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Beth Goodtree is a writer specializing in political commentary, Islamism and the Middle East and also writes the occasional science and humor articles. She has a background in advertising and works as a consultant on Islamism and terrorism to a security firm.
Her web site is:
http://hometown.aol.com/bgoodtree/
She may be reached at
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By Beth Goodtree
March 22, 2004
America is Israel's strongest ally as well as the preeminent example of democracy and freedom in action. America sets the tone for how other countries behave. Therefore, it is not unreasonable for Israel to emulate her ally.
So what would America do if it endured a daily barrage of attempted terror attacks, over 1,300 rocket attacks, and an endless string of homicide bombings? Fortunately for the United States, she has never had to endure such unrelenting warfare. Yes, warfare. But America did sustain one attack recently on her soil - simply referred to these days as 9/11. Here is the way America deals with terrorist nations:
The United States did not for an instant consider negotiating with Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind 9/11. The United States did not offer bin Laden, say New Jersey, in exchange for peace. But to be fair, America did try a short and defined period of negotiating with those who harbored bin Laden - the Taliban. This negotiation was utterly simple: turn him over to us or else face regime change and a political and ideological high colonic courtesy of the U.S. military.
At the end of the deadline, the United States did not hesitate to carry through with her threats. But then America did more. She went after one of the main sponsors of terror - Iraq. And this time there were numerous objections. But that didn't stop the United States. America perceived Saddam Hussein as a direct threat to America's, as well as the world's, security. And here too, America first tried a time-defined negotiating strategy. Saddam was given a window of time in which to comply with civilized standards of behavior and governance. At the end of that time, America gave Iraq a Saddamectomy while also removing the Baathist gland. End of threat.
Meanwhile, Israel has just sustained another mass murder in a series of mass murders, bombings, home invasions, rocket attacks and more, all designed to commit genocide upon the Jewish people. Obviously, Israel's strategies (more like blunders), which are opposite from those of the United States, don't work. Let's list them.
In the past three-plus years, since the start of the Intifada, Israel has done the following, showing a position of weakness, in the misguided hope of creating peace:
1.) Two mass prisoner releases. The first of these produced a genocide bombing by one of the released prisoners.
2.) Numerous easings of restrictions to allow those who would perpetrate war upon the Israeli people free entry into the country.
3.) Open-ended negotiations with no consequences or time limits.
4.) Rerouting a security barrier to accommodate the enemy waging war upon her.
5.) The offer of more land for peace - even offering to ethnically cleanse Jewish land of all Jews.
The result of all these concessions and appeasements has been more war. Nor is it a conventional war by an honorable combatant. This enemy chooses as its prime target unarmed and defenseless women, children and civilians in general. (Why isn't the UN prosecuting these people at The Hague for war crimes and crimes against humanity?)
If this was happening to the United States (and already we're in the realm of fantasy here because the U.S. would never have allowed the situation to deteriorate to such an extent), this is what the U.S. would do, based upon recent behavior.
After giving the warmongers a very limited time to cease and desist and hand over the main perpetrators, the U.S. would first 'soften up' the enemy with an air bombardment of military targets. Then she would go into the warring party's territory and, as surgically as possible, remove those who were directing the war. Then the U.S. would dismantle the offending party's war-making capabilities with extreme prejudice.
When America and its citizen's are being directly threatened, or as in Israel's case murdered, the U.S. does not rely on world opinion as to how to act. And while America is a super power and does not need world opinion, Israel is in the same boat for a different reason.
Israel is already a pariah. Many in the world want Israel to cease to exist. Israel is being boycotted by many countries. And in the end, even her closest ally - the United States - does not want what's best for Israel if it is not what is best for the U.S. The United States protects her own and does whatever it must to keep herself safe. Israel is now in a fight for her very survival and for the lives of her individual citizens. She would be well off emulating the U.S.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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