Obsolete

Some rather excellent thinking has gone behind this decision by the Israeli defence ministry.

Four Arab Israelis shot dead by a soldier opposed to the closure of the Gaza Strip settlements are not victims of "terror" because their killer was Jewish, Israel's defence ministry has ruled, and so their families are not entitled to the usual compensation for life.

The ministry concluded that the law only recognises terrorism as committed by "organisations hostile to Israel" even though the prime minister, Ariel Sharon, described the killings by Private Eden Nathan Zaada, 19, as "a despicable act by a bloodthirsty terrorist."

Actually, this pretty much all makes sense. After all, the state of Israel was established thanks to terrorism which led to us fair Britains withdrawing from the area. The state of Israel was declared on the same day, with the United States recognising it seconds later. How can it then pay compensation to Israeli Arabs murdered by an AWOL IDF soldier? It seems even the words of Ariel Sharon, proclaimed as a war criminal himself by some, can't change such a ridiculous state of affairs.