In Israel, Hawks and Doves Nest Together
By Bonnie Chernin Rogoff
Rightgrrl Contributor
Founder, Jews For Life
June 6, 2001
When doves cry, war is imminent.
Yasser Arafat probably committed his most egregious political error in years.
The latest suicide bombing, killing at least 18 Israeli citizens, most of them teens, was planned with calculated precision to force an excessive Israeli defensive counterattack. The strategy of the Palestinian authority since the Holy War began has been die, and let die. They know that after the bloodshed becomes a memory, any defensive maneuvers by Israelis will be met with condemnation from the rest of the world.
The terrorists have accelerated their suicide bombing missions knowing full well that their cowardly and despicable acts will be met with less hostility than will the Israeli governments' retributions. While the Israelis are desperate and know they must protect their embattled tiny little country, the PLO knows we are in the midst of an energy crisis. In this game of who's got the oil, the Arabs are holding the ball.
But this time, they erred by not choosing their bomb targets wisely. The Islamic Jihad made the mistake of setting off a bomb at a disco frequented primarily by Russian Jewish immigrants. This is the first time that members of this community have been murdered by suicide bombers in such large numbers.
That may make a whole new ballgame with new rules. Most Russian émigrés in Israel tend to be doves, or peaceniks, and their population is large and growing. The Russian émigré community here in the United States, previously apathetic to events in Israel, will be furious and motivated to get involved, seeing that their own people are vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
Until now, they also tend to have been the ones most likely to support a peace process favoring more Palestinian control. Whoops!
Add to this mix the fact that Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, the dove who would give up Jerusalem if it meant peace, has washed his hands of phony negotiations, is poised for an all-scale war and is supporting Prime Minister Sharon in such a direction. All diplomatic efforts have been thwarted, and attempts at cooperation are met with more murders. The onslaught of violence has being escalating for eight months since the Intifada began, all initiated by terrorists who won't be satisfied until the last Israeli has been killed, a mindset that is rallying Israelis to unite behind their leader. How can Prime Minster Sharon possibly make deals with a PLO leader who refuses to condemn the most extremist and dangerous factions of his people? Those of us who support the death penalty are flummoxed. These militants are willing to impose the most brutal form of capital punishment on themselves for their cause. How can you fight that?
A new poll out in the largest Israeli daily newspaper, the Yediot Achronoth, shows that most Israeli citizens are opposed to the ceasefire, originally ordered ten days ago by the Prime Minister. Fifty three percent are against it, while forty four percent are in favor. The tide is turning.
Had this vicious attack occurred during the Clinton Administration, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright would have jumped onto a plane yesterday headed straight to Israel - not to offer genuine assistance and work with them to stop the bloodshed - but to offer the appearance of sympathy while imposing more dangerous security concessions, and make more demands on Israel to pull back from her borders. The Clinton-Arafat alliance that coddled the Arabs gave impetus to the recent rise in terrorism and support to every PLO condition while punishing Israel mercilessly. The Oslo Accords were a sham. What's the use of an "agreement" if it offers one side prime real estate and the other side a worthless piece of paper?
Bill Clinton was out to improve his standing in the Arab community in efforts to avert an energy crisis he knew was coming. That's the real reason his administration had no energy policy - he wouldn't dare intervene and risk an oil embargo while his poll ratings were at stake!
But now, with President Bush in the driver's seat, things have changed. Bush could not care less about public opinion polls on the energy crisis, nor will he pursue a Middle East strategy that favors only the PLO and encourages further terrorism. He's committed to doing what is right. That's why he came out yesterday in unmistakably harsh terms, blaming Arafat's complacency for this latest tragedy and demanding his call for a cease-fire effective immediately. Arafat complied, announcing the promise of a ceasefire, which Israel should promptly reject.
There really is only one strategy left for Israel and that is all out war. Cruising a few helicopters by a single Hamas headquarters outpost and giving the occasional retaliatory blast has had no effect. Counterfeit paper policies have had no effect. It is time for Israeli intelligence to track down multiple Hamas and Hezbollah headquarters located in several cities and launch a direct hit to their outposts simultaneously. Obliterate them. Those may be incredibly harsh terms, but I ask my friends, both Jewish and Christian, do you want to eventually see more and more of Israel in the hands of Muslim fundamentalists? Is there any doubt that such a future outcome would not only be devastating to the Jews in Israel, but also to the Christians and their holy sites? Muslim fundamentalists are no different than the Nazis; they tolerate no other religion but their own.
That's why critics who call the Israelis' rightful claim to their land an "occupation" and infringement to a "Palestinian state" engage in history revisionism. They ignore the United Nations resolution that established Israel as a Jewish state, and disregard the fact that the lives of Christians living in Israel would be endangered under Muslim control.
This is another reason it is absolutely crucial that we begin oil exploration NOW…before it's too late…on our own soil. There's only so much oil we can import from our enemies while doing a balancing act with the environmental extremists here.
The Greens oppose drilling in the ANWAR or nuclear power expansion because they are concerned about "poisoning the planet" and making it "uninhabitable," causing potential "toxins" that can kill us all. To them, I ask this: What about the human carnage caused from bombings by our Arab enemies who have us by the "proverbials" while all your environmental restraints have been enforced?
Doves are normally messengers for peace, and have been very tolerant in the Middle East negotiations. But it's beginning to dawn on them that there is no such thing as a peace process. You have peace, or you have war. When doves start crying, all sides in Israel will be moved against the PLO and Yasser Arafat, to take drastic action. President Bush can help by offering Prime Minister Sharon a silent nod of support for severe counteroffensive measures.
Americans take note: Oil crisis notwithstanding, Israel has reached the breaking point and is getting mobilized. Labor and Likud join hands; hawks and doves nest together. They won't stand by and sing a song of peace while the Arab terrorists dance on their victims' graves.
Copyright 2001 by Bonnie Chernin Rogoff. Not to be reproduced in any fashion, in whole or in part, without written consent from the author. All rights reserved.