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Do it the American
way By Reuven Koret March 10, 2002 I left on a trip to the U.S. last Saturday evening, when a suicide bomber blew up among women, children and babies near a synagogue. Every day since there have been attacks against Israeli civilians. A murderous attack on a restaurant. Snipers killing soldiers and civilians at checkpoints. Another bus bombing. A thwarted cafe bombing. Teens attacked in a boarding school. Dozens of Israelis killed in a week. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called the situation a war, and said that before talks could begin with Palestinians, "they must first be hit hard ... so that they understand terrorism will achieve nothing." His campaign against terror camps, suicide bombers, rockets, and other sources of munitions continues. Yet this week U.S. Sec. of State Colin Powell rebuked Sharon, saying "if you declare war against the Palestinians and think you can solve the problem by seeing how many Palestinians can be killed - I don't know if that leads you anywhere." State Dept. spokesman Richard Boucher said, "We strongly oppose the Israeli policy of targeted killing that has led to the death of many innocent civilians." Meanwhile, across town, Maj. Gen. Frank L. Hagenbeck told a Pentagon briefing that his forces detected Taliban and al-Qaida fighters with RPGs and mortars advancing toward his troops. "We body slammed them today and killed hundreds of those guys," the commander said. Allied forces dropped hundreds of bombs and missiles in attempts to destroy the enemy. Citing the continue desire to find and kill Osama bin Laden, President George W. Bush said: "If he is alive, there is no cave deep enough for the United States." Today, citing a classified Pentagon report, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Bush administration has told the Defense Department to prepare contingency plans to use nuclear weapons against at least seven countries, including China, Russia, Iraq, North Korea, Iran, Libya and Syria, the Times reported. The newspaper said the contingencies listed for possible use of the weapons were "against targets able to withstand non-nuclear attack; in retaliation for attack with nuclear, biological or chemical weapons; or "in the event of surprising military developments." Let's try and get this straight. It's OK for the U.S. to kill hundreds of enemy troops in a faraway mountain range, but not OK for Israel to go after the terrorists who launch daily attacks on its civilians from a few miles away? It's OK for the U.S. to go after this leader and that mullah but not OK for Israel to eliminate the terrorist masterminds. The U.S. can prepare nukes and Israel is condemned for a handful of conventional hits on empty buildings and parking lots? What's the use of protesting this double standard? No, Israel would be well advised to do exactly as the Americans do, and say. Can anyone imagine the United States calling for unconditional negotiations under fire with the terrorist forces? Of course not. Can anyone imagine the U.S. military using anything other than overwhelming military force to defeat their declared enemy? Of course not. And yet, just when Israeli activities against the terror infrastructure seem to be making an impact, with dozens of terrorists killed, and hundreds surrendering their weapons, Sharon backs down and says he will negotiate under fire with the terrorist and will consider withdrawing Israeli forces and letting Arafat travel the world again. Precisely wrong. Far from objecting to U.S. double standards, Israel should religiously follow in America's footsteps and echo the words that its political and military leadership use to describe and define their own conflict with the terrorists and those who support them. Let our military spokesman say: "We body slammed them today and killed hundreds of those guys." Let us proportionally match the ordinance the Americans are using against a couple hundred Taliban and al-Qaida fighters against the tens thousands of terrorists it faces. Let us make perfectly clear that we are prepared to use any means necessary, including nuclear weapons, in case of "surprising military developments." Let us create our own "Camp X-Ray" for captured terrorists and combatants, under the exact same conditions that the United States keeps "illegal combatants" in Cuba. Let us declare that there is no cave deep enough for the Godfather of Terrorism and his henchmen. And let's mean it. Israel must first achieve total and unequivocal victory. Then, and only then, will we be in a position to deal, fairly and even generously, with the utterly defeated enemy. That is the American way. Views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
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