14. Read Article 2 quickly and find concrete examples to support the statement: “Violence breeds violence.” Article 2 And It All Goes up in Flames

On June 4^th, 2003, Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli prime minister agreed to walk the first steps of the road to peace. Seven days later, on June 11^th, the road was flooded in blood. A suicide bomber blew up a bus in Jerusalem, killing 16 people. In retaliation, Israel carried out a series of attacks on Gaza from helicopter gunships, killing at least 14 people, perhaps five of them Hamas men.

The road started to buckle when Palestinian militants, in a concerted ambush on an Israeli army post in Gaza on June 8^th, killed four Israeli soldiers. Then, on June 10^th in Gaza, the Israeli fired five rockets at the car of Abdel-Aziz Rantisi, a paediatrician and top Hamas politician.

Dr Rantisi leapt out in time but three Palestinians, including a woman and child, were killed. In response, Hamas fired a missile at an Israeli town on Gaza’s northern border. Israel then killed three civilians in a rocket attack on Jabalia, the most densely-populated refugee camp in the occupied territories. Thus the violence continued, reaching its bloodiest point with the Jerusalem bus bomb.

The USA vigorously condemned the bus bombing. But, earlier, the president had responded swiftly to the attempted assassination, rebuking Israel. A statement from his spokesman said that he was “deeply troubled” by the timing, fearing it would undermine Palestinian efforts to bring an end to terrorism. The US president himself said that he did not believe that such attacks “help the Israeli security”. Indeed not.

Mr Abbas called on America to prevent a repetition of assassination bids which, he said, were “intended to obstruct and sabotage the political process.” The prime minister needs all the help he can get. Since the summit in Aqaba, he has been under a torrent of Palestinian criticism for repeating the American script that denounces terrorism against Israel, while not reaffirming Palestinian lore that says peace will come only with Israel’s withdrawal from the land it occupied in the 1967 war, including East Jerusalem, and a “just” resolution of the refugee question. It was in response to those omissions that Hamas called off talks with the Palestinian Authority on arranging a ceasefire.

(From ‘The Economist’, abridged)

Vocabulary. Now read the articles carefully, find the following word combinations in the text and learn their meaning. Make it a particular point to use these expressions in the further discussion of the problem.

Article 1. To detonate explosives, to take smb’s life, a personal profile, brutal, to win smb over, to befriend smb, to brainwash smb, coexistence.

Article 2. In retaliation, an ambush, an attempted assassination, to rebuke smb, to undermine efforts, to obstruct a process, to denounce smth, to reaffirm smth, to arrange a ceasefire.

Discussion

1. Do you think the grounds for suicide bombings are political, economic, religious or personal?

2. Why do women (mostly) become suicide bombers? What is your personal opinion on the problem?

3. Do you think there is a difference between suicide bombers and Japanese kamikaze?

4. Do you think the countries against which terrorist attacks are carried out should act likewise? If not, what retaliation should there be?