Fateful Triangle

Israel and Palestine: Historical Backgrounds239harassment of inciters, the establishment of detention or exile camps“even without regular prison conditions” (which are grim enough), and awide variety of collective punishments against towns where there hadbeen resistance to the conquerors (primarily, stone throwing) andagainst families of pupils who “caused disturbances” (this device “workswell with Arabs,” he testified). The Chief of Staff opposed calling leadersin for warnings. “We demean ourselves,” he said: “Instead ofconversations, we should carry out arrests.” He also said that Jewishsettlers must travel armed and feel free to open fire when attacked, say,by children throwing stones. The military court sentenced four soldiersto several months imprisonment, * but ruled that Eitan’s orders werelegal.Maj. Mofaz, the highest ranking officer charged, was released; hislawyers had held—accurately it appears—that he and others were*For comparison, “An Israeli military court sentenced seven West Bank Arabteenagers to jail terms ranging from six to nine months and fined them $650each yesterday for stoning an Israeli police chief in his car in the occupiedterritory” (Washington Post—Boston Globe, March 18, 1983). Later, Chief ofStaff Eitan expressed his views on proper punishment again, this time to theKnesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense and Committee. For every incident ofstone-throwing by Arab youths, he said, ten settlements should be built: “Whenwe have settled the land, all the Arabs will be able to do about it will be toscurry around like drugged roaches in a bottle.” Defense Minister Moshe Arenswas asked by opposition Knesset members to reprimand Eitan for this remark,but declined because Eitan “has great achievements to his credit” during histenure as Chief of Staff—in fact, two great achievements, intensification of therepression in the conquered territories and destruction of the virtuallydefenseless Palestinian society in Lebanon. Gad Becker, Yediot Ahronot, April13, 1983; David K. Shipler, New York Times, April 14, 20, 1983.Classics in Politics: The Fateful TriangleNoam Chomsky