Assassination - justified?
Discussion
Is an assassination strike like this justified? From this story, my answer would be Yes, because the
bombers were on their way to launch an attack themselves. But what if they had just been on their way to the shops - would the assassination still have been justified morally? (or even legally?)
When is it right to "take out" people like Bustan?
Andy
From the BBC website
Gaza militants killed in strike
Two Palestinian militants, including a senior Islamic Jihad bomb-maker, have been killed in a missile strike in the Gaza Strip.
Islamic Jihad named the dead bomb-maker as Adnan Bustan.
The group said he had been on his way to launch an attack in retaliation for an Israeli helicopter strike earlier in the day that killed three people.
The Israeli military has made no comment on the second attack, which hit two cars in the east of Gaza city.
Adnan Bustan is believed to have headed Islamic Jihad's engineering and manufacturing unit, which produces rockets and explosives.
The other dead militant was identified as Jihad al-Sawafiri, thought to have been in charge of the militants that launch the rockets.
The BBC's Alan Johnston said two cars were struck - the occupants of the first car survived while the second car appeared to be trying to escape when it was hit.
The attacks happened in the Zeitun neighbourhood of Gaza on Sunday evening.
Overnight on Saturday, three Palestinian militants were killed in Israel's first air strike on the Gaza Strip since Hamas's sweeping victory in parliamentary elections last month.
bombers were on their way to launch an attack themselves. But what if they had just been on their way to the shops - would the assassination still have been justified morally? (or even legally?)
When is it right to "take out" people like Bustan?
Andy
From the BBC website
Gaza militants killed in strike
Two Palestinian militants, including a senior Islamic Jihad bomb-maker, have been killed in a missile strike in the Gaza Strip.
Islamic Jihad named the dead bomb-maker as Adnan Bustan.
The group said he had been on his way to launch an attack in retaliation for an Israeli helicopter strike earlier in the day that killed three people.
The Israeli military has made no comment on the second attack, which hit two cars in the east of Gaza city.
Adnan Bustan is believed to have headed Islamic Jihad's engineering and manufacturing unit, which produces rockets and explosives.
The other dead militant was identified as Jihad al-Sawafiri, thought to have been in charge of the militants that launch the rockets.
The BBC's Alan Johnston said two cars were struck - the occupants of the first car survived while the second car appeared to be trying to escape when it was hit.
The attacks happened in the Zeitun neighbourhood of Gaza on Sunday evening.
Overnight on Saturday, three Palestinian militants were killed in Israel's first air strike on the Gaza Strip since Hamas's sweeping victory in parliamentary elections last month.
scorp said:
Its wrong in my opinion, a dead man can't defend himself, thats what courts are for. It's all too easy to wipe out a building full of civilians then claim they were all terrorists. If the Israelis had this intelligence, why didn't they abduct him and try him in a court of law?
The Israelis no longer have full control/any control over the areas the assassination strikes take place. There only option is to take them out with air strikes. I think they should be congratulated for the precision of their strikes. I have no problem with them killing men responsible for the deaths of women and children via suicide bombings.
>> Edited by Jaglover on Monday 6th February 15:49
Jaglover said:
Its wrong in my opinion, a dead man can't defend himself, thats what courts are for. It's all too easy to wipe out a building full of civilians then claim they were all terrorists. If the Israelis had this intelligence, why didn't they abduct him and try him in a court of law?
The Israelis no longer have full control/any control over the areas the assassination strikes take place. There only option is to take them out with air strikes. I think they should be congratulated for the precision of their strikes. I have no problem with them killing men responsible for the deaths of women and children via suicide bombings.
I would of thought innocent palestinian bystanders would have been horrified, almost as graphic as a suicide bomber. There is no excuse to involve innocent bystander, if anything that will create more disgruntled people who have nothing to lose and everything to gain by blowing themselves up.
If the guy was abducted and taken back to israel to face charges you have denied the terrorists the use of propaganda.
Israel have some of the best special forces in the world, i doubt they lack the capability to abduct someone cleanly.
>> Edited by scorp on Monday 6th February 15:58
Got home early from school today?scorp said:
I would of thought innocent palestinian bystanders would have been horrified, almost as graphic as a suicide bomber. There is no excuse to involve innocent bystander, if anything that will create more disgruntled people who have nothing to lose and everything to gain by blowing themselves up.
Exactly the Israeli innocent bystanders were spared this time , or are you saying they do not count
Marki said:
I would of thought innocent palestinian bystanders would have been horrified, almost as graphic as a suicide bomber. There is no excuse to involve innocent bystander, if anything that will create more disgruntled people who have nothing to lose and everything to gain by blowing themselves up.
Exactly the Israeli innocent bystanders were spared this time , or are you saying they do not count
I didn't say they didnt count, i said "There is no excuse to involve innocent bystanders", bystanders meaning anyone, palestinian, israeli, whatever.
Would we have been justified in using this kind of tactic in Northern Ireland at the height of the troubles? I think not, and neither would we have been allowed to get away with it by the courts (Death on the rock anyone). By doing this the Israelis are lowering themselves to the level of those terrorists that they killed. In effect this is execution without trial. This is not the way a so called civilised country should behave.
Trouble is, if they take people like this alive and then put them up in court, the person on trial becomes somewhat a martyr for the cause, and then you have gangs of nutters taking hostages while they call for these 'martyrs' to be released. The captured 'baddie' becomes a bargaining chip, at least dead, no one can use them that way.
dp1 said:
Would we have been justified in using this kind of tactic in Northern Ireland at the height of the troubles? I think not, and neither would we have been allowed to get away with it by the courts (Death on the rock anyone). By doing this the Israelis are lowering themselves to the level of those terrorists that they killed. In effect this is execution without trial. This is not the way a so called civilised country should behave.
The Isrealis face a threat of a different order of magnitude than we did in Northern Ireland.
If we had faced attacks on the scale of 07/07 bombings on a weekly basis organised by leaders residing in the Irish Republic what would our own response have been?.
speedchick said:
Trouble is, if they take people like this alive and then put them up in court, the person on trial becomes somewhat a martyr for the cause, and then you have gangs of nutters taking hostages while they call for these 'martyrs' to be released. The captured 'baddie' becomes a bargaining chip, at least dead, no one can use them that way.
How about making 'being affiliated with a terorist organisation' a crime punishable by death?
Saying that, you create the same problem in killing them, you still end up with a martyr.
speedchick said:
Saying that, you create the same problem in killing them, you still end up with a martyr.
Yea, but you get a dead martyr and no use for bargaining with should you decide to sieze a plane load of innocent people.
Good point, how abduct the bloke, give him a fair trial, then if found guilty, execute him.
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