Study performed by prestigious int’l political journal finds that contrary to the popular condemnations, Israel’s controversial security measure did save lives.
By Israel Today Staff
Israel takes a lot of flak for demolition the houses of Palestinian terrorists who carried out successful attacks against Israelis. But a new survey by a respected international journal found that the policy had been successful, and, therefore, had saved many lives.
Israel Police stand by building demolition – Image source: Israel Today
Appearing in the latest issue of the Journal of Politics, the study titled “Counter-Suicide-Terrorism: Evidence from House Demolitions” was jointly prepared by researchers at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Northwestern University in Chicago.
After examining data from 2000–2005, the period during which Israel carried out the most home demolitions, the researchers concluded that the controversial security measure had resulted in “an immediate, significant decrease in the number of suicide attacks.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently resumed the practice of demolishing the homes of terrorists in response to a string of deadly attacks in Jerusalem.
In addition to providing a direct deterrent, home demolitions are also seen as a counter-measure to the fact that the Palestinian Authority pays a generous monthly salary to the families of jailed or deceased terrorists.
The Journal of Politics in a quarterly, peer-reviewed publication produced by the Southern Political Science Association and published by Cambridge University Press.
View original Israel Today publication at: http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/25640/Default.aspx
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