How the suicide bomber saved Zionism

It has been suggested that suicide bombings were a total failure. Maybe not.

True, as far as its stated objectives were concerned, the people who invented suicide bombing accomplished nothing.

They had hoped to see Israel, to paraphrase Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, collapse as weakly as a spider's web under pressure. They had advertised the suicide bomber to crowds in Jenin and Jabalya as the sole Palestinian defense against attacks by U.S.-made IDF weaponry. They had argued that the shahid salvaged Palestinian honor.

All they managed to salvage, in the end, was Zionism.

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during intifada I, our reserve units had trouble meeting their quotas....all kinds of excuses...anything not to go to the territories...and they were right. The protests were relatvily non violent (for the middle east-rocks moltove cocktails, but no guns), and it brought along the concensus that its time for the palestenians to have a country, and for us to get out......

and then the suicide bombers appeared: Tel Aviv, Hadera, Jerusalem, Afula...and then not only were the units filled to over 100% reservists were calling in, wanting to know when they're going to be called up.....

and our opinions changed, turned around 180 degrees. Many of our "left wing" who swore off the IDF, found themselves digging up their uniforms.....israel was at war, and as such, it cuts through all economic and social boundries....

and the palestenians created a monster for themselves.....

"All they managed to salvage, in the end, was Zionism"

Didn't quite work out as they expected

The suicide bombers.

My normal Litvak paranoid fears of "Yes, Maybe it will happen here."

Some of my brother and sister DUers.

I say this about both sides of the conflict. Acts of violence against civilians force the Israelis to clamp down harder, which in turn angers the Palestinians, legitimately or not, and pushes more of them into radicalization. They become suicide bombers, and the cycle continues.

What I (interpret/misinterpret) as Judeophobia forces me to take a harder position then what I previously felt comfortable with -- and then I rationalize it and accept it as a new line in the sand.

I do want two Progressive, Liberal Democracies, prosperous and growing, side by side. But some appenders keep telling me that anything to the right of their meme - even by one Angstrom, is a NeoCon - PNAC - Likudnik position - again and again and again -- then they have not moved me to the Left - or to their position ---- but to the right and away from their position - I don't see those appenders as Oskar Schindlers or Chiune Sugiharas.

I think it's more of what you said, what pushes you rightward, that happens to people on the other side of the fence. They perceive a whitewashing of Israeli policies, or get accused of being anti-Semites (not accusing you of anything, but I've seen it happen here), and it pushes them further towards a pro-Palestine position. So it cuts both ways.

BTW, I'm kind of an outsider to the I/P debate. I really don't know enough to advocate for one side or the other. I'm just shocked at the animosity on this board amongst fellow DUers on both sides of the debate.

suiciders saved both Islamism and Zionism