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Out of Their Minds For Israel
by Gene Callahan
April 27, 2002
Being in love can be wonderful, but it does tend to make one overlook the faults of
one's beloved. The perils of infatuation couldn't be clearer than in the case of a
couple of articles appearing recently on WorldNetDaily, Joseph Farah's "Why Israel
Must Prevail" and Ilana Mercer's "Liar, Liar, abaya on fire." (No, I didn't make up the
column title to embarrass her or anything � I guess love makes a title like that seem
"cute.")
Let's start with Mercer's column. She explains Israel's war crime of shooting at
ambulances in the West Bank as follows: "Israel regularly intercepts Palestinian
ambulances because, very plainly, some have been rigged with explosive belts, while
using the time-honored Arab decoys: women and children."
Where is the documentation for Mercer's charge? Well, there is at least clear case of
an ambulance used for military purposes: "Until now, only one instance has been
proven: this week Israeli journalists reported proudly that undercover soldiers used
an ambulance in order to approach a house in which a 'wanted person' was hiding."
And, of course, when it comes to using civilians as decoys, Israel does pretty well
itself: "In each of these cases, the IDF routinely coerced civilians to perform life-
endangering acts that assisted IDF military operations. Eyewitnesses and victims
described to Human Rights Watch how friends, neighbors, and relatives of 'wanted'
Palestinians were taken at gunpoint to knock on doors, open strange packages, and
search houses in which the IDF suspected armed Palestinians were present."
While on the topic of ambulances, Mercer says, "As the motorcade of U.S. Secretary
of State Colin Powell sped toward Jerusalem, Israeli security was in the process of
foiling an explosives-laden ambulance, on a collision course with the Powell
entourage."
Whoa! The Palestinians were trying to assassinate Powell, and, as far as I can tell, it
never made the US news! A search did turn up some mentions of an incident with an
ambulance while Powell was in Israel:
"Soldiers at the Maccabim Checkpoint apprehended a PA Red Crescent ambulance
containing explosive belts being smuggled into Green Line sovereign Israel for use in
terror attacks. The initial report indicates there was also a dead body in the vehicle.
Additional confirmed details will be published as they become available."
Although this report is from a hawkish Israeli news source, we might note that there
is no mention that the ambulance was on a "collision course with the Powell
entourage." (How, exactly, would one detect that a distant ambulance was on such a
course, anyway? Didn't the ambulance have a steering wheel?)
Mercer continues: "Hiding in the Bethlehem Church are not 'Christians seeking
sanctuary,' as CNN claimed, but hostage-taking Palestinian terrorists. The hostages
are the Christians�"
But what do the Christians in the church say?
"The Israeli government has charged that the gunmen are holding monks hostage.
But monks reached by telephone, as well as Governor Madani, said they were all
there voluntarily. Mr. Madani said there were 35 Franciscan monks and nuns and
four Greek and eight Armenian churchmen. They live separately in their monasteries.
Mr. Madani and Mr. Salman were staying with the Catholics and were not confined in
the squalid conditions of the other men who took refuge."
And how about the Vatican? Well, it says: "The Vatican repeatedly announced that
all people inside the church are non-engaged and only seeking a shelter that the
church is willing to provide. The Vatican repeatedly affirmed that there is no hostage-
taking situation."
So, if we have a case where both a number of monks and the Vatican are lying, or a
state is lying, whom does a libertarian believe? Why, one's beloved, of course.
Mercer says: "Another 'oft-repeated Arab claim repudiated by the facts, and
disproved by historical reality' is that the Israeli 1967 'occupation' of the West Bank
and Gaza is the cause of Palestinian terrorism." She goes on to document violence
that occurred before 1967 to make her case.
The use of quotes around "occupation" suggests an even more startling Arab lie:
apparently Israel is not even occupying the West Bank and the Gaza Strip! I guess
they never conquered them at all, or turned them over decades ago. Those Arab lies
sure do take hold!
In any event, in any Arab claims I've seen, the problem of the Palestinians who lost
their homes in 1948 is brought up along with the occupation. Clearly, even prior to
1967, Palestinians had some "difficulties" with Israel that might explain their
hostility.
She continues:
"Do the media ever pause to pose the no-brainer the Edmonton Journal's Lorne
Gunter poses? 'If Palestinians stopped their attacks today, tomorrow there would be
no Israeli attacks. But if Israel stopped unilaterally, would you trust the
Palestinians to
follow?'"
Well, no, I wouldn't. On the other hand, another "no-brainer" is: If the Palestinians
stopped their attacks today, could they trust Israel to grant them independence � real
independence, not some Swiss-cheese state laced throughout with Israeli territory?
