Much of the American media reported the assassination of Israel's Minister of Tourism Rehavam Ze'evi as reprisal for the Aug. 27th targeted killing of PFLP terrorist leader Mustafa Zibri, whose "resume" includes hundreds of bombings, shootings and suicide attacks against Israeli civilians. While the media were careful to describe Ze'evi's assassins as a "militant, hard-line, offshoot" of the PLO, the victim himself was called a hard-line right-winger. Translate this to mean "one bad guy was taken out for another equally bad guy."
But there is no moral equivalence here. The PLO terrorists, led by Arafat, are the originators of hijackings, massacres in schools, synagogues, markets, terminals, community centers and restaurants in every single corner of the world, their depredations ranging from Argentina to Turkey. Ze'evi never, ever condoned terror against innocent Arabs. Israeli journalist David Bedein points out that while Ze'evi is dismissed as "favoring pushing millions of Palestinians out of Israeli-occupied territories," he advocated Israeli participation in the humanitarian resettlement of the population of Arab refugee camps in the sparsely populated oil-rich Arab nations.
Ze'evi was correct. This was, and is, a policy far preferable to the present one of forcing these refugees to remain in refugee camps where their hatred of Israel is fostered as is their hope of returning to homes and villages inside Israel that no longer exist. The "refugee" camps only serve the interests of the oil-rich Moslem nations in focusing the resentment of their populations on Israel, while deflecting attention from the rot and brutality at the core of so many of the region's regimes.
May Rehavam Ze'evi's memory be a blessing.
In the New York Post of October 19, 2001, Professor Muqtedar Khan, director of the International Studies Program at Adrian College in Michigan, urged the American Muslim community to engage in some purposeful reflection, soul-searching, and reassessment. To those who inveigh against an "evil America," he suggests that "this country's better to us than any other."
He chides the hypocrisy of Muslims who protest the treatment of Arabs by Israel, but ignore the discriminatory treatment of Muslim states. The professor, an Indian Muslim, is not exactly an AFSI sympathizer, and he repeats the standard pap about Israel's "ill treatment of the Palestinians." However, he is courageous and correct when he reminds his readers that "Israel treats its one million Arabs with greater respect and dignity than most Arab states treat their own citizens." He is equally blunt with regard to Arab "refugees" who are free to migrate to America, but "in spite of all the tall rhetoric of the Arab world, no Muslim country except Jordan extends this support to them." And he further recognizes that Muslims condemn Israel not because of concern for the rights and lives of Palestinian Arabs, but rather because of hatred of "them" (read: Jews). Muslims, he writes, "love to live in the United States, but also love to hate it." And he disparages those who find superficial solidarity with the Muslim world instead of acknowledging the blessings of American liberty: "If you disagree, then prove it--by migrating to whichever Muslim country you identify with." Well put.
When New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani ejected Yasser Arafat from a concert hall in Manhattan some years ago, he called him a terrorist who had the blood of many New Yorkers on his hands. Although we at AFSI applauded our mayor, he was extravagantly criticized in the media and even by some Jewish organizations. After all, this was after the Oslo accords were signed and Arafat's handshake with Rabin. Our mayor stuck to his guns and dismissed his critics. Last week, he turned down a check for $10-million from a Saudi tyrant prince, who blamed the September 11 terrorism on America's role in the Israel-Arab conflict." This time, the mayor was widely supported, even by relatives of victims of the disaster. His term as mayor ends at the end of the year. His term as New York's top mensch is forever. He deserves our gratitude and admiration. May he be blessed with good health and may we be blessed by his continuing role in American politics.
We at AFSI support the President and the Pentagon in their efforts to limit the media's access to sensitive information in our war against terrorism. The government's arguments are cogent. In what is now a global communications system, our enemies must be denied access to military secrets. Success in war depends on surprising the enemy. One can only imagine the outcome if President Roosevelt had informed news outlets of the plans for the Normandy invasion.
While we're at it, we are also appalled that so many newscasters speak so blithely about the fault lines in our public health readiness to deal with bioterrorism. Saddam Hussein's mad scientists and "sleeper" terrorists on our shores are only too happy to get ideas from our newscasters. The media should be part of our anti-terrorism efforts. That surely outweighs participation in the ratings game.
Ruth King is a member of the executive committee of Americans For a Safe Israel.
November 2001 - 11 - Outpost