Israel should show same restraint as U.S.

Tommy schnurmacher
 
Montreal Gazette

Sunday, March 10, 2002

Israel always stands alone. While other countries are applauded for fighting terrorism, Israel is supposed to turn the other cheek as its citizens continue to be slaughtered on a daily basis by terrorists, including suicide bombers.

Even American Secretary of State Colin Powell lectured Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for Israel's attacks on Palestinian areas.

The Taliban and Al-Qa'ida members are no longer killing innocent Americans, but that hasn't stopped the U.S. Its generals have just brought in 16 more AH-64 Apache and five AH-1 Super Cobra attack helicopters to pound away at the enemy.

The American officer commanding the current ground offensive, Maj.-Gen. Frank Hagenbeck of the 101st Airborne division, was quoted in the Thursday edition of the New York Times.

He said, "In the last 24 hours, we have killed lots, lots of Al-Qa'ida and Taliban. I won't give you precise numbers, but we've confirmed kills in the hundreds."

Kills in the hundreds?

I didn't see Colin Powell calling for restraint when he heard the news. Where was the restraint when Americans were bombing innocent Serbian women and children in Belgrade because the U.S. was angry with Slobodan Milosevic?

To bolster international support for its massive bombing of Afghanistan, the United States made a point of saying it was acting in self-defence. The American administration insisted it wished to target terrorists, and not civilians.

Israel is also targeting terrorists and not civilians.

Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, on the other hand, have a different modus operandi. They specifically target civilians, hoping to kill and maim as many as possible.

FBI director Robert Mueller said Wednesday, "Al-Qa'ida followers in the United States and abroad remain committed to participating in terror attacks in the United States."

Sounds familiar.

Palestinian militants associated with Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction remain committed to participating in terror attacks in Israel.

Arafat's Fatah faction has proudly taken responsibility for the most deadly attacks. As a matter of fact, Marwan Barghouti, the West Bank leader of Arafat's Fatah faction, has urged attacks on Israelis in Palestinian areas must continue even if peace talks start.

Some peace talks.

Is Powell ready to exercise restraint with the Taliban and Al-Qa'ida? After all, in some cases, their innocent wives and children travel with them. Is Powell ready to sit down with the representatives of Osama bin Laden to discuss a possible compromise to avoid further bloodshed on either side? Is Powell ready to withdraw all American troops from Saudi Arabia?

Hardly.

Powell is not the only one telling Israel what to do and how to do it. Canada's new foreign minister, Bill Graham, was speaking to the Canada-Israel Committee last week. His audience seemed surprised he would equate Palestinian terrorist attacks with Israeli actions in self-defence.

Why the surprise?

For years, Canada has consistently voted alongside Arab dictatorships as the United Nations passes one anti- Israeli resolution after another.

When the Durban conference on racism degenerated into a hate-filled orgy of anti-Semitism, Canadian government officials stayed to the bitter end, offering the lame excuse we had managed to temper the final resolution.

We should have let it stand so it would be easier to see the UN for the anti-Semitic forum it has become.

When Graham says Israel must temper its response to violence, he follows in the Liberal tradition. Former foreign minister John Manley harrumphed at the very idea terrorism against Israel was as bad as terrorism against the United States.

Israel has been in a really tough spot for a year and a half.

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak's far-reaching concessions didn't bring about peace. If Israel was ready to make so many concessions without being forced to do so, terrorists figured the "Zionist entity" might give up even more if it came under relentless and regular attack.

Frustrated with Barak, the Israeli population turned to Ariel Sharon, hoping he would deliver on his promise to provide security.

Sharon, too, has failed.

The Israeli population might now be frustrated enough to turn back to former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has suggested building a wall to separate the two populations and conducting a military sweep of Palestinian areas to seize as many weapons as possible.

There's no guarantee his plan will work, but it sure beats trusting Saudi Arabia.

As Israel continues to fight the enemies that seek its destruction, it should, indeed, exercise restraint: the same restraint exercised by the United States of America.

- Tommy Schnurmacher is heard weekdays 9 a.m. to noon on CJAD 800 radio. His E-mail address is tommys@total.net.