Opinion  Ronen Bergman
The Israeli heroes who thwarted attempts on Arafat’s life
Ronen Bergman
Published: 27.01.18, 23:53
Comment Comment
Print comment Print comment
Back to article
31 Talkbacks for this article
1. NOT HEROES
DSM ,   USA   (01.28.18)
2. and that's how the nation was kept together...my heroes!
jos rech ,   la   (01.28.18)
3. "Heroes" you say.....????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(01.28.18)
4. had the potential of putting innocent lives at risk
Ron ,   Melbourne   (01.28.18)
It might be news to the writer but most conflicts put innocent people lives at risk. One hopes that you try an minimize the impact (something the Arabs/Palestinians do not do - quite the opposite), however, one needs to look at the costs of lives also of inaction. We know Arafat direct responsibility to thousands of death of innocent lives during the intifada. This is quite separate to the many who died as result of his terrorist actions, his actions in Lebanon and his action in Jordan before he was kicked out. Basically, these 'heroes' have decided that they know better and thus subvert higher up decisions - the author agrees with them, however, the results are very clear - they condemned many more lives. They get to be called heroes and not suffer the pain due to the consequences of their actions. Life is about complex choices - at the end there are many instances where acting early at the costs of innocent lives would have save many many more - sometimes millions. Most military operations would not occur , no hostage savings, no crime twarted if the benchmark was set only on the basis of innocent lives. In effect you would create a 'criminal veto' - i.e.human shields so beloved by those who do not ever protect human lives.
5. Traitors with blood on their hands; not heroes
David ,   Aust   (01.28.18)
These subordinates who refused legitimate orders of their superiors are traitors who should be in prison.
The blood of the thousands of dead innocent Jews and easily-riled-up Arabs are on their hands. If Arafat would have been killed (despite his stooges who were functioning as a human shield for him) thousands of lives lost in the Intifadas and other terrorism would have been saved.
6. Arafat
Michael ,   Raanana   (01.28.18)
Just think how many innocent Jewish lives would have been saved if Arafat had been eliminated.
No, Rabin and Peres brought Arafat and his genocidal henchman back to the land of Israel!
7. it came with a heavy price
chaim schonbrun ,   brooklyn ny   (01.28.18)
What this article fails to mention,is that this insubordination to direct orders eventually cost the lives of over 1000 jewish men women and children who were butchered by Arafat during the two intifadas,
Could you imagine if the allied pilots during world war two,would have refused the orders to carpet bomb Dresden and Berlin,we would all be soap by now and there would not an Israel
8. What? No Netanyahu Bashing!?
Alan ,   Johannesburg   (01.28.18)
What? No Netanyahu Bashing? Can't be! Must be the first time ever in one of your op-eds. I'm sure you'll correct this oversight in the very next piece
9. Like it worked out so much better
Maurice ,   Los Angeles   (01.28.18)
If Arafat had been liquidated, Oslo does not happen and Israel would have been much better off today.
10. Nobody who saves a terrorist is a hero
Scott ,   Ramat Gan   (01.28.18)
Arafat was a leader alright, the leader of a terrorist organization. Inviting Arafat & fellow PLO terrorists & giving them legitimacy as politicians was the biggest mistake an Israeli leader ever made. The result has been the murder & maiming of thousands of Israelis & after 25 years of concessions & negotiations, even the left cannot deny peace with the PLO is impossible.
11. Thousands of Israelis killed because Arafat
Ilan   (01.28.18)
Is it fair to call these people heroes?
12. Total BS
truth be told ,   bern, swiss   (01.28.18)
If their attempt had succeeded before, it would have saved hundreds of israeli lives. So much evidence exists to Arafat directly being involved in terror attacks (planing and funding). Im f%&king sick of Israel's Left self-hating jews. Try living in France, lets see if you can get comfortable there.
13. USELESS IDIOTS
GABE1 ,   thornhill   (01.28.18)
14. Thousands of Israelis died
C   (01.28.18)
for the arrogance of junior officers with no legal power, thousands of
israelis died.
these junior officers confused their arrogant delusions with ethics.
yet the torah teaches to kill before being killed.

these officers even went to the lengths to make the mission impossible.
they never thought that the civilians that they were saving were part
of the islamic culture that wanted to annihilate the jewish state.

the problem with the far left is its deluded moral superiority.
the far left is convinced that it knows better than democratically
elected leaders. it thinks that the average human is inferior
in every respect to the philosopher kings of the far left.
15. Those who are Kind to the Cruel will become.......
Volvi   (01.28.18)
Those who are Kind to the Cruel will become Cruel to the Kind (Gush Katif & Armona).
16. How many people died because Arafat didn't
Mordechai   (01.28.18)
Israel's job is to protect its citizens from terrorists like Arafat. Destroying the PLO by killing its leadership is the reason to kill murderers like Arafat and his successors. Innocents died because Israel hasn't done that.

