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The Limits to Unthinkability
By Steven Plaut
President Bush has stated unequivocably that everyone must decide
whether they are in favor of terrorism or against it.
Words well spoken. The only problem is that the US Administration and
the US State Department are unequivocably in FAVOR of it. Despite the
events in New York and Washington, Powell and the State Department
continue to support Palestinian terrorism. At the same time that they are
calling for a worldwide jihad against terrorism, they are continuing to
pressure Israel to surrender to Palestinian terror.
The USA continues to
demand that Israel respond to all Palestinian atrocities with restraint
and appeasements and concessions.
They demand that Sharon allow Peres to
go and meet with the Palestinian Arch-terrorist, Arafat, despite the continuation
of daily PLO atrocities.
Their attitude continues to be that PLO
atrocities are minor nuisances that should not count and should not stand
in the way of Israel making further appeasements.
Tell that to the
children of the Jewish mothers murdered by the Fatah this week.
It seems there are limits to unthinkability. Yes it is unthinkable for
the US to hold talks with or make concessions to bin Laden. But at the
same time the US and the rest of the West insist that it is unthinkable
for Israel to respond to PLO atrocities in any manner other than making
concessions. Certainly self-defense and military action by Israel is
completely out of the question. Israeli behavior must be restricted to
Quakerism. The only way Israel should be permitted to deal with PLO
atrocities is through holding talks, through granting the PLO lands and
funds, removing Israeli settlements, and ending the nonexistent Israeli
"occupation" of Palestinians, liberating "Palestinian lands".
The BBC for its part did not miss a beat after the attacks on the US
and continues to conduct its campaign against Israeli existence under the
guise of news reporting. (I am on record for calling on Israel to expell
all BBC staff from the country.)
Every 15 minutes or so the BBC reminds
everyone that the only reason Moslems hate the US and the only reason the
US was targeted by terrorists is because the US has "failed to end Israeli
occupation of Palestinians". And yes of course the anti-US terrorism is
simply a response to Israeli "brutality" in dealing with the Palestinians.
Never mind that the Palestinians have conducted a campaign of atrocities
against Jews for 100 years and the Jews have never conducted a campaign of
atrocities against Arab civilians, save a few reprisal raids in 1948-49,
or that Arabs are treated by Israel with the least amount of brutality of
any place in the entire Middle East.
Strangely, when the IRA left a bomb next to BBC headquarters a few
months back, the BBC commentators did not describe the bombers as
activists struggling against occupation of their lands.
Bush has to decide whether he wishes to launch a war against terrorism
or merely a war against Afghanistan. If he wishes a war against
terrorism, then the first thing he must do is shift US policy entirely
with regard to the PLO. The PLO must be annihilated together with bin
Laden. The Palestinian bin Laden with the hair on his face must be dealt
with the same way as the Saudi bin Laden. Terror must be exterminated,
not appeased. It is time that Bush and the Yanks listen to their own
words.
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from the October 2001 Edition of the Jewish Magazine
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