Let Israelis protect themselves
BY GABRIEL DANZIG
Most Israelis heaved a sigh of relief when it became known that the suicide bomber who blew himself up near Bar-Ilan University on Thursday had failed to enter the bus he intended to destroy, and wound up blowing himself up outside where only a few people were standing.
But relatives of Sa'ada Aharon, the 71-year-old woman he succeeded in killing, and the other victims of his blast, do not have anything to rejoice over. We have become inured to death if we view the death of only one woman, and the wounding in some cases serious wounding of only a handful of others as a great success.
How did it happen? How did a captured terrorist manage to kill? One cannot blame those who initially apprehended him for releasing him and bolting. What else could they do? Neither of them had a weapon, and the terrorist might have exploded at any moment. These people, one of them the bus driver, are heroes who prevented a much greater tragedy and saved the lives of many passengers.
But with the proper preparation, they could have been able to do more. For years, residents of Judea and Samaria have carried personal weapons.
This was the case long before the present intifada broke out, at a time when life in those areas was relatively calm. It was certainly not as dangerous then as it is today within the borders of pre-1967 Israel. But still, the government recognized that weapons were appropriate.
In the current state of conflict all citizens deserve the right to be able to defend themselves if necessary. We cannot place a security guard in every section of the country, but we can allow qualified citizens to bear arms. At the very least, we can allow, even demand, that citizens involved in particularly sensitive occupations bear arms. Buses, for example, remain a prime target of terrorist attacks.
If we cannot afford to place security guards on all the buses, at the very least we can allow bus drivers to take precautions. These drivers are on the front line of the battle every day. They should be offered the opportunity to be trained to shoot, and receive a pistol for use in emergencies.
Steps should be taken to identify other sensitive areas where individuals such as shop-owners, students, restaurateurs and others can be issued defensive weaponry.
No one wants Israel to become the kind of society that existed in the Western part of the United States in the 19th century and earlier, where every adult male (and a great many females) had to learn to fight with a pistol. But if circumstances demand, we have to allow more self-protection.
With the threat of suicide bombings showing no sign of disappearing, more citizens deserve the right to take measures to protect themselves.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1034014760847
BY GABRIEL DANZIG
Most Israelis heaved a sigh of relief when it became known that the suicide bomber who blew himself up near Bar-Ilan University on Thursday had failed to enter the bus he intended to destroy, and wound up blowing himself up outside where only a few people were standing.
But relatives of Sa'ada Aharon, the 71-year-old woman he succeeded in killing, and the other victims of his blast, do not have anything to rejoice over. We have become inured to death if we view the death of only one woman, and the wounding in some cases serious wounding of only a handful of others as a great success.
How did it happen? How did a captured terrorist manage to kill? One cannot blame those who initially apprehended him for releasing him and bolting. What else could they do? Neither of them had a weapon, and the terrorist might have exploded at any moment. These people, one of them the bus driver, are heroes who prevented a much greater tragedy and saved the lives of many passengers.
But with the proper preparation, they could have been able to do more. For years, residents of Judea and Samaria have carried personal weapons.
This was the case long before the present intifada broke out, at a time when life in those areas was relatively calm. It was certainly not as dangerous then as it is today within the borders of pre-1967 Israel. But still, the government recognized that weapons were appropriate.
In the current state of conflict all citizens deserve the right to be able to defend themselves if necessary. We cannot place a security guard in every section of the country, but we can allow qualified citizens to bear arms. At the very least, we can allow, even demand, that citizens involved in particularly sensitive occupations bear arms. Buses, for example, remain a prime target of terrorist attacks.
If we cannot afford to place security guards on all the buses, at the very least we can allow bus drivers to take precautions. These drivers are on the front line of the battle every day. They should be offered the opportunity to be trained to shoot, and receive a pistol for use in emergencies.
Steps should be taken to identify other sensitive areas where individuals such as shop-owners, students, restaurateurs and others can be issued defensive weaponry.
No one wants Israel to become the kind of society that existed in the Western part of the United States in the 19th century and earlier, where every adult male (and a great many females) had to learn to fight with a pistol. But if circumstances demand, we have to allow more self-protection.
With the threat of suicide bombings showing no sign of disappearing, more citizens deserve the right to take measures to protect themselves.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1034014760847