FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Middle East Morass
By Senator Jon Kyl
For a moment, think the unthinkable: nearly every day, a terrorist plotting America's downfall straps a bomb to his body and explodes it in a crowded shopping mall in Denver or Cleveland or Scottsdale, killing scores of men, women, and children. All of the dead are innocent civilians who were shopping, dining, or playing with their children when the bomber struck.
There is no doubt that the American people would demand an aggressive, relentless effort to weed out these terrorists and bring them to justice. There would be no discussions of moral equivalence; that, for example, we should be sympathetic to the suicide bombers' "side" because of arguments over territory. Or that Americans must show restraint in dealing with the terrorists killing people on their own soil.
The American people would demand strong action, and our government would be entitled to take it.
There should be no question, then, that Israel has that same right and obligation to act to protect its people. In the last few weeks, scores of Israeli civilians have perished in suicide bombings by Palestinian terrorists. These terrorist groups have ultimately a single aim: the destruction of Israel itself.
In response, Israel has acted as any other nation in the world would. Israelis have attempted to seize and interrogate all those involved in these acts of terror. Israeli troops also entered the compound of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, isolating him, cutting off his command and control, and rounding up known terrorists working for him.
Arafat, who supported Saddam Hussein against the United States during the Gulf War, has for years been playing a "cat and mouse" game - seeming to want to negotiate peace, then pulling away.
Arafat has sheltered and actively supported terrorist groups responsible for the killing and maiming of civilians. He has refused to denounce the targeting of Israeli citizens. He lied to the U.S. government about arms shipments from the terrorist state of Iran. When speaking to the wider world, he espouses support for the peace process. Yet his comments and actions to fellow Arabs unmask a continued hatred for Israel and a refusal to acknowledge its right to exist. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. It is the only nation in the region that has been a steadfast ally to the United States since its existence. When the Jewish state was formed by the United Nations after World War II, the Israelis accepted a plan for two states: theirs and a state for the Palestinians. Arab nations said no, preferring to attack Israel in 1948 and then again in 1967 and 1973. Today, few Arab nations accord Israel its right to exist. Surrounded by dictatorial regimes that harbor and support terrorists - such as Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Libya - Israel takes military actions in its own self-defense to prevent being wiped off the map by its enemies.
All of this justifies our allegiance to Israel, but also consider this. The hallmark of President Bush's war against terrorism has been a clear, consistent, and principled definition of what terrorism is: namely, acts of murder aimed at civilians. The grievances behind such acts - whether justified or not -- are irrelevant to the acts themselves. If we suddenly equivocate in the Middle East and refuse to recognize that the violent murders of Israeli civilians are acts of terrorism, then we compromise the clarity of our war against terror. This undercutting of our policy would only encourage Arab states to attack Israel, sponsor terrorist groups, and eventually allow those groups to export violence and hatred to the United States.
One precondition to a lasting peace in the Middle East is that all nations in the region recognize the basic fact of Israel's existence. Once that happens, a peaceful settlement over land can be reached, allowing a Palestinian state to come into full bloom, living side by side with Israel. Fifty years and countless deaths after it could have happened - but better late than never.
This goal can never be reached if the terrorism does not stop. Terrorist groups directly controlled by Yasser Arafat provide money, sanctuary, and training to terrorists all over the world. Israel should be just as firm in dealing with Arafat as we would be if he threatened our existence. And in fact, turning a blind eye to Israel's battle may actually end up doing just that. |
