Boy, is it tempting to turn this into a joke. So many bad puns spring to mind! Will the Palestinians turn their noses up at this attempt to reduce casualties? Will the world press kick up a stink?
But saving lives is no laughing matter, and it looks like Israel is finally getting some well-overdue credit for trying to fight the Intifada as humanely as circumstances allow. Looking at this long-term, reducing casualties has another advantage. It will deprive the Palestinians of one of their major weapons: the high ratio of Palestinian deaths and injuries vs. Israeli deaths and injuries, which is often cited as 'proof' the Palestinians are the underdog and that Israelis are the aggressors in this conflict.
Incidentally, just how sophisticated the Palestinians' propaganda machine actually is can be seen from their response to this new tactic:
"Palestinians said such a weapon could be particularly unpleasant for devout Muslims since they cannot pray with clothes that smell and would have to throw them away."
Turning this into a religious issue and thus reinforcing the image of Israel as 'racist' is brilliant. Stinks for Israel, though. Oy.
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