JULY-AUGUST 1996

PUBLISHED BY AMERICANS FOR A SAFE ISRAEL

TIME TO GO AFTER TERRORISTS' HOSTS Herbert Zweibon Whichever terrorist group is ultimately found to have blown up TWA Flight 800 --and each passing day brings further indications that the explosion aboard the plane was indeed an act of terror-- one thing is for sure: that group has a sponsor. Behind every major international terrorist group stands a government that acts as its host, and one or more governments that supply it with material assistance. To win the war against terrorism, the U.S. and its allies must take action against those host-regimes. Syria is the host-regime for many of the world's most prominent terrorists, including Arab terror groups such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Abu Nidal group; Asian terrorists such as the Japanese Red Army and Dev Sol; and the anti-Turkish terrorists of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party). The PLO's "Palestinian Authority" regime in Gaza is the host for Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which also have offices in Amman and Damascus. Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Sudan and Libya host an assortment of terror groups and provide arms and other forms of assistance to terrorists around the world, including Hezbollah, which operates from Syrian-occupied Lebanon. The American strategy for combatting the terror-hosts must begin with a fundamental change of attitude. The problem must be treated as the full-fledged national emergency that it is, not as merely some minor irritation or inconvenience. When areas of the west coast recently experienced a temporary power blackout, the President demanded that he have on his desk, in 30 days, a complete report explaining how it happened and what steps could be taken to make sure it did not happen again. A similar sense of urgency is needed in dealing with terrorism. The toothless "anti-terrorism summit" at Sharm el-Sheikh was no substitute for real anti-terror action. Former Knesset Member Rabbi Eliezer Waldman

accurately characterized the Sharm el-Sheikh conference as a "carnival of mass self-deception." The Clinton administration, which sponsored the gathering, was primarily interested in photo-ops that would boost Shimon Peres's election prospects. The European countries that attended knew that the U.S. would not insist they halt their trade relations with terror-sponsoring regimes. And the Arab leaders who attended knew they would not be asked to take real steps against terrorists. The participants posed for photos, patted each other on the back, and went home to wait for the Israeli election returns. Terrorism will continue unless those who host and sponsor terrorists are severely penalized for their actions. Syria must face the same international sanctions that have been imposed on Libya and Iraq. Secretary of State Christopher's fawning trips to Damascus must cease. U.S. pressure on Israel to make concessions to Syria must stop. But that is not enough. The United States must take forceful action against known terrorist headquarters. In 1992, an Israeli expert on terrorism published the names and addresses of all the terrorist groups located in Damascus, including Hamas, the PFLP, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah. So it is clearly not difficult for the CIA to target and punish the instigators of international terror and send the message to countries like Syria that harboring terrorists has a price. The Clinton administration's annual $100-million subsidy to the PLO must be suspended, as punishment for its friendship with Hamas and Islamic Jihad. And America's European allies must be told that they are expected to fully conform to the U.S. strategy for fighting terror. Herbert Zweibon is chairman of Americans for a Safe Israel. IN THIS ISSUE: The Hellenizers, Then and Now ...3 Facing the Apocalypse ...4 An Interview with Douglas Feith ...6 Israel's Election and the Internationalists ...7

July-August 1996               - 1 -               Outpost