by Yoram Ettinger
The intra-Arab and
intra-Muslim terrorism plaguing the Arab street has been a Middle East
fixture since the seventh century emergence of Islam, driven by
religious, political, tribal and ethnic megalomaniac aspirations and
violent intolerance.
Terrorism dominated the
Middle East long before the onset of the Arab-Israeli and
Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, the re-establishment of Jewish
communities in Judea and Samaria, the controversy over Jerusalem, and
the reconstruction of the Jewish state.
Against the backdrop of
ruthless and persistent terrorism targeting fellow Arabs and fellow
Muslims, one would expect the Arab/Muslim terrorism against the
"infidel" Christian, Buddhist, Hindu or Jew to be at least as ferocious.
The U.S. in particular is considered the chief threat to terrorist
regimes, morally and militarily. Hence it has been termed "the Great
Satan" and the lead target for Islamic terrorism.
The perpetrators of
Arab/Muslim terrorism, and Palestinian terrorism in particular, are
never lone wolves, as they are sometimes described. They are the
byproducts of a centuries-old intolerant ideology, supported by
educational and religious indoctrination and incitement, operating
systematically in kindergartens, schools, universities, mosques and
regime-controlled media.
Arab/Muslim terrorists
are not driven by social, economic and human rights grievances, but by
an intense, fanatical worldview, which loathes civil liberties and
considers freedoms of religion, press, association and movement, as well
as women's rights, an abomination. In fact, oppressed groups in the
non-Muslim world rarely resort to terrorism.
Arab/Muslim terrorists
are motivated by the conviction that their actions bestow upon them the
honorific title of "shahid" -- a martyr on the altar of Islam --
fulfilling a Muslim mission, and advancing the commandment of jihad
(Islamic struggle, resistance, war, expansion) against the "infidel" or
the "apostate." They expect to be rewarded by eternal glory, including
the company of 72 pretty virgins in a sensual paradise, while women are,
supposedly, rewarded with only one man.
The most effective
production line of shahids was established by Mahmoud Abbas in 1993,
compliments of the Oslo Accords, through the Palestinian education
system. For example, the seventh grade textbook "Our Beautiful Language"
states: "We shall sow Palestine with [martyrs'] skeletons and skulls;
we shall paint the face of Palestine with blood. ... We are returning
home to the plains and mountains [of pre-1967 Israel], led by jihad
flags, by bloody struggles and by the willingness to sacrifice ourselves
as martyrs."
Another textbook, the
eighth grade "Islamic Studies," says, "Jihad reserves a key role for
youngsters, just like those who sought martyrdom during the days of the
Prophet Muhammad."
Many graduates of this
education system are potential terrorists, who, unlike freedom fighters,
target civilians deliberately and systematically. Their aim is to erode
Israelis' confidence in their government's ability to protect them,
frightening them into reckless concessions.
While Abbas does not
voice the same message when speaking with Western, Israeli and Arab
interlocutors, the message that he teaches his children reflects his
true worldview, as do the monthly allowances paid to relatives of
suicide bombers and the naming of streets, squares, summer camps and
sports tournaments after terrorists. As a result, Palestinian youth
idolize shahids, jihad, bloodshed and families of suicide bombers, while
delegitimizing the Jewish state as an immoral entity deserving
annihilation.
Palestinian terrorism
has been driven not by the size but by the very existence of the Jewish
state, as evidenced by the waves of anti-Jewish Palestinian terrorism
before Israel's establishment, before the 1967 resumption of Jewish
control of Judea and Samaria, and following a series of Israeli
concessions, such as the 2005 uprooting of all Jewish communities from
Gaza, the 2000 offer by then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak to withdraw to
the pre-1967 lines, and the 1993 import of the PLO from Tunisia to
Ramallah.
The battle against
Palestinian terrorism is undermined by the futile focus on the symptoms
(individual terrorists) rather than the root cause (hate education). In
other words, let us not chase individual mosquitoes; let us instead
drain the swamp.
Counterterrorism is
further undermined by the immoral-moral equivalence applied to
Palestinian perpetrators and their Israeli victims; by the knee-jerk
pressure of Israel urging sweeping concessions and restraint, thereby
emboldening terrorists; ignoring Abbas' terrorist/subversive track
record in order to promote wishful-thinking; and extending
counterproductive financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, which
bankrolls hate education.
For instance, the
annual $400 million the U.S. gives to Abbas -- which is more than the
combined aid from all the Arab oil producers -- has not reduced
terrorism and non-compliance, has not shifted Palestinians toward
peaceful coexistence, and has not eliminated hate education.
Congress would not
support hate education within the U.S., but supports hate education in
the Palestinian Authority, thereby undermining the civil liberties of
most Palestinians. The Palestinians, in turn, abhor the corrupt,
oppressive, terroristic "Tunisian Gang" of Abbas and his associates,
which was imposed on them by the Oslo Accords.
The suspension of
foreign aid to, and all communications with, Abbas, the hate educator,
would communicate the message that hate education is the antithesis of
core U.S. values; that hate educators should not benefit from the
largesse of the U.S. taxpayer; and that hate educators on the one hand,
and compliance with agreements and peaceful coexistence on the other,
constitutes a scandalous oxymoron.
Yoram Ettinger
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=10581
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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