Israel prides itself on its fight against terrorism -
or at least what it calls terrorism - but in fact, it provides the world
with a perfect example of how to do it the wrong way.
This was brought home by the assassination of a Cabinet
member, the minister of tourism, who was shot down outside his hotel room
in East Jerusalem. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed
credit. Why? Because a few months ago, the Israelis had assassinated the
leader of that organization. Get it? Tit for tat. You kill, we kill, we
all kill.
Israel has recently assassinated more than two dozen Palestinian
political leaders. These murders are not characteristic of a democratic
government, much less one that shares American values. The people who share
the values of our American forefathers are the Palestinians. The Israelis
share the values of the old racist British Empire. But have all of these
political murders by the Israelis ended the Palestinian uprising? No.
Israel has been assassinating Palestinian leaders for
nearly 50 years. Has it stopped terrorism? No. Israel has been engaging
in bloody reprisal attacks, killing many innocents. Has that stopped terrorism?
No.
Israelis have been arresting people by the thousands during
the past 30 years. Has that stopped terrorism? No. Israel tortures, confiscates
peoples land, demolishes their homes, bulldozes their olive orchards, places
them under curfew, seals them inside their towns. Hasthat stopped terrorism?
No.
One thing Israel hasn't done is honestly address the issues
that cause these attacks. Remember, anybody Israel decides to kill is automatically
a "terrorist." Israelis are as promiscuous in their use of "terrorist"
as the Israeli lobby is in its use of "anti-Semite."
But as to the question of withdrawing from the territory
it captured in 1967, Israel has one answer: "No." As to the question
of letting refugees return or be compensated for the property the Israeli
government stole from them, Israel has had one answer: "No."
As for letting U.N. peacekeepers protect the Palestinians from Israeli
violence, the answer is "No." As for obeying more than 60 U.N.
resolutions directing Israel to comply with international law, the answer
is "No."
So, will there ever be peace in Palestine? No. The Israelis
can continue to murder, imprison, isolate, torture, impoverish, brutalize
and harass the Palestinians for the next 50 years, and for the next 50
years Palestinians, generation after generation, will resist the occupation
of their land by any means they can.
So, every time an Israeli shows up purporting to be an
expert on terrorism, we ought to laugh the person right back home. The
Israelis are pretty good terrorists themselves, but as anti-terrorists,
they are a bunch of goofs. The only thing America can learn from Israel
ishow to manufacture a continuing supply of embittered enemies decade after
decade.
Neither Israel nor the United States, nor any other government,
can ever rationalize an injustice by killing the people who protest the
injustice. People will endure a lot, but not an injustice. It's like white
phosphorous burning a man's soul.
The best thing for the American people to do is to end
all aid to Israel and withdraw the protection of the U.S. veto. If Israel
is indeed a viable state, then it can survive without American taxpayers
contributing nearly a tenth of its gross domestic product.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/columnists/orl-reese.columnist
