Every nation, every institution seems to have placed demands of behavior on Israel along with unsolicited advice on what she can and cannot do in defending herself against terror. Let's take a look at the advice-givers and their methods of handling terror.
We know that President George Bush, Jr. and Secretary of State Colin Powell with advice from Papa Bush and James Baker, have instructed Israel to cease defensive/offensive actions against the Palestinian terrorists. This policy is being formed and driven by demands of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. This policy is totally counter to Gen. Colin Powell's military doctrine 'to use the maximum force possible in the shortest time to reduce casualties — on both sides'.
ARAB NATIONS' SOLUTIONS TO TERROR AND INSURGENCY
Egypt
Let us look at how the Arab nations deal with their own insurgencies. Egypt just sent a delegation to Washington led by Osama el-Baz, speaking for President Hosni Mubarak. Egypt warned the Bush administration that U.S. inaction (read: lack of pressure on Israel) in the Middle East could allow extremists to take hold in moderate Arab States. That opens the question: Is their definition of "moderate" Arab states according to any standards of Western democracy or are they just a bit less radical?
One must also ask: Why would Egypt blame Israel for its own radical Islamic fundamentalist, who wish to overthrow the Egyptian regime as well as various Arab governments? Usually radical Islamic fundamentalists draw their inspiration from such nations as Iran, Syria and Iraq (and perhaps Osama Bin Laden) who fund, arm, train and indoctrinate them. Shifting the blame to Israel for radical uprisings in Arab nations is about the most twisted Orwellian idea that the Egyptians have come up with — lately.
For example: How would or how has Egypt handled prior insurgencies or the 'intifada'? At the beginning of the first Palestinian 'intifada' in 1987 Palestinian Arabs were rioting on both sides of the border that splits Rafiah between Israel and Egypt. The Egyptians used suppression methods typical of the Arab nations and their understanding of their own people who they know only respond to strength and force. Arabs typically view any conciliation to rioters, violence or opposition as weakness which leads to more and greater violence.
The Egyptians sent an Army truck to the village square in Rafiah, on the Egyptian side of the border. The truck backed up to the area of rioting Palestinians. The flaps were rolled up; the tailgate was dropped. On the truck bed was a 50 caliber machine gun with a three man crew. They swept the area with machine gun fire, leaving approximately 40 dead Palestinians. They closed up the tailgate and the back flaps and drove away, leaving the dead rioters on the ground where they lay for the townspeople to bury.
That was the end of the 1987 'intifada' on the Egyptian side of the border.
The Israelis, on the other hand, gently contained the Palestinians rioting in Rafiah on their side of the border. Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres were 'conveniently' out of the country and refused to come back for at least 2 weeks although the riots spread throughout the country. Rabin was in Washington and Peres was in Europe, both trying to incite pressure on Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, to accept an International Conference to force Israeli appeasement and concessions. The spontaneity and timeliness of the riots were always suspicious but there was never an investigation to determine if they were inspired to force through what eventually became the Oslo Accords on September 13, 1993.
The Palestinian Arab rioters had a sense of winning and the riots spread across Israel — with thousands of casualties. Here again, Washington had warned the Israelis NOT to respond aggressively to suppress the rioting, an order which they obeyed. No similar warning had been issued to Egypt, not that they would have paid any attention to U.S. demands. Unlike Israel, Egypt maintains a large standing army — a large part of which is tasked to keep the Egyptian people under control. Egypt also has a large radical Islamic terrorist element — the Muslim Brotherhood, who Egypt ruthlessly suppresses in sweeps of killing operations.
Presently, Egypt has closed its borders to Arafat's Palestinians to cut off possible contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Jordan has done the same thing. Both Egypt and Jordan are justifiably concerned that Arafat will undermine their governments.
Recall that Egypt's President Anwar Sadat, who had signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, was assassinated by Egyptian Army officers who were connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. Presently, Hosni Mubarak is high on their list even though he attempts to pacify them with threats against Israel.
Note the comparison! Egypt kills off its insurgents with impunity while it tells Washington to force Israel NOT to retaliate against her terrorists. The United Nations, Europe and America remained mute when Egypt killed its own terrorists — which is their typical response for "excessive force" when used by any Arab regime.
Syria
Syria had its own way to deal with insurgency and terrorism. When its former President Hafez al Assad, had a couple of close calls in attempted assassinations by its Muslim Brotherhood, some from the town of Hamma, Assad implemented his own (Arab) solution.
He ringed the town of Hamma with tanks and artillery. He began to fire on the town, insuring that none its inhabitants — men, women or children — could sneak out or even surrender. Shells pounded the town into rubble. When all the buildings were flattened, Assad sent in teams with portable poison gas generators. The rubble was doused with gas so that any of the civilians hiding in basements would be murdered by gas. There was no attempt to take prisoners. The estimated death toll was 20,000. There was no big outcry or condemnation at the United Nations. The American government remained almost absolutely silent and the American Media followed dutifully in silence.