Again, the answer is "No." Of course that doesn't justify Palestinian violence. If the
Palestinians had taken the high road, as Ghandi did in India, they probably would
have achieved independence years ago. World opinion would certainly be
overwhelmingly on their side, and even Israel's "amen lobby" would have trouble
convincing the American public that people practicing non-violent resistance should
not be granted statehood. But it's a bit easier for the conqueror to abjure violence
than it is for the conquered.
Now, for Farah. He contends: "It's necessary [for militant Islam] to chase the Jews
out of the Middle East first. Next will be the last vestige of Christians. But the big
prize is the Great Satan � the United States of America."
Um, why, exactly, if what the Palestinians are really interested in is the US, is it
"necessary" to drive Jews out of the Middle East "first"? The 9/11 attackers seemed
to be able to bypass the Middle Eastern Jews just fine.
Farah goes on: "If Israel loses, the Islamic revolution goes worldwide. The target is
no longer Jerusalem. It's Washington."
But Washington already was targeted! Surprisingly, the existence of Israel was not a
barrier for a 747 traveling from Boston to DC.
Says Farah, "In other words, when these people are through with Israel, they will be
coming after the U.S."
I see. After they conquer Israel, with the 6th-most powerful military in the world,
Palestine is going to attempt to conquer the US, with the most powerful, as well. The
Arabs are not only liars, they are extremely stupid to boot.
Farah explains why "Israel must prevail" as follows: "While no nation or no individual
in this fallen world is without fault, one side in this conflict is right more often
than it is
wrong, while the other is led by a man who personifies evil."
Let us grant, for argument's sake, that Israel is "right more often than it is wrong."
Does that mean it can do anything it wants? It can kill as many innocent Palestinians
as it needs to? It can ethnically cleanse the West Bank, if it so desires? Would Farah
apply his dictum to individuals? If he is in a dispute with his neighbor, and feels he
is
"right more often than he is wrong," is it OK for him to bulldoze his neighbor's house,
with the kids inside?
Farah posits a truly bizarre interpretation of the Fall. Because all humans are fallen,
anyone who is less sinful than most apparently has a free pass to sin as much as
needed in order to "prevail."
Farah says: "For 30 years we've tried to just give peace a chance. Now it's time to
give a just war a chance."
Well, who, exactly, is "we"? The US certainly hasn't been giving peace a chance. In
the 30-year period under consideration, the US has militarily intervened in Grenada,
Lebanon, Panama, Iraq, Serbia, Somalia, Haiti, Sudan, Afghanistan, Columbia, and
possibly a few places I've forgotten. And, over that period, the US has given Israel
billions in military aid.
But, it seems more likely that by "we" Farah means Israel, not the US. The US is,
after all, only the country Farah lives in, not the country where his heart resides.
Israel might have tried giving peace a chance by ending their military occupation of
the West Bank. If that made the country feel insecure, it could follow Martin van
Creveld's advice and build a fortified wall between Israel and Palestine. The cost of
such a wall would certainly be less than the cost of thirty years of occupation. It
wouldn't guarantee that there were no more terrorist attacks, but it can hardly be said
that the occupation has worked in that regard!
Farah is also quite unclear about whether Arafat does or doesn't control every action
any Palestinian takes. He says, "Though Arafat's forces invented the airline hijacking,
never before Sept. 11 had they employed suicide attackers."
Well, here is a list of some pre-September suicide bombings:
April 6, 1994: Afula suicide bombing
January 22, 1995: Beit Lid suicide bombing
April 9, 1995: Gaza suicide bombings
February 25, 1996: Jerusalem/Ashkelon suicide bombings
March 4, 1996: Tel Aviv suicide bombing
July 30, 1997: Suicide bomb in Jerusalem market
Now, is Arafat responsible for not ending Palestinian violence, or isn't he? If he is,
then why don't the above bombings count as being by "Arafat's forces"? If he isn't,
then why are the bombings after 9/11 his responsibility? Or perhaps, prior to 9/11
Arafat had no control over Palestinian violence, but now he has complete control.
When your heart's on fire, the smoke gets in your eyes.
Of course, it is possible for love to mature. One need not excuse everything done by
one's love in order for love to endure. I'll close with the words of someone else who
loves Israel, Guy Grossman, a second lieutenant in the Israeli Defense Forces
reserves:
"Our voice is growing louder every day. In January, 54 reservists signed the initial
officers' letter, and today we number 417. We bring the message to our fellow
citizens and American supporters that one can love Israel and yet criticize its
misguided policies. We have seen the injustice and futility of the occupation with our
own eyes and refuse to participate any longer.
"We are articulating a different vision of Israel that draws from a proud Jewish and
Zionist heritage. Refusal is not just saying No; it is a patriotic way of saying Yes
to a
secure, just and prosperous state of Israel."
Gene Callahan is a writer, computer programmer, and author of the upcoming book,
Economics For Real People.
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