The Truth Behind Terrorism

Alan Dershowitz has written another insightful op-ed, this time for the NY Daily News. I'd like to thank him for writing with such moral clarity and with such historical accuracy:
First, Palestinian terrorism began well before there was any Israeli occupation. It started in 1929 when the grand mufti of Jerusalem ordered a terrorist attack against Jewish residents of Hebron, whose families had lived in that Jewish holy city for generations.

Second, terrorism against Israel got worse after Israel ended its occupation of southern Lebanon and Gaza, as these unoccupied lands became launching pads for rockets, missiles and kidnappings.

Third, other occupied people, for example the Tibetans, have never resorted to terrorism against innocent Chinese civilians, though their occupation has been longer and more brutal than anything experienced by the Palestinians.

Fourth, while it may be that a brutal occupation can increase the number of people willing to become suicide bombers, it is also true that no suicide bomber ever sent himself. They are sent by well-educated, affluent leaders like Osama Bin Laden, who do not live in occupied areas.

Fifth, Islamic terrorists have sworn to continue terrorism even if Israel were to end its occupation of the West Bank. They regard all of Israel as occupied.
Terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas have been held to such a low standard that they're used to getting their way. The truth is that they're hate-filled monsters who'll kill anyone, including their own children, if they think it'll advance their overall goal of worldwide domination.

It's apt that Dr. Dershowitz cites the Tibetans. Why haven't they resorted to daily violence against their oppressors? For that matter, why haven't others living in disgusting conditions gone on killing sprees of their oppressors? The truth is that terrorism is the result of deep-seated hatred, not occupation.

Let me pose a hypothetical question: If, God forbid, Israel were destroyed, would that be the end of Islamic terrorism? I'd suggest that that wouldn't end it at all. I'd suggest that it would simply mean that they'd move onto another target group.

Something I pointed out earlier is this observation:
"The consensus here is that if Israel laid down their arms, there would still be fighting. But if Hezbollah laid down its arms, there would not be," Mr. Fraser said in a telephone interview.
That's characteristic of the hatred terrorists have against everyone. We've seen other examples of their hatred. It was hatred that led to Zarqawi's assasination Danny Pearl and Nicholas Berg. It was hatred that led Mohammed Abul Abbas to push wheelchair-bound Leon Klinghoffer overboard from the Achille Lauro.

Hatred of that sort is a consuming fire that won't be extinguished by Israel's destruction.



Posted Thursday, August 3, 2006 10:05 PM

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