[(Continued from p.6)]
into the next generation's consciousness."Never mind that, on November 21, all 57 members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference refused to back an anti-terrorism resolution in the United Nations General Assembly because its definition of terrorism would have applied to Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah (in the Islamic lexicon, noble movements of national liberation all). So much for the vaunted U.S. coalition against terror.
Unfortunately, the fantasy is being translated into policy that can only further loosen Israel's already tenuous grip on survival. Anthony C. Zinni, former commander of U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, has been sent to follow in the footsteps of George Mitchell (the Mitchell Plan) and George Tenet (the Tenet Plan) and broker a ceasefire, this time with a state of Palestine in its wake. If he succeeds, Israel will of course be the chief victim. Reduced to an indefensible rump, it will confront the PUO (as Ruth King says, the Palestine Unification Organization, dedicated to restoring Palestine in its historic boundaries). And, as Michael Gove points out, who was there to defend what remained of Czechoslovakia once the Sudetenland had been sacrificed to achieve "peace?"
But Israel will not be the only victim. When it tallies the score, the Islamic world cannot fail to conclude that the Islamists achieved a great victory in the September 11 assault. Yes, Osama bin Laden, his Al Qaeda network, and the Taliban paid a heavy price. But paying heavy prices is what jihad is all about. The mothers of suicide bombers who target Israel speak proudly of sacrificing their own children. Far more important in the Islamic reckoning, they achieved a great prize, the prize that eluded the earlier heroes of the Arab street from Gamal abd el-Nasser to Saddam Hussein--the hated state of the Jews. The only possible result of "delivering" Israel can be to energize Islamic fundamentalism in its real battle, the showdown against what it perceives as corrosive Western culture and values, shaping a world in which Islamic societies cannot successfully compete. The Little Satan gone, it will mobilize with greater energy in the conviction that the turn of the great Satan has now come.
Rael Jean Isaac is editor of Outpost.
(Samir was held by the Palestinian Authority police for 64 days. This interview was published in the October edition of Israel Today--Israel Heute, Nachrichten aus Israel --a monthly journal appearing in German. The interviewer is Aviel Schneider.)
Last spring, Palestinian police arrested Israeli Arab journalist Youssef Samir in the town of Beit Jallah near Bethlehem. Held captive in a secret location for 64 days, the Egyptian-born writer was tortured and interrogated by Yasser Arafat's secret police, who accused him of spying for Israel. Appeals by Samir's family to the Palestinian Authority were ignored, with officials claiming they did not know his whereabouts. Finally, Samir escaped. Bruised and exhausted, he made it to the Israeli checkpoint on Bethlehem's border with Jerusalem. Free at last, he bowed low and kissed the ground.
Israel Today: Mr. Samir, why did the Palestinian police kidnap you?
Samir: I have no idea. During my detention, I was told repeatedly that I had to sign something. When I asked what it was, they told me I knew what they meant. Finally, they said I was to sign a confession that I spied for Israel.
Israel Today: Where were you held?
Samir: I was in the former headquarters of the Israeli army in Bethlehem, which today is the seat of the Palestinian security forces. I was questioned and tortured by the Tanzim [gunmen from Arafat's Fatah group] and other security men.
Israel Today: Did you believe you'd be released?
Samir: I cried from the pain. I didn't think I'd survive their brutality. For the first time in my life, I actually feared death.
Israel Today: Do you believe Israel did enough to secure your freedom?
Samir: I would like to say unequivocally that Israel represents the chosen people. I place all my confidence in this small country, which I love from the bottom of my heart.
Israel Today: Did your kidnappers show any compassion because of your age?
Samir: I only saw in their eyes how much they hate Israel. But I love the simple Palestinians, the families who want to live in peace. The Palestinian population is suffering from Arafat's regime. Many Palestinians wish they were back under Israeli rule.
Israel Today: As a writer closely connected to the Palestinians, tell us, what do the Palestinian people feel?
Samir: I would be happy to introduce you to Palestinian families any time so you can hear directly what they think of Arafat. They hate him, but they are defenseless.
Israel Today: But the world is pushing Israel to negotiate
[(Continued on p.8)]
December 2001 - 7 - Outpost