The Road To Peace Begins With The Death Of Arafat
By Judson Cox (06/11/03)
I have never believed that President Bush had any hope of forging a lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. To believe that such a peace could be negotiated would be akin to the liberal apologists who implied that Kruschev was merely joking or using hyperbole when he hit the podium with his shoe and stated that the Soviet Union would bury America.
Make no mistake, the Palestinian regime, like the Soviet, views its very reason for existence as the domination and destruction of their enemy. Yasser Arafat has repeatedly stated that his goal is to drive the Israelis into the sea; he does not want, nor will he tolerate a negotiated peace. The goal of such evil men is death, destruction and domination. The only peace the Palestinians want is the aftermath of holocaust.
Seen in such a light, I continue to feel that the harping of the (liberal) world community over a Middle Eastern peace agreement should be taken with a grain of salt. No reasonable person believes that President Bush can negotiate such a treaty. The goal of this rhetoric is to counterbalance the achievements of President Bush and his administration. No matter what good deeds the President may accomplish during his term, his detractors will dismiss by saying, "yes, but he never established peace in the Middle East." This is the only honest explanation as to why liberals world wide attribute Islamic terrorism not to Islamic teaching (which calls for, among other barbaric practices, killing Jews), but to the existence of Israel.
The events of September Eleventh, 2001 forever altered the above equation. No longer could any clear thinking American view the Israeli / Palestinian conflict as a sad but distant quagmire that could be left to the involved parties to solve. When America was attacked by Islamic terrorists, on American soil and in such a bloody fashion, it became indelibly clear that America and Israel share a common enemy. Suddenly it was in the messages of Benjamin Netanyahu and the Reaganites that we found direction. We would not negotiate with nor tolerate terrorist; we would not overlook their state sponsors. As President Bush stated, in the war on terror, the nations of the world are "either for us or against us." The nation united behind him, comforted and inspired by a leader who had a clear vision; clear but for one cataract, he seemed to believe a negotiated peace between Israel and the Palestinians could be attained.
Whether he ever really believed the Palestinians to be capable of living in peace with Israel, I do not know. Whatever his hopes, the events of the past few days have proven the Palestinians to be the blood thirsty barbarians they are. People who want peace do not strap explosives to their bodies for the purposes of killing innocent men, women and children, especially in the midst of peace negotiations. Perhaps there are some among the Palestinian people who have not pledged their lives and the lives of their children to killing Jews, but if so, where were they during the Palestinian elections? Where were they when the Palestinians danced in the streets in celebration over the September 11th terrorist attacks? Where are they during the parades of armed men burning Israeli and American flags? The time has come for some clear thinking and plain talk. The Palestinians are terrorists, they support and are supported by Hezbolla, Islamic Jihad, Al Queda, the PLA, Hamas and every other enemy of Israel and America, including the recently defeated Saddam Hussein. Israel's enemies are America's enemies. If they are allowed to win, if they are negotiated with, terrorism world wide will have gained credibility as a means of forcing negotiation and compliance.
That so many "intellectuals", specifically on America's college campuses believe otherwise boggles the mind. In terms as plain as I can manage, I will explain the Israeli /Palestinian conflict in a way that even intellectuals should be able to understand. First off, Israel is not the historic homeland of the so called Palestinians, Jordan is. Yasser Arafat is not a "Palestinian," but an Egyptian. However, because so much of their hatred and terrorism is based on this myth, let's accept it for the sake of argument. I understand the wish of an occupied people to reclaim control and ownership of their homeland. Not only is there a very small portion of Santee Indian (a branch of the Cherokee) in my blood, but my heritage is predominately Scotts-Irish. It is not just any Scotts-Irish blood though, but Carroll (Carbhail in Gaelic, meaning "slaughter"). The clan Carroll (or Cian) was among the fiercest of chieftains. They were instrumental in driving the Vikings from Ireland under King Brian Bhoru, and continued to raid English settlements long after the rest of the Celtic population had submitted. So onerous were they to the English, that they were hunted for bounty, and executed or shipped off to America or the prisons of Australia. Once in America, the Carrolls (Charles Carroll specifically) were instrumental in supporting American independence from England. More than most, I understand the genetic need for self determination, freedom and a homeland.
Now, imagine if you will, some of my distant Cherokee relatives deciding to take back their ancestral lands by force. Imagine these modern people, with full rights and benefits of American citizenship, launching an intifada. Imagine them setting up a dictatorial regime, allying with other terrorist groups, amassing huge quantities of arms, and engaging in suicide attacks. Imagine them strolling into your favorite restaurant, your church, your child's school and killing your family. Imagine this happening almost daily, for years. Imagine living in fear of leaving your home, outfitting your children with gas masks, and trying to distinguish bombs beneath the clothing of every passer-by. Imagine, with every passing year, growing justification for the actions of those who murder your family. Each year more academics, more politicians, more members of the United Nations encouraging you to "live in peace" with the terrorists. You are told that they have a legitimate right to your property, your home. You are told that they are justified in killing you, your children and your parents.
No sane American would tolerate what the world insists Israel must agree to. Even legitimate grievances, such as American Indians have with non-native Americans, the Irish have with the English, the Japanese have with the Chinese, etc. must be put behind us after a hundred years or so. To do otherwise is barbarism that cannot be tolerated in modern nations without the imminent collapse of all modern civilization. If we would not tolerate terrorism in America, why do we insist on allowing Israel to be the scape goat for Islamic terror?
As allies in the War On Terror, President Bush must take a different approach to the Israeli / Palestinian conflict. No lasting peace has ever been accomplished in any armed conflict without the defeat of one party. Because America and Israel share the same enemies, we cannot allow Israel to be defeated; to do so would lead to our own defeat, and the end of western (Judeo-Christian) civilization. Israel can fend for itself, and is perfectly capable of defeating the Palestinians. As a good ally, it is time we let them do so. If the nuclear option is not off the table in America's war against terrorist states, nor should it be for Israel. A simple statement by President Bush that Yasser Arafat and his terrorist army are to Israel what Saddam and his Baath Party were to America would do more to establish peace in the Middle East than any treaty. With the implication of a full scale military option by the Israelis made, the President should pledge that as an ally, we will view any country that declares war on Israel or supports the Palestinians as our enemy. This is the policy we have for England, Taiwan, South Korea, etc. Why should Israel be treated differently? That question is really my central argument; why should we expect something of Israel that we would not expect of ourselves or any other of our allies? In the War On Terror, you are either for us or against us. Israel is for us. Can anyone claim that the cabal of Islamic terrorists that comprise the Palestinian leadership is for us? The "road to peace" begins with the death of Yasser Arafat. Only then will we know whether Mahmoud Abbas is a legitimate leader, or a shill for Arafat.
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