The radical left always worries about the lives of the terrorists and cares nothing for their victims
17. The same heroes who supported oslo... blood on their hands
Daniel ,   TA - IL   (01.28.18)
the indcotrinated leftists basically undermined national security and played with jewish lives... wow, heroes... not really patsies of the eu and other jewhating orginizations!
18. People made decisions that weren't theirs to make.
Shachar ,   Eilat   (01.28.18)
There were occasions that Sharon wanted to shoot down a Civilian airliner when in fact Arafat wasn't on it. But these operations are planned on a profit/loss equation that is the sole realm of the leadership. Preventing an operation that is adjudged to be imperitive to Israel's security is extremely problematic.
19. Heroes my azz
BBB   (01.28.18)
Arafat was a sick bastard who should have died years earlier.
20. Not their decision.
Michael ,   Raanana   (01.28.18)
Israeli fascism at work.
Arafat lived, thousands of Israelies murdered and or maimed.
Oslo, Arafat and his henchman returned to the land of Israel.
21. its better to let 1 billion monsters, murder incessantly
hafez ,   alexandria   (01.28.18)
then condemn even one innocent perrson.

Its also better to have one communist
zionist , nazi collaborating country, than to free another benghazi palestine.

its better to hate german nazis than jewish bolshevik collaborators
22. General Dayan Hero or Fiend?
Zvi ,   baltimore   (01.28.18)
Morality? Maybe General Dayan can explain the murder of thousand of Jews that might have been prevented if the mass murderer Arafat was taken out before the intifada.
23. Hero's??!!
Eli Freedman ,   Toronto   (01.29.18)
"David Ivry, Uzi Dayan, Aviem Sella, Amos Gilboa and others are the heroes of this affair.".....???!! Sorry, NOT "Hero's", but insubordinate Soldiers that disobeyed or sabotaged a DIRECT ORDER from a the Chief of Staff AND the Minister of Defense!! These Soldiers should have been charged with MUTINY!!
24. These "Heroes" are our biggest & most dangerous problem.
(01.29.18)
25. HEROES
Marcos ,   Montevideo   (01.29.18)
to disobey orders is to be heroes? It's the stupidest thing I've read. so according to his way of seeing things, anyone can disobey orders unless he agrees! very bad signal. Why do not they ask the families of the Jewish victims of the PLO terrorist attacks ????
26. good article. why didn't Israel ever move against the Mufti
Rafi ,   US   (01.29.18)
Haj Amin al-Husseini who lived to old age in Lebanon following the '48 War? An active supporter of both Hitler & Himmler, he was surely worthy of "elimination"

- and he had at least as much blood on his hands as Arafat - and the two were actually related
27. Ronen is 2018 , don'i insult inteligency of Am Israel
Avram Goldsmith ,   Toronto -Kiriat Gat   (01.29.18)
What is your motive to wright an old very well known and documented event???
Comment on news, don't behave like an old senile men!!!!
As end of their "heroism" without alternative to finish the job, resulting in catastrophic result.
Do this in Russia and let's see if during Osama Bin Laden commando operation withdraw for same reason , what will be the outcome???
Your retarding intention to put these things in context of today reflecting one thing: was a big mistake by not executing Arafat then !!!!
28. Why reaction only from diaspora
Avram Goldsmith ,   Toronto -Kiriat Gat   (01.29.18)
This an insult promotion of Ynet, Israelis knows the fact and better to boycott such nonsense , as in the context of ME to day is obviously a faulty act.
29. The war crimes of Sharon and Eitan
Ben Alofs ,   Bangor   (01.30.18)
Thanks, Ronen Bergman, for this interesting article. I have ordered a copy of your book.
At least there were a number of Israelis in positions of influence, who were able to prevent in a number of cases the spilling of innocent blood. For this they have my respect. It is appalling to read that most responders to your article consider these people traitors or worse.
Unfortunately there were many cases where reckless killers like Sharon and Eitan did get their way and caused the death of untold numbers of innocent people. We all know of their dirty work in Unit 101, but the most infamous example of nobody being able to stop these two was the massacre of Sabra and Shatila of September 1982. Sharon and Eitan personally authorised the “friends’ operation” straight after the assassination of Bashir Gemayel. Eitan described how the enraged phalangist killers were sharpening their knives. Sharon knew exactly what the consequences would be if they allowed the phalangists into the camps. He and Eitan gave the green light knowingly and it led to the massacre of up to 1500 innocents Palestinians and Lebanese, with the cynical aim of trying to stampede the Palestinian civilian population out of Lebanon to Jordan. It is regrettable that Sharon and Eitan never stood trial for the appalling war crimes they were responsible for.
There are many other examples were moral people were unable to prevent war crimes. We all know how the Israeli athletes in Munich died. But not many people know of the bombing of the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Syria authorised by Golda Meir straight after the death of the Israeli athletes. Hundreds of innocent children and women died in these revenge bombings carried out by Israeli fighter jets pilots.
30. History will judge
Zev ,   Shomron   (01.30.18)
What about all of the innocent Jewish lives ?
Next talkbacks
Back to article