews were told they were to be vacated to a safe area..yeah and Ill sell you a bridge to Brooklyn. Every Israeli killed or maimed, is the result of inept and delusional thinking at the top, sorry guys.
16. 3 Strikes and You Are In Jail Permanently
Noah Lev ,   LAUSA   (12.13.12)
Dont get me wrong, Jordan is Palestine per the Balfour..and UN242 governs any adjustments wthin Western Palestine. But winning the war as you claim...is like removing 11m illegals from the USA. Not that easy. Israel must pick its spots. It is not Iran which can thwart any protest. Its a small country with a divided peope and small army (regulars). While affluent, it still has 1m in poverty. Maybe it should watch our CSI, Law and Order and Criminal Minds for hints on how to deal with murderers. Stiffer punishment must be incorporated including capital. Then lets see how they act. You do the crime. you do the time. You dont, you dont.
17. #11 give some credit
israel israeli ,   tel aviv   (12.13.12)
Give Ben-Yishai some credit. He admits that the First Intifada was caused by the failure of the extreme Left lead by Rabin, though he should have also blamed the Leftist IDF generals. Without that failure, PLO/Fatah would not exist, Hamas would not rule Gaza, Israel would have peace and secure borders. Ben-Yishai is also warning that Abbas' current desire for violent confrontation will damage Livni, Lapid and the rest of the extreme Left. The recent world support for Abbas violating Oslo and for Hamas attacks on Jewish civilians proved that all the extreme Left beliefs are wrong. Abbas "the moderate" now sending his forces to murder more Jews would put the last nail in the extreme Left coffin.
18. Transfer is the real solution. Everything else is a bandaid.
Chaim ,   Israel   (12.13.12)
The real solution is transferring "Palestinian" poseurs out of our land. We need to draw up concrete plans to do so. Everything else is putting a bandaid on a gaping wound.
19. No more restraint! Give the IDF
Reuven   (12.13.12)
the right to use its weapons. Gantz should be replaced.
20. This is a joke - right ?
Bruce ,   New York   (12.14.12)
The IDF rarely used live fire ? I recall the USA supporting Israel by providing replenishment of live bullets at thst time. You mus be joking - right ?
21. Re: # 17
Ariel Ben Yochanan ,   Kfar Tapuah, Efraim   (12.14.12)
B"H - The last nail has already been put, but it seems that there are always "laster and laster" nails jumping out from nowhere and so the coffin is still alive and ticking so to speak. Oh well, time for my shower.
22. non lethal technology against intifada
linda ,   Paris, France   (12.14.12)
Why not anesthesic bullets? Why not anti-psychotic bullets?
23. Forget restraint
Brod ,   USA   (12.15.12)
Israel should stand strong and not cow to external forces to show restraint in the face of Islamist-Jihadist belligerence, violence, rampages, terrorism and aggressions. Israel should tell these dark forces to go to Hell. Israel should defend itself without any reservation.
24. IDF done well by not firing at the protestors
C2 ,   Aus   (12.15.12)
The situation in west bank of Jordan is on the brink of explosion Mr abas got no money to pay his pa employees People are so frustrated and they feel helpless Palestinian are surrounded by countries In the middle of rogim Change they are encouraged to so something Please don't drag yourselves to anther useless cycle of violence
25. You call this restraint!
Foreign Obsever ,   Wexford Ireland   (12.15.12)
Decades of being ethnically cleansed from the homes. Fenced in by checkpoints. Attacked by settlers.Bombed. And you call that "restraint"? OMG. You Israel have driven them to this.
26. Remove Gantz and Barak now!
Reuven   (12.16.12)
Completely free the hands of the IDF. Use water cannons mixed with pig entrails and bullets dipped in pig blood and announce that. That ought to stop the rioters and rock throwers. By the way, such tactics worked very well for the British, fighting Islamic insurgents in Malaysia and for U.S. Generall John J. Pershing, when his troops faced Muslim violence.
Back to article