Can Today's Terrorists Become Tomorrow’s Leadership?
By Cathryn Crawford (03/14/03)
As we are about to enter into a conflict that has been brewing in the Middle East for a number of years, we find ourselves also caught in the crossfire of another issue: the wisdom and viability of an independent Palestinian state. Some argue that as the Zionist movement gave self-determination to the Jews, we should afford the same privilege to the Palestinians. This viewpoint, however, is the product of naïve and misplaced idealism.
We must take into account the current leadership on the Palestinian side – Yassir Arafat and the PLO. Here is a man who once said, “We know only one word: jihad, jihad, jihad…we are now entering the phase of the great jihad prior to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.” The jihad, which he so strongly advocates as a means to an independent country, consists of and is defined by acts of terrorism against private Israeli citizens – even acts of violence that target young children. Although Arafat says he does not advocate terrorism, he has not made a credible effort to disarm Hamas, the PFLP, Islamic Jihad, and the other terrorist groups that count him among their friends. How can anyone who allows such terrorists so much power be expected to lead a stable and legitimate country – especially in such a volatile area as the Middle East?
The idea that any government chosen or put in place by Yassir Arafat is equally ridiculous. Allow terrorists to choose their leaders, and they will choose fellow terrorists every time – or, on the other hand, they could instead choose an impotent figurehead to put a pretty gloss of legitimacy on an otherwise illegitimate government.
Even worse than the creation of a Palestinian state is the extreme likelihood that we will simply be presenting the world with yet another failed state, to join the ranks of Somalia, Rwanda, and, to some extent, Iraq. Do we really need another country in which corruption, violence, civil unrest, terrorism, and economic failure are the order of the day? Think about it. When you turn on the television and hear about the latest bombing of a bus in Tel Aviv, or the latest suicide bombing in Joppa, realize that the people who are encouraging and supporting such acts are the very people who will be running an independent Palestinian state. The same people who give money to the families of suicide bombers are the people who will be responsible for a country – including an army and a police force. Do we really need to give them more legitimacy to commit acts of terror against Israel? How long do you think it will be before the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are too small an area for them? Do we really need a full-blown war between two independent states in the region?
The Palestinian leadership – or lack thereof – is all the proof that the U.S. needs to see that the Palestinians themselves are simply not ready for a state. Not under Yassir Arafat, not under the PLO, not under the PFLP. It’s dangerous for Israel, it’s dangerous for us, and it’s dangerous for the world.
The day we advocate the creation of the independent state of Palestine is the day we give U.S. sanctioned legitimacy to a group of organizations that have dedicated themselves to the violent destruction of Israel.
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