At the end of June, Israel agreed to abide by a US-sponsored “Road Map” for peace, one that sets out the creation of a terrorist state in Israel’s midst. They agreed to abide by a Palestinian-declared temporary cease-fire, which everyone knew would be used only for the terrorists to re-arm and re-organize.
Relative quiet descended upon Israel. Only 7 people were killed in the six weeks the cease-fire lasted. Never mind that that is still 7 too many.
But last week’s destruction of the number 2 bus in Jerusalem, along with the murder of 21 innocent civilians, the wounding of 120 others, and the utter desolation left to their families, shattered all those myths. And Israel’s lame response has shattered the myth that is the war on terrorism.
I have written before that the US had already abdicated its position in that war. Their continued insistence that the creation of a Palestinian state will end the conflict describes a worldview so flawed as to be destructive, which is worse than useless.
Now, it is Israel’s turn. Ariel Sharon, the great general of yester-century, has turned into Ariel Sharon, the impotent Prime Minister following on the heels of other impotent prime ministers of the past decade. Since the outbreak of the current violence, 853 Israelis have been killed, and close to 6000 wounded.
Almost 800 of those dead, and more than 5000 of those wounded, have been victimized since Sharon took office in 2001. At the time, he came promising to end the violence and return calm to the nation. Two-and-a-half years, and endless rivers of blood later, Sharon has failed.
As if to make this absolutely clear, US Senator Richard Lugar went on record following the bombing, saying that Military involvement by the United States and its NATO allies may be necessary to create stability in the region. The Bush administration "has to figure out who is going to go after the terrorists," Lugar said, adding that U.S. military involvement "has to be a potential possibility."
Lugar is an influential voice in Washington. He is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But he is not the only one voicing these opinions. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, responded that, "You have to have some military entity that is going to be able to control the terror. Otherwise, the situation is going to dissolve into nothingness."
Israel has long had one of the most impressive militaries in the world. We have won numerous wars against incredible odds and with little to no outside assistance. The entire existence of this state is based on the ability and preparedness of Israel’s military to defend this country in hopeless conditions. For a foreign political leader to even think that Israel needs outside help in defending itself is unheard of. But it is liable to become a more regular occurrence the longer Israel fails to decisively win this war.
In Israel, the debate continues to rage over whether to expel Arafat or keep him locked away in Ramallah. This is not a debate we should be having. The answer is clear. Arafat must be killed, along the same lines as the Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders in Palestinian-controlled neighborhoods.
But at the same time, Israel should not be limiting its activities to a few targeted eliminations. A full-scale military campaign must be launched to eliminate not only the “terrorist infrastructure”, but also the terrorists themselves. All of them. Immediately.
Instead, Israel continues to pursue a less-than-half-hearted policy of picking off a few individual terrorists while the rest of them are allowed to continue murdering small babies at whim.
This week, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited Jerusalem in what is fast becoming a customary semi-annual whirlwind trip. We all remember his predecessor, Rudolph Giuliani riding the number 18 bus after it was blown up twice in a week in January 1996. And we all remember Giuliani’s return, together with Bloomberg, in December 2001, in response to a number of terrorist incidents that month.
This week, Bloomberg appeared again, showing the unity of spirit and purpose that is most welcome between New York and Jerusalem. Together with Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert and representatives of terror victims’ organizations, Bloomberg rode the number 2 bus past the location where the bombing took place.
During the ride, he commented that Israel cannot negotiate with the Palestinians so long as violence continues. "When someone has a gun to your head, you cannot negotiate. You have to stop the violence first. The road map was an incentive for Palestinians to stop terrorism, but should do not be discussed so long as Israel remaines under the threat of terror.”
Why is it that Israel’s national leaders, its military heroes, and its policy wizards cannot see what others so plainly recognize?
"Anybody who sees the young babies [hospitalized] your heart had to go out, and you have to react and say we are not going to sit back and let our children be massacred and injured. This is just not acceptable in the civilized world," Bloomberg said.
Apparently, though, Israel’s leaders are not included in this statement. It is time for Israel leaders to see the babies, see the blood, see the hate that continues from the Palestinians, see the pain that runs deep in the eyes of every Israeli. Those leaders who can’t see these things, or who don’t want to – those leaders who can’t respond in such a way that will end the terrorism once and for all – or who don’t want to, have no business being in office.
Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. Yehuda Poch is a journalist living in Israel. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission of the author only.
