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Emanuel A. Winston , Middle East analyst and commentator, writes extensively about geo-politics and war, often forecasting coming events in the region of the Middle East, including the relations between Washington and Jerusalem.
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By Emanuel A. Winston
June 23, 2001
The United States tall ships lifted their skirts and fled to sea on the threat of terror by Osama Bin Laden. The 800 Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit canceled exercises in Jordan and withdrew to safer areas. The U.S. military and soon the American embassies will be a maximum "Delta" Threatcon alert from the Horn of Africa to Central Asia.
The alert came right after the U.S. indictment of 13 Saudis and one Lebanese for the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers Air Force barracks in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 Americans and injured 372. The Arabic satellite television channel MBC said Saturday that followers of fugitive Saudi Terror leader were planning a major attack against U.S. and Israeli 'interests' in the next 2 weeks. The New York Post reported that the G-8 summit might be moved to an aircraft carrier or cruise ship to avoid a possible terrorist attack.
The U.S. wisely tells its entire command to put to sea or hunker down in safe redoubts. But Israel cannot put to sea, although that is where the Arab nations have said they will push it. Right now, with suicide bombers making good on their threats in Israel, the U.S. under President Bush is pressing the Israeli government to do nothing. Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is being threatened by the U.S. State Department and the European Union not to respond Arafat's terror assaults - or else. OR ELSE means that Bush, Cheney, Powell may cut off or delay arms shipments, fund and technology transfers, or cease its "sometimes" defense of Israel in the United Nations.
When Sec. of State Colin Powell visits Israel this week, he will bring the message to Sharon that he had better NOT respond to Arafat's daily attacks on Israeli citizens. This, while the whole U.S. Naval Fleet is fleeing Middle Eastern ports and U.S. Marines are holed up, "merely" due to the "threat" of terror.
The U.S. State Department is burning the midnight oil trying to keep the linkage between Bin Laden, Yasser Arafat and Saddam Hussein all under a tight lid. But, the fact is that they all work together against both Israel and America.
The State Department and U.S. Intelligence Agencies have known about the interoperability of the terrorist groups across the globe for years. It just wasn't convenient to disturb certain relationships with Arab oil nations who funded the terror groups to bring the festering cancer out into the open. But the terror attack against the U.S.S. Cole, the 2 American Embassies in Nairobi and Nigeria, the American Air Force Barracks at Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, the American Marine barracks in Lebanon and the American Embassy in Lebanon (assisted by Syria) - well, their losses are just 'incidental' to the Big Political Picture and could not be publicized.
So, as American ships set sail to flee Bin Laden's threats, the U.S. government is demanding that Israel face a host of terrorist organizations and not dare to lift a finger in self-defense. Since Israel is a land-locked ship, she cannot sail. And even if she could, where would she go?
The Jewish State had better look to herself for rescue.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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