[(Continued from p.8)]
itself scooped and upstaged, and alarmed that Israel might for once get the upper hand, Amnesty International quickly, a day later, published its own findings, mainly that in Nablus and Jenin, Israel committed war crimes.So in the duel between two humanitarian groups, Israel came out even -- well, almost.
No such luck with two nations that likewise position themselves at the forefront of benevolence, Canada and Finland. These two nations wouldn't hurt a fly, unless it spoke Hebrew.
Finland has a device that can detect poison gas in the air...can even detect one poison from another.
Israel needs this device, especially with an American war looming against Mr. Poison Gas Himself, Saddam Hussein.
Finland to Israel: Drop Dead!
That's Finland's answer to Israel's request for those gas detectors -- no deal, and we hope you die. (Is there a number of dead to be reached before Finland can be accused of war crimes?)
But it's not only Finland that has turned its back on Israel.
Canada to Israel: Drop Dead!
You'll recall that the Almighty asked Moses to name the country he wanted for the Jewish people. Moses started to say Canada, but he had a speech impediment, so he couldn't finish the word.
"Canaan?" said the Almighty, referring to the only land that has no oil. "You want Canaan? It's yours."
Now the Canadians are really rubbing it in to those who inhabit Canaan. Canada doesn't want its citizens to contribute to Israel's version of the Red Cross.
Canada has revoked its tax exempt status for Israel's Magen David Adom because the organization provides lifesaving services in the territories -- oops, "occupied" territories.
Never mind that Israel's Magen David Adom (Red Star of David) is humanitarian in every sense of the word and provides services to both Arabs and Jews.
Never mind that the International Red Cross shuns Magen David Adom -- that's another story altogether, as is the fact that Red Cross vehicles are used to transport Palestinian bombs and bombers.
But as for Canada -- well, isn't Canada itself an occupier?
Canada's own Red Cross ought to be similarly disfranchised because it operates in Quebec. This province is "occupied" by Canada, according to a near-majority of Quebec citizens who, for decades, have been on the verge of breaking away from Ottawa and its "oppression" of the English over the French.
What's strange about this judgmental nastiness against Israel is that both Canada and Finland share Israel's love of liberty. Hockey is about as violent as it gets in both those places.
Canada considers itself "humanitarian." (A word that may need to be redefined.) So does Finland. So does Amnesty International. You know? So does Arafat. He's got that Nobel Peace Prize.
He got that though he appeared at the United Nations with a pistol hitched to his belt...a symbol that fits the most enduring statesman of the last (and present) century.
Jack Engelhard is a former radio and newspaper editor covering the Mideast and former American volunteer in the Israeli Defense Forces. His columns can be read online at www.comteqcom.com/jackcolumn.php
It is now time for an AFSI quiz. First, the facts.
1. On November 13, 2002, Prime Minister Sharon, that bogey man of the pacifist left -- and disappointment of the nationalist right -- stated that a Palestinian state is inevitable. Barry Schweid, AP diplomatic writer, on the same date disclosed that at a public speech in Maryland, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan denounced Israel as an expropriator of Arab land and said it must give up "nearly all of the territory" for peace with the Arabs.
Now for the quiz. Who did more harm to Israel on that date?
If you answered Sharon, you are right. By gratifying the expectations of terrorists, Sharon gives legitimacy and credence to Annan's slander of Israel. By agreeing to a Palestinian state, Sharon betrays his mandate and his supporters, endangers Israel, and virtually admits that Annan's outdated formula is the road to a permanent peace.
The vacuum in leadership in Israel is as dangerous to the survival of the state as the determination of its Arab enemies to destroy it. None of Israel's leaders, whatever their political affiliation, seem able to extricate the nation from the ruinous policies in which it is mired.
No other nation has been the continuous victim of such unrelenting and savage terrorism. Even appeasement-architect Dennis Ross now recognizes the folly of the Oslo formula. Major powers, including the United States, Russia and India are confronting terrorism and its Islamic origins. Only Israel of all the victimized nations is insisting on negotiating with its enemies on the enemies' terms.
While the United States and the United Nations discuss Iraq's "material breaches" of previous resolutions, Israel glosses over the "material breaches" by all the Arab states which have signed agreements with her. No
[(Continued on p.10)]
December 2002 - 9 - Outpost