JerusPost

America's double standard

October, 24 2001

(October 24) - Whatever illusions one might have had that in a post-September 11 world, the United States government would finally begin to understand Israel's predicament vis-a-vis Palestinian terror can now most assuredly be laid to rest. On Monday, in an act that was as unprecedented as it was undiplomatic, the Bush administration issued an astonishing rebuke of the government's defensive measures in Judea and Samaria. For a nation currently engaged in a moral crusade to uproot the scourge of international terrorism, the US is demonstrating a level of hypocrisy that threatens to undermine the very principles it seeks to uphold.

Indeed, it was only a week ago that Palestinian assassins murdered tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi. As Israel Radio reported yesterday, at least one of the assassins succeeded in fleeing to Ramallah with the help of the Palestinian Authority security service headed by Col. Tawfik Tirawi. The murder of a cabinet minister is an act of war, and one can only imagine how the US would respond if one of its own senior officials were to be targeted by a foreign entity. Moreover, as Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said yesterday, intelligence warnings about the possibility of impending terror attacks are at an all-time high. With Yasser Arafat stubbornly refusing to combat terror, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had little choice but to send in troops to seal off those areas from which the danger is greatest. To do otherwise would be to endanger the lives of innocent Israelis, something that no responsible government could allow itself to do.

Nevertheless, despite the eminently reasonable rationale behind these actions, State Department spokesman Phil Reeker issued a blistering criticism that reeked of moral duplicity and double standards. Reading from a prepared text, Reeker addressed Israel in a condescending and impudent manner: "Israel Defense Forces should be withdrawn immediately from all Palestinian controlled areas and no further such incursions should be made." After reprimanding Israel for having the audacity to defend itself, Reeker went on to say, "We deeply regret and deplore Israel Defense Forces actions that have killed numerous Palestinian civilians over the weekend," adding that such deaths are "unacceptable" and the IDF needs to "exercise greater discipline and restraint." Such one-sided prattle would not be surprising were it to emerge from the PA Ministry of Information, but when it comes from an official spokesman of the US government, it is nothing less than scandalous.

Indeed, it hardly seems coincidental that on the same day that America was criticizing Israel, Hizbullah launched an unprovoked attack on IDF outposts on Mount Dov. What the Bush administration apparently fails to understand is that by lambasting Israel's counter-terror policies, it is effectively encouraging the terrorists to commit further assaults. If Hizbullah sees that America will rein in Israel and prevent it from punishing Arafat, then what is there to deter it from carrying out attacks? Hizbullah knows that if the IDF's entry into Jenin elicits an American tongue-lashing, then IDF retaliation in Lebanon would most certainly evoke an even sharper American response.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, therefore, was absolutely correct to rebuff the American criticism. Almost 200 Israelis have been murdered by Palestinian terrorists in the past year, thanks to the failed Oslo process that was actively promoted and encouraged by the US throughout the past decade. For over 12 months, Israel has been the victim of innumerable Palestinian suicide bombings, mortar attacks, shootings, and stonings, an orgy of violence that continues unabated. For the US to expect Israel to stop defending itself just to appease the Arab and Islamic members of the anti-terror coalition is simply to expect too much. No country in the world would demonstrate as much patience, or offer as many concessions, as Israel has in its dealings with the Palestinians. But enough is enough.

Arafat has demonstrated that he is no different from the Taliban in Afghanistan. He harbors terrorists, just as the Taliban does, he offers them refuge and support, and he does nothing to thwart their murderous agendas. This simple, incontrovertible truth might be a matter of political inconvenience for the Bush administration at this time, but for Israel it is a matter of life and death. And when it comes to protecting the safety and security of Israel's citizens, even the opinion of the US will have to take a back seat.

-- Anonymous, October 25, 2001