by Dr. Reuven Berko
The various travel
advisories issued recently by the Counterterrorism Bureau have puzzled
many Israelis, who have been wondering just how seriously to take them.
Some have chosen to ignore them completely, saying that they are merely a
way for security officials to cover all bases; some have chosen to
lower their profiles, traveling in groups, whispering in Hebrew and
exercising caution while abroad; while others have chosen to follow them
to the letter and avoid travel destinations deemed too dangerous.
The most recent travel
advisory, warning that Islamic State mujahedeen who return to their
countries of origin from the killing fields of Iraq and Syria are
planning to target European sites frequented by Israelis, makes one
wonder whether European countries facing the threat of terrorism can
protect their citizens and visitors.
The advisory
essentially predicts the collapse of the West's domestic security
apparatuses when faced with the growing unrest among its Muslim
communities and the radicals they harbor, meaning that Europe is facing a
greater threat from its domestic populations than from Islamic State
murderers.
More than a few
European anti-Semites try to find comfort in the fact that Jewish sites
across Europe -- synagogues, embassies and museums -- are likely to be
the focus of any Islamic rampage, saying any such attack would likely
stem from the "Palestinian issue" and therefore that Europeans have
nothing to worry about.
If I were a European, however, I would consider the Israeli travel advisory as a call to rally to Europe's aid.
The combined reality of
the blow Israel has dealt Hamas, which is a Muslim Brotherhood
"subsidiary," and the aerial campaign waged against Islamic State by the
United States and its allies, has infuriated radical Islamists
worldwide, prompting them to call on the leaders of terrorist
organizations in our region to form a coalition against this common
enemy, saying that the blows dealt to these radicals by the West and the
Arab countries that have joined its fight are the product of "a
conspiracy led by Jews and global Zionism."
This sentiment lends
the Quran's decree of "do not take the Jews and the Christians for
friends; they are friends of each other" (Sura 5:51) even greater
importance, as terrorist leaders seem to be willing to put their
differences aside in favor of seeing organizations like al-Qaida,
Islamic State and the Nusra Front band together against the "crusaders."
An old Arab proverb
says, "Me against my brother; me and my brother against our cousin; and
me, my brother and my cousin against the stranger," that is, the
"crusaders." This method is tried and true: While the Muslim Brotherhood
believes that Islamic State is too brutal and Islamic State believes
the Muslim Brotherhood is passive, they both aspire to vanquish the
"crusaders" and their allies and establish a global Islamic caliphate.
The unrest, mass
protests and terrorism, which currently seem as if they have a purely
anti-Semitic aspect, will soon focus on the "crusaders" themselves.
Europe has received an unequivocal travel advisory from Israel's
Counterterrorism Bureau, and it would be wise to pay attention.
Reuven Berko
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=10013
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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