R. Shea Hecht
One can usually tell what someone thinks from their speech and their actions - and sometimes from their silence. As far as one can tell, the USA is against terrorism. What they say and their behaviors lead us to think that given the chance the USA would eradicate terror from the face of this earth.

A bi-Partisan USA is fighting terrorism in Iraq. They are fighting terror in Afghanistan. Americans are on an all-out search for bin Laden. We now know, that even before 9/11, the USA government has used sweeping powers to listen to phone conversations, read e-mail and tail people who they feel might lead to terrorist activity. Much as in the fight against communism so many years ago, the USA has sent the world a message: We are against terrorism. We will fight it. We will help all who need help to fight it.

State of Terror

R. Shea Hecht

One can usually tell what someone thinks from their speech and their actions – and sometimes from their silence. As far as one can tell, the USA is against terrorism. What they say and their behaviors lead us to think that given the chance the USA would eradicate terror from the face of this earth.

A bi-Partisan USA is fighting terrorism in Iraq. They are fighting terror in Afghanistan. Americans are on an all-out search for bin Laden. We now know, that even before 9/11, the USA government has used sweeping powers to listen to phone conversations, read e-mail and tail people who they feel might lead to terrorist activity. Much as in the fight against communism so many years ago, the USA has sent the world a message: We are against terrorism. We will fight it. We will help all who need help to fight it.

How then can the USA or anyone else for that matter support a Palestinian state? Unlike the Jewish state which would grant democracy to all its citizens, a Palestinian state would be an autocracy built on violence. The Palestinians have used terror to finagle what they want and they have gotten it.

The USA has recently brokered an agreement with Israel. Israel is to allow East Jerusalem Arabs to vote in the Palestinian elections and the USA will speak out against Hamas members appearing on the PA ballot. Though the USA is pretending that the PA will heed their words, the Hamas terror group will win a large percentage of the votes in this election.

A victory by Hamas, a radical terror group dedicated to the destruction of the State of Israel will do nothing to end the reign of terror that has gripped the world in recent years. Much as with Hitler, who was voted in as Chancellor of Germany, a Hamas victory will only reinforce Hamas’ legitimacy. Then Hamas will be repackaged into a political party which won their seats democratically.

The Palestinians have no shame in saying they want to eradicate Israel off the map, and if they could, wipe the Jews off the face of the earth. Not only do they teach their school children that there is no Israel, they have presented maps of the Middle East to the UN – a public forum – without Israel. They don’t even pretend to be peace loving. A Palestinian constitution – if such a thing could exist – would not only permit and condone acts of terror against Israel and the Western world, it would promote it as it has encouraged suicide bombings and acts of terror in the past.

The Muslim world, to which the PA belongs, praises the ways of terror and violence. To quote Al-Afif al-Akhdar, a liberal critic of Arab society, “Why do expressions of tolerance, moderation, rationalism, compromise and negotiation horrify us, but when we hear fervent cries for vengeance, we all dance the war dance? Why do other people love life, while we love death and violence, slaughter and suicide, and call it heroism and martyrdom?”

The USA claims to be against terrorism, yet by encouraging the Palestinians to establish a state, they are condoning the terrorism – albeit quietly. It seems so strange to me that a country that is fighting terrorism on so many fronts should be willing give it legitimacy on another. It makes no more sense than giving the key to the prisoners, the ammunition to the terrorist, or handing over the asylum to the patients.

Until the Palestinian Authority begins to associate itself with peace and politics instead of death and destruction they should not be given the legitimacy of a state. The legitimacy of a state would give legitimacy to the terror on which it was established.

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