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From The Times
June 30, 2008

Dealing with the enemy

James Hider: Commentary

Israel’s military has, since its birth 60 years ago, nurtured the spirit of “never leave a man behind”. A young Ariel Sharon, the ferocious commando leader who went on to become Prime Minister, pioneered the spirit of risking the lives of soldiers to retrieve the remains of their dead comrades in battle. That spirit has in later years led to some macabre, emotionally charged swaps, as well as vast releases of Arab prisoners in exchange for relatively small numbers of Israeli captives.

Earlier this month Israel freed a man of Jewish descent convicted of spying for Hezbollah in return for the body parts of Israeli soldiers Hezbollah had collected from the battlefields of southern Lebanon during the 2006 summer war. In 1996 Israel exchanged 65 prisoners for the remains of two soldiers. In 1983 it traded 4,600 Palestinian and Lebanese captives to guarantee the release of six soldiers captured in Lebanon.

The ethos derives in part from the assurance the army can give that it will never leave a soldier “alive or dead“ in enemy hands. It also reflects the importance Jewish ritual places on burial in anticipation of resurrection.

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David from Macclesfield, Hamas mostly use unguided mortars and surface-to-surface missiles to attack civilian towns - so no discrimination in who they kill. Israeli women are only in front-line positions if they volunteer for them. The vast majority of combat troops are men. Same as in UK actually.

Sam Green, Modi'in , Israel

Sam Green, Modi'in , Israel Nothing to with the fact that Israel is a militarized state & women are put in harms way as soldiers then?

David, Macclesfield, England

"Yes - I would like to check it out ... can you give your own source for me to check out?
thanks" -- Jonathan Sivan, Haifa, Israel

I'd like to provide a source if you don't mind- 100% credible

http://www.btselem.org

B'TSELEM - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights

jayil, london, uk

To Kash: Sorry to tell you the news: citizens often get killed in a war. Israel never aimed specifically against citizens, and if you read history, you will see that IDF rejected a lot of operations that could put Arab citizens on risk. Moreover, Israel gives a lot of money to Hamas and Fatah!

Vito, T.A, Israel

Arabs regularly killed by 'mistake' by Israel. Populated areas (e.g. lebanon) targetted by 'mistake' by Israel.

Looks like the kill stats given by Israel are also a regular mistake.

kash, London,

It’s no surprise that Israel swaps hundreds of live Arabs for the bones of a dead Jew, after all Rabbi Yaacov Perrin said “One million Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail.”

Phil Ishmael, Liverpool, England

How sick the thiinking of hamas and the mouslims are. When will they become civilized? It is sick to think like they do.

PHILLIP, Canton, U.S.

Sometimes, Arab civilians die by a mistake when Israel try to target terrorists. And it always happens after they attack civilians in Sderot. Moreover, their fight is defiantly against civilians - read more newspapers, and read Hamas' ideology. Israel cannot accept an Iranian entity next to her.

Vito, T.A, Israel

to Saleh Darwish, Amman, Jordan
Re: "How may children are now being tortured in the “IDF” camps? check it out."

Yes - I would like to check it out ... can you give your own source for me to check out?
thanks

Jonathan Sivan, Haifa, Israel

Darwish, you come from a country with no free press and where you are spoon-fed govt propaganda by your king/dictator to keep him in power. The male/female kill ratio says it all - 2.8% of IDF kills are Pali women, compared to 30% of Hamas kills are Israeli women. Who targets civilians more then?

Sam Green, Modi'in , Israel

An army that inherited a criminal spirit from criminal gangs who established the state of Israel by displacing 800 t. civilians. Anyone knows how many child and infant have been directly killed in cold blood by “IDF” members? How many child are now being tortured in the “IDF” camps? check it out.

saleh darwish, Amman, Jordan

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