Talk:Gad Machnes (politician)

misquote?
From Ashley Keenedy source: Shortly after the al-Khisas attack where the wrong village was targeted.

There is no question whether a reaction is necessary or not. The only question is when and where. Blowing up a house is not enough, especially if it's not the right one. There is a need for a brutal and firm response. We need precision in time, place and casualties. If we definitely know the [culpable] clan – hit without mercy, including the women and children of this clan who might be there. Otherwise the reaction will not be effective. In the actual place of action, there is no need to distinguish between guilty and innocent. Where there was no attack, we must not touch.

From Efraim Karsh p217

Fabricating Israeli History: The "new Historians" By Efraim Karsh

I think that today there is no question whether or not to respond. But for the response to be effective, it must come in the right time and the right place and take the form of a strong punishment. Blowing up a house is not enough. Blowing up a house of innocent people is certainly not enough! The response must be strong and harsh because it must create the [right] impression, must punish [the perpetrators of violence] and must serve as a warning. If our responses are not impressiveâ€”they will create the opposite impression. These matters necessitate the utmost precisionâ€”in terms of time, place, and whom and what to hit ... If we operate against, say, a specific family in a known place, a known village [i.e., identified perpetrators of violence], then there should be no mercy! But only a direct blow and no touching of innocent people! We have already reached a position that necessitates a strong response. Today one should not even avoid hitting women and children. For otherwise, the response cannot be effective. (from Efraim Karsh, "Benny Morris and the Reign of Error," Middle East Quarterly, March 1999; available at

--Shuki (talk) 22:46, 22 March 2009 (UTC)