- August 1994
Furthermore, if the Israeli "government" of Yitzchak Rabin is prepared to ignore the terrorism of the PLO, and instead treat it as a legitimate political force, why should they not also ignore the terrorism of individuals affiliated with that organization? I find it quite logical, given the circumstances Rabin has created, that such signed pledges are to be ignored by both the signatory and the Israeli authorities responsible for maintaining the safety of Israel's Jewish citizens.
And of what value is the signed pledge? If a person, having signed this pledge, perpetrates a terrorist attack, the response of the Israeli government must be, "But you signed this pledge. Why do you go back on your word?" A case in point is the recent murder of Yoram Sakuri on July 1. Sakrui was stabbed while asleep in his bed. His wife was seriously injured. The attacker had been released from prison in the amnesty on June 28.
On July 19, Guy Ovadia was shot and killed by a Palestinian terrorist out for kicks. The terrorist had placed a ladder against the security fence on the Gaza-Egypt border, setting off an electronic alarm. When Ovadia came to investigate, he was ambushed and shot. The terrorist escaped into the Gaza autonomous region, and has not been arrested. Following the attack, Yitzchak Rabin complained to Arafat that the PLO forces had an obligation to arrest the attacker under the Oslo and Cairo accords, and could they please do so in order to preserve the Israeli-PLO understanding.
On August 9, and again on August 12, Farouk Kaddoumi, the PLO's "foreign minister", made speeches on Algerian radio calling for the destruction of Israel. Basically, he declared war on the Jewish state. This from a man who is likely to be Arafat's successor in Fatah. Shimon Peres claimed that this only showed the importance of reaching peace with the PLO. How a declaration of war can be interpreted in this fashion is completely beyond any sane analysis. Yitzchak Rabin, on the other hand, met with Arafat and stated that such comments were "improper behaviour" from a man with whose organization Israel was trying to make peace. Rabin's demands that Arafat condemn Kaddoumi's remarks were met with cold stares and silence according the Kol Yisrael report. Rabin and Arafat then carried on the meeting, where it was decided to speed up Palestinian empowerment in the areas of education and tourism.
Israel was meant to be an answer to the Holocaust of Europe. The reason for the Holocaust was the ultimate subordination of all Jews on the continent. Jewish people, and whole Jewish communities, survived or perished at the whim of non-Jewish, and often anti-Jewish, authorities. Pogroms in the East were commonplace. In an effort to prevent such occurrences in the West, Jewish people strove to hide, mock, or abandon their Jewishness. Over time -- a few decades -- the Jewish people began to exhibit outright cowardice in their pursuance of this "accommodation" with elements of the surrounding communities that were proven enemies of the Jews. The "Please Like Me -- I'm Jewish" mindset began to take root in the Jewish psyche. What followed, of course, was the ultimate pogrom -- the Holocaust. When the Jews complained to the Nazis, "Please Like Us -- We're Jewish," the Germans laughed as the shots rang out.
Following the establishment of Israel as the Jewish State, no more would it be necessary to achieve benevolence from non-Jewish majorities who could just as easily destroy or protect the Jews. No longer would Jews have to negotiate or beg for their very existence. No longer would Jews enjoy no status but that of the cowardly vagrant. Israel was now established as the home of the homeless Jew, the guarantor of the Jewish legacy, and the bestower of Jewish legitimacy.
Of course, with the new protector of Jewish existence, those whose aim was to destroy that existence must redirect their efforts. Now, instead of oppressing individual Jews or selected communities, anti-semites aim to damage or destroy the State of Israel in an effort to indirectly keep the passions of anti-Semitism alive.
Probably the primary actor in the continued war against the existence of Israel has been the PLO. Through various means, including tremendously efficient propaganda, terrorism, historical revisionism, and co-opting international organs such as the United Nations, the Western media, and various national governments, the PLO has succeeded in developing a place for itself in world politics. With this base firmly in place, the PLO set out to destroy from the inside the very element that insures Jewish existence -- the State of Israel.
For the past nearly seven years, the PLO has waged a war of escalating terrorism on Israeli citizens, soldiers, and diplomats. With each new attack, the pressures to find a peaceful settlement grow. But, as the Holocaust so clearly proves, real peace will only come when there is a reason to stop fighting.
Yitzchak Rabin has now seen fit to give the PLO territory upon which to build the foundations of a state. He has released over 5000 terrorists from prison. He has allowed for eventual negotiation to divide the Israeli capital. He has encouraged foreign powers such as the United States and France to increase their co-operation with the PLO. He has all but ignored the increasing terrorism against Jews and the increasing anti-semitic rhetoric that goes along with it. He has divided his own society along geographic lines, creating an artificial lower class, and has apportioned civic privileges accordingly.
All this and more has been done in order to show the PLO that Jews are nice people and should therefore be treated with benevolence. The problem is that there is no incentive for the PLO to treat the Jews in this way. As long as terrorism, rhetoric, and demands continue, Rabin and his followers will continue playing the obedient pet in an effort to prevent further violence. Instead, they only encourage more of the same.
Appeasement, self-abasement, and cowardice will not win friends. They will create greater contempt on the part of the adversary. With that contempt, inevitably comes ultimate destruction. It is only a matter of time.
Copyright 1994. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission only.
