Assassination Doesn't Work

Sheik Achmed Yassin is no martyr. Under his spiritual leadership, Hamas has slaughtered innocent civilians in the internecine conflict in Israel, banking on the notion that fear is a fine way to win hearts and minds. Terrorists in all countries should be tirelessly resisted, their plots foiled, their goals frustrated, their members apprehended, their supporters pried away. Yet even so, we must oppose the recent Israeli assassination of Yassin, along with all other assassinations by all sovereign governments. The rule of law is the most potent weapon in the arsenal of democratic countries, and it, not missile strikes, is the most just and effective way to deal with even the most violent lawbreakers.

Putting aside broader moral considerations, pragmatism would advise against the targeted killing of political agitators. However effective Yassin was at exhorting his followers to action, a desire to revenge his death will be even more effective. A single voice, though as diabolical as Yassin’s, simply cannot provoke the same rage that the memory of a dead leader can. Yassin’s death could well bring a new generation of recruits into Hamas’ ranks and motivate its fanatics for years to come. And in the end, what has this man’s death gained Israel? Already Hamas has appointed a new leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who may actually be more aggressive than Yassin was.

That said, assassinations would be morally murky even if they were useful. Israel’s criminal justice system does not exist just for cases in which the police work is convenient and the arrest of a suspect simple; fair and open trial is the only ethical way to deal with criminals, no matter how much pain and suffering they manage to cause. Israel should have arrested him and tried him in a court of law—enough evidence was out there to convict Yassin fairly. In this way, Israel could have removed him from the Hamas chain of command without losing its moral high ground as a peaceful, law-abiding nation attempting to defend its citizens.

The proper place for terrorists is a jail cell, not a graveyard. Until Israel accepts this, the cycle of violence will continue.