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Argument: Targeted assassinations keep terrorists on-the-run and distracted

Issue Report: Assassination of a Dictator

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Steven R. David. “Fatal Choices: Israel’s Policy of Targeted Killing”. John Hopkins University. September 2002. – “Another clear benefit of targeted killing is keeping would-be bombers and bomb makers on the run. When the Israelis informed the Palestinian Authority who they were after, this information was often passed to the targeted individuals so that they knew they were being hunted. Some voluntarily chose to place themselves in Palestinian custody to avoid being slain. The threat they posed to
Israel was consequently diminished. There are numerous accounts of others on the “hit” list taking precautions against being killed such as sleeping in a different location every night and not letting others know of their whereabouts.19 Even for those Palestinians who have not been told they are being hunted, the very possibility they might be targeted is likely to cause a change in behavior. Time and effort undertaken to avoid Israeli dragnets are time and effort not undertaken to plan or carry out operations against Israel.”