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the Palestinian Authority, Podhoretz demonstrates the unbridled hatred of America in the Arab nations of the Middle East. He ridicules the efforts to build coalitions with states such as Syria and Iran, which protect the very same terrorists who bombed American barracks and embassies.From so-called moderate Egypt, Podhoretz quotes a columnist in Al-Akhbar, Egypt's state-sponsored newspaper: "The Statue of Liberty, in New York Harbor, must be destroyed! The age of American collapse has begun." He quotes the editor of a leading Palestinian Arab journal: "The American murderers of humanity, the creators of the barbaric culture and the bloodsuckers of nations, are doomed to death and destined to shrink to a microscopic size, like Micronesia."
As for pressing Israel to continue negotiations, Podhoretz delivers a knockout punch. We quote in full: "At such a time, it is simply bizarre that Secretary of State Colin Powell should be pressing the Israelis to meet with Yassir Arafat, who has been, and still is, guilty of everything we have now pledged ourselves to extirpate. A veteran terrorist himself, he is also the leader of one terrorist group and has given aid and shelter to others. Thus Hamas, an openly terrorist organization that acts with Arafat's approval from territory he controls, declared in its weekly publication after the attacks on New York and Washington: Allah has answered our prayers; the sword of vengeance has reached America, and will strike again. What will the State Department come up with next? A proposal that American diplomats sit down with Osama Bin Laden? After all, he denies having been responsible for the attacks on us, just as Arafat denies he is behind the outbreak of terrorism which has been his response to a recklessly generous Israeli offer last year of terms for a peaceful settlement with the Palestinians. Having signed a piece of paper in 1993 in which he promised to eschew violence, Arafat was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Why not get Bin Laden to make the same promise, and then give him the Nobel Peace Prize too?"
We at AFSI say "Bravo!" and "ditto."
Ruth King is a member of the executive committee of Americans For a Safe Israel.
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Israel's so-called unity government. There is no common policy or purpose even though the existential threat to Israel is far greater than that experienced by the U.S. Foreign governments have no idea what Israel's policy is, as Foreign Minister Peres travels the world directly contradicting the statements of his Prime Minister. Peres conducts himself as if he were Arafat's Foreign Minister, urging foreign governments to pressure Sharon.Nowhere was the anarchy that goes under the name "unity government" better illustrated than on September 23. As the most recent Arafat-declared cease-fire failed to be realized on the ground, Sharon and the majority of the cabinet decided that the endlessly on-again, off-again scheduled meeting between Peres and Arafat should be off-again. Peres, furious, sulked on another floor, refusing to join the cabinet! And in fear of his sulking Foreign Minister, the next day Sharon declared the meeting on-again!
Americans For a Safe Israel
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Outpost - 12 - September-October 2001