The murder of "Gandhi" and the assassination of terrorists.(Rechavam Ze'evi )

The grotesque murder of Rechavam Ze'evi (nicknamed "Gandhi" by his friends) in October 2001, has been described by the Palestinian terror groups involved as "retaliation" for the earlier Israeli assassination of a known terrorist leader. Although the media have picked up on this description and generally accepted the notion of "equivalence" between Israeli and Palestinian actions, there are substantial differences to be noted. The Israeli assassination was a genuinely law-enforcing action needed to fulfill international legal expectations of punishment and national self-defense.