Things You Don't Talk About in Polite Company

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--The Irgun Zvai Le'umi was an underground offshoot of the Haganah, formed out of a more aggressive militaristic mindset. It was also a terrorist organization. Its handiwork included the Black Sunday of 1937, several bombings set to explode in Arab marketplaces, the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, and the events at Dayr Yasin. While publicly denounced, some of these actions were privately condoned or even coordinated by Jewish political and resistance groups. The Irgun was later assimilated into the Israel Defense Forces.


Any of this sound similar to the current situation?


In 1947 an Irgun raiding party killed 254 men, women, and children. The commander in chief of the Irgun was Menachem Begin. Yes, that dude at Camp David.


My point is not that the Irgun or Begin are bad people. I am in no way claiming that at all and I don't necessarily condemn their actions. My point is that if a Palestinian state is established (and I have my doubts about Israel's willingness to truly commit to that end), its government and military will have former terrorists. The government would almost assuredly lack authenticity, legitimacy, and popular support if it didn't. This means that even former members of Hamas (which would have to be disbanded eventually) would potentially become leaders of an independent Palestine.


The terrorist threat is pretty much the only card the Palestinians have to play in negotiations with Israel. Give it all away now and they are potentially screwed. A cease-fire and the disarming and dismantling of terrorist groups is a process that should have at least two steps in order to give Palestinians leverage to have a decent bargaining position.

(7:33 PM)