THE WAR ON TERROR:
AN ISRAELI JOURNALIST’S PERSPECTIVE
OXFORD, OHIO---For
over fifty years, the modern nation of Israel
has survived amidst wars and rumors of wars.
However, during most of that time the average Israeli has felt safe and
secure within Israel's
borders. In 1998, I heard a lecturer
from Israel
comment that it was safer to live in Jerusalem
than in a large Ohio city like Dayton.
More recently, another Israeli visitor to Ohio
conveyed a much different story about life in Israel. On October
26, 2004, Herb Keinon, a diplomatic
correspondent for the Jerusalem Post,
told an audience of students and faculty at Miami
University about the tremendous
pressures faced by Israelis over the past four years. To understand the policies of Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon, Keinon said, one must see them
in the context of these day-to-day pressures.
Keinon, who grew up in Denver
and holds degrees from the University of Colorado
(B.A.) and the University of Illinois (M.A.), has lived in Israel
for about 24 years and written for the Post
for the past eighteen years. He
commented that he had hoped his four children would experience the same kind of
idyllic, carefree childhood in Israel
that he had been able to enjoy in the U.S. But with the constant threat of terrorist
attacks, normal life has been impossible in Israel
since 2000. Parents fear to let their
children go outside. Families weigh the
risks of traveling together---what if a suicide bomber were to wipe out the
entire family in a moment? In such an
environment, there is no way to shield one's children completely from the
fears, anxieties and hostility that fill the air.
It was the almost unbearable pressures of the past four years, Keinon explained, that led to Israel's
controversial decision to build a security fence. Ariel Sharon originally opposed the
construction of the fence, but he finally agreed to the measure after the
brutal terrorist attacks of the 2002 Passover season. In effect, Keinon
said, the terrorists built the fence. Keinon added that the philosophy behind the 1993 Oslo
peace accords---that the accords would produce economic benefits, which would
in turn lead to greater security---has proven to be flawed. Israel
has learned through hard experience that security must come first.
On the other hand, Keinon later noted that the
fence is not necessarily a permanent fixture.
If the time comes when extremists are no longer in control among the
Palestinians, then the fence could well be taken down.
Progress
Against Terrorism
Keinon reported that Israel
has made great progress since 2002 in its efforts to shut down terrorism. In March 2002, for example, 135 Israelis were
killed by terrorists, but the death toll for the entire first ten months of
2004 was under a hundred. The fence has
reduced the opportunities for terrorists, and well-trained Israeli troops,
aided by modern technology and excellent intelligence-gathering, have been able
to cut off many attacks before they can be carried out. As a measure of recent progress, Keinon cited some statistics: Israel
was able to stop eight of the seventeen terrorist attacks launched in March
2002, but it aborted all twenty-two of the attacks attempted in September
2004. With greater safety, the country's
devastated tourist industry has also begun to recover.
Another key factor in Israel's
success in the war on terror, Keinon said, has been
the strong backing of its greatest ally, the United
States.
The U.S.
under President George W. Bush has supported Israel's
``right to defend itself by itself,'' allowing the Israelis the opportunity to
effectively deal with terrorism.
Israel's
desire to further cement its alliance with the U.S.
is one of the reasons behind its recent painful decision to withdraw from
twenty-one settlements in the Gaza Strip by September 2005. This ``disengagement plan'' will probably
reduce the opposition that the U.S faces from Europe and
elsewhere as it continues to stand behind Israel. The withdrawal from Gaza
is also an acknowledgment of demographic realities: It is very difficult for Israel
to defend eight thousand Israelis living in the midst of 1.2 million
Palestinians.
Questions
about Iraq and the U.S. Presidential Election
After his lecture Keinon fielded questions from
the audience. One question concerned the
war in Iraq: Has the U.S.
invasion of Iraq
made matters more difficult for Israel
by increasing hatred for Israel
in the Middle East?
Keinon replied that Arab hatred for Israel
was already at a maximum level before the Iraq
war began. How could it be increased any
further? Israel,
in fact, views itself as better off after the regime change in Iraq. Keinon observed
that the increased American presence in the region now causes Syria
to ``look over its shoulder'' and has led to disarmament in Libya.
Speaking just a week before the hotly contested 2004 U.S.
presidential election, Keinon refused to take sides
in the contest, or to reveal how he himself had voted. (As a U.S.
citizen, he had undoubtedly already cast his absentee ballot.) Regardless of the election's outcome, he
said, major changes are not expected in American policy toward Israel.
He went on to say, though, that Israel
as a whole strongly supported the reelection of President Bush. (In one poll taken in Israel,
58% chose George W. Bush while only 22% expressed a preference for John
Kerry.) Keinon
explained that in Israel's
view, President Bush has earned an A+ with ``the most favorable American policy
toward Israel
ever.'' While John Kerry might turn out
to be a B or even an A, Keinon said, most Israelis
favored a ``sure thing'' over an unknown quantity.
Keinon stated that whoever wins the election, it
is important for the U.S.
to ``see things through'' in Iraq,
as long and painful as the process might be.
It would be better for the U.S.
to have never become involved in Iraq,
he said, than for America
to pull out of Iraq
prematurely.
Post-Election Postscript: Many Israelis---and their friends in the U.S.---are
encouraged by President Bush's
reelection. Let us pray that in the
years to come, the leaders of both nations will rule in the fear of the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see 2 Sam. 23:3-4), who is our only Source of true
security. As we read in Ps. 121:1-2, ``I
lift up my eyes to the hills---where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of
heaven and earth.''
ISSUE 17
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