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Alan Perlman is a resident of the community of Carmel in the Hebron Hills region and a technical writer. Perlman has a master's degree in social work.
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By Alan Perlman
October 14, 2001
America has proclaimed a worldwide battle against terror. Unfortunately, with each passing day, America seems to be sliding toward the wrong side of the battle. Consider the following series of events.
A terrorist group, aided and abetted by a radical nation, destroys the World Trade Center - the first salvo in its self-declared war against the American "Great Satan." It promises more attacks.
America demands that the host nation root out and hand over the terrorists. The host nation, however, does not comply because it believes that handing over coreligionist mass murderers to infidels is a far more serious crime than the mass murders themselves.
This leaves America only one option - to wage war against the host country until it is able to destroy the terrorists and their infrastructure that still threaten America.
Logic dictates that America has the right and duty to go to war against the host nation and terrorists, and that in doing so, America is in no way waging a war against any particular religion. The fact that the terrorists and the host nation are Muslim should be incidental.
Most Muslim nations of the world, however, do not see it this way. To most of the Islamic world, the current American offensive against Muslim terrorists and their host nation is an attack against Islam itself.
Consider today's situation in light of the situation that existed during the Gulf war.
A decade ago, when Iraq attacked its Muslim neighbor, Kuwait, Arab/Muslim nations such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia readily joined America in a coalition against Muslim Iraq. These same nations now refuse to join America in a coalition against the Muslim terrorists who attacked America.
Why the different response? Apparently, infidel America is allowed to attack a Muslim nation to defend a different Muslim nation, but not to defend itself.
During the Gulf war, America made several major mistakes, all of them displays of weakness.
First, despite the fact that Israel took ongoing hits by Iraqi scuds, America excluded Israel from the coalition so as to appease the Muslim nations.
Second, America included a terrorist nation like Syria in the coalition, shutting its eyes to Syrian terror and allowing Syria hegemony over Lebanon.
Third, America left Saddam in power because it feared losing soldiers in a land war.
These displays of weakness suggested to the entire Muslim world that America is a paper tiger - the most militarily powerful nation in the world, but afraid of casualties. (By contrast, radical Islamic and terrorist nations generally do not fear casualties.) They also suggested that when American interests are threatened, America will appease its lukewarm Muslim/Arab allies at the expense of its steadfast ally, Israel.
It is therefore no wonder that the Arab/Muslim states are chanting the mantra that the World Trade Center attack was due to America's support for Israel, and that America can buy protection by dropping its support of Israel.
This mantra is obscene in its justification of terrorism, and is a complete fabrication to boot. Bin Laden's obsession against America began with America's presence on "holy" Saudi sand during the Gulf war. Bin Laden could not care less about Arabs living under Israeli held territories.
But the Arabs never miss a chance to drive a wedge between America and Israel. Saudi Prince Alwaleed even offered New York a $10-million check to go along with the mantra. Mayor Giuliani declined the offer.
If President Bush shows the same strength of character as Mayor Giuliani, America's battle against terrorism may well succeed. Unfortunately, President Bush, the son, is today repeating the same mistakes made a decade ago by President Bush, the father. Only today, the stakes are much higher.
America is still trying to include terrorist Muslim states such as Syria and Iran, and the terrorist Palestinian non-state, in the coalition, while excluding Israel.
At the same time, America is pressuring Israel to accept Palestinian terrorism as a way of life, and to concede even more to the murderous PLO, despite the fact that Arafat has yet to put a stop to his personally initiated terror. President Bush has more than once stated his newly found "long-held" vision of a Palestinian state. He has even suggested a possible meeting between him and Arafat in the near future (presumably after Arafat recovers from his blood donation for the victims of the WTC attack). And there is currently talk of a new Bush plan for peace in the Middle East that involves Israel giving up or sharing sovereignty over Jerusalem.
Equally outrageous is America's allowing Syria to occupy a seat on the U.N. Security Council. Syria's presence on the Security Council can only hamper attempts to eliminate terrorism.
Not surprisingly, Bush's moves have been in vain. Most Muslim states have been unsupportive or even condemned America's military action against Afghanistan. Several states have called for Jihad against America, against the Christian world, against Israel and the Jews. The terrorists are winning the hearts and minds of Muslims everywhere. Jihad fever is sweeping the Muslim world.
It is time for President Bush to realize that no amount of appeasement will turn the tide. Rather, with each attempt at appeasement, America is losing the moral high ground while reinforcing America's image as a paper tiger.
America should try to regain the moral high ground. It should welcome Israel as a full partner in the war against terrorism, and stop pressuring Israel to meet with, and make concessions to, terrorists. It should let all Muslim nations know that the war against terrorism is a war against all terrorism, that there is no such thing as good or justifiable terrorism. And America should allow each Muslim nation to decide on which side of the terrorist divide that nation wants to be without bribes and appeasement.
In the pantheon of nations, America is clearly the best and most trusted friend that Israel has and ever had. It is a relationship that is highly valued by Israel and most Americans. This should not be surprising, since both America and the Jewish nation were founded under a belief in G-d.
America is now at a crossroads.
Arab/Muslim terrorists and states threaten Jihad not only against Israel, but against America and the entire non-Muslim world. The attack on the World Trade Center was an opening salvo in this Jihad, which will likely include non-conventional weapons, as the recent outbreaks of Anthrax in America testify.
America can face this threat head-on with Israel by its side. Or it can try to appease those terrorists who would do battle against Israel and Jerusalem. But it should know that to choose the latter is to become the ally, not the nemesis, of terror.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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