http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/12/magazine/12IDF.html
It's by Scott Anderson, apparently the only journalist to be brought along during the military offensive - an offensive in which they were shooting at journalists. He says it was just good timing (Hakki, where are you?); he was in Israel trying to find out how the reservists were reacting to an increasingly formidable Palestinian resistance.
Obviously, since it's from the Israeli's perspective it paints them in a good light, sorta. And the unit wasn't involved in Jenin. However, it shows the futility of the occupation, the depth of the Palestinian resistance and the wear and tear the conflict is inflicting on Israeli soldiers. (Again, of course, a different story would have been told from the Palestinian side.)
A few days ago I saw the director's cut of Apocalypse Now and this piece brought to mind the scene where Marlon Brando's Kurtz is explaining the situation to Martin Sheehen(sp?). Kurtz, wiping his bald forehead, tells a story from the early day of the war when he was in a commando unit. He said they went to a village and vaccinated all of the children for polio. They came back and found that all of the children's arms that had been vaccinated had been hacked off and layed in a pile at the center of the village. Kurtz explained that if he had a division of soldiers like that he could win the war.
Anyway, the radio is playing the following song to death and the band Dispatch is playing a conert at Rush and Hubbard a week from Friday.
Open Up
They were looking for me when I came to They were looking for me when I came back Said hey you, you're looking very suspicious I said relax man get off my back I said relax man get off my back
I, I, I ain't opposed to seeking justice But you're going about it all wrong The man you're looking for does not exist He's just a figment of the higher man's tongue
And they say Open up we're coming inside You can't run so you may as well hide We got the place covered from head to toe, head to toe
Open up we're coming inside What's it feel like to know you're going to die On the other side of the row On the other side of the row On the other side of the row
So they took me down to the gallows And this boy he said to me Why do you smile when the rope's around your neck I said I tell you boy when I get back I said I tell you boy when I get back
I, I, I ain't opposed to seeking justice But you're going about it all wrong The man you're looking for does not exist He's just a figment of the higher man's tongue He's just a victim of the higher man's tongue
And they say Open up we're coming inside You can't run so you may as well hide We got the place covered from head to toe, head to toe
Open up we're coming inside What's it feel like to know you're going to die On the other side of the row On the other side of the row On the other side of the row
Hands above your head Que la via bien Step out of line and we'll fill you with lead How are we to know that you are not a liar Don't you see we have a job to do And our job is the law, job is the law You fit the description of a criminal crosser We believe that he is you and that is your flaw That is your flaw That is your flaw That is your flaw That is your flaw That is your flaw That is your flaw
And they say Open up we're coming inside You can't run so you may as well hide We got the place covered from head to toe, head to toe
Open up we're coming inside What's it feel like to know you're going to die On the other side of the row On the other side of the row On the other side of the row On the other side of the row