That was the 'Syrian Solution' to local terror and insurgency. The world accepted this solution because it was what could be expected from an Arab nation. Besides, the American State Department had been courting Syria for years and trying to get it off the Congressional List of Terrorist States. Then the American arms industry could sell and/or gift large quantities of American weapons — as they did with Egypt. The profits could have ranged from $10 to 20 Billion. The U.S. effort to take Syria off the American list of Terrorist States continues.
Iraq
In Iraq, Saddam Hussein also used similar solutions to opposition and insurgency against his regime by either the Iraqi people or the Kurds living within Iraqi borders. During the 8 year Iran-Iraq war, there were numerous instances where Saddam had typical Arab solutions to those whom he did not trust or considered his enemy.
Once, he sent aircraft over a Kurdish town situated in Iraq. The aircraft dispersed two kinds of gases: Tabum and an 'updated' mustard gas. He killed approximately 5,000 men, women and children. Shortly after that the town was captured by the Iranians who were delighted to show Saddam's cruelty to the international newsmen and TV crews. The films showed those who died of Tabum lying on the ground, some cuddling their babies as if they were peacefully sleeping. Those who were gassed with mustard gas died in terrible agony. The photos and TV showed them as horribly blistered. While the Iranians would do the same, they were thrilled to show the Western Media and the nations how barbaric Saddam's Iraqis were.
This then was the Iraqi method of dealing with opposition or even minimal defiance against Saddam's rule. Here again, the U.N., E.U., and President Bush, Sr. remained virtually silent. There were, of course, other Iraqi attacks against the Kurdish marsh dwellers. They too, were gassed, burnt out and treated to genocide by other vicious means.
There were few complaints from the so-called Free World. After all, Saddam was sold poison gas, missiles, technology (along with scientists to teach the local manufacturers) and more from the West. Didn't we expect him to use these substances on victims of his choice?
Saddam's solution was pretty much consistent with the philosophy of Arab rulers generally. They use devices or substances purchased from the West to kill off their own people. This seems to be the acceptable solution to opposition within the Arab/Muslim culture.
Jordan
In 1970, when Yassir Arafat and his armed Palestinians began to strut about the Jordanian capital of Amman, in anticipation of a 'coup d' stat' to take over that Kingdom, King Hussein turned lose his elite Bedouin Army. They slaughtered Arafat's Palestinians and drove them out of Jordan. Arafat and his Arabs call that operation "Black September". They were forced to flee into Lebanon where they set up a mini-state of terror. King Hussein had correctly solved his problem of Palestinian Arab insurrection and terror by using the full power of his army and Jordan remained peaceful thereafter. I don't recall either the American administration or the Europeans issuing warnings and threats to King Hussein to cease using "excessive force".
Lebanon
When Arafat's Arab Palestinians took over Lebanon, the existing governments were too weak to confront or contain his terror. The result was a 12 year Civil War which killed more than 100,000 Lebanese civilians, Christian and Muslims. The Christian community of Lebanon was decimated. Arafat was sending multiple Katyusha rockets across the border into Israel's northern towns, making those peaceful communities war zones, with the men, women and children forced to live in bomb shelters for long periods. When then Prime Minister Menachem Begin, z'l and Defense Minister Ariel Sharon entered Lebanon in June 1982 to clean out the terror nest of Arafat, they discovered huge tunnels and bunkers dug into the Lebanese mountains. These contained tremendous stockpiles of heavy duty weapons and documents exposing Arafat's plans for a major war attack against Israel.
When the American Marines came in to monitor, or peace-keep, or observe, they were under-strength and they underestimated the power of terror. Syrian-backed terrorists blew up the American and French Embassies. The American Marine Barracks was blown up with a terrorist's truck bomb, killing more 242 American Marines. Without sufficient force or the mind set to deal with terror, the Americans were defeated by the terror and left. It was reported that then Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger who called for the retreat and cancelled President Reagan's orders to shell Syria from an American battleship, using 16 inch guns.
Iran & Sudan
I suppose I could cite the instances where Iran's Ayatollah's solved their opposition problems by massacring their own people. Sudan too has been killing off their own Christians and animists. Egypt is allowing its Coptic Christians to be killed and/or driven out by its radical
Islamic Fundamentalists.
The Papacy has occasionally issued bland statements about Peace but never really bothered to condemn the killing of Christians anywhere in the Arab countries.
I have already mentioned that American and European governments, in deference to Arab oil nations have always remained silent as they sell the weapons and technology for these massacres.
So, why do these nations complain when Israel restrains herself while her civilians are relentlessly targeted and casualties mount? Almost 700 Israelis (including 20 Americans) have been murdered by Palestinian Arab terrorists since the signing of Oslo, September 13, 1993 — with thousands injured, some maimed for life. Why do these nations threaten full scale war, as Egypt has recently done, if Israel only targets known terrorists and assassins?
Do you think it's possible that the family of nations has double standards? Do you think the United Nations accepts the Arab solutions to insurgency and terror, at least for all its members except Israel? Do you think that Israel should take advice, diktats, threats from the Bush-Baker dynasties so intertwined with the Arab oil sheiks? Do you think the Left Liberal Media will ever get off its anti-Israel campaign using Media spin to misinform their more conservative public who would allow Israel to live in peace? No, I don't think so, either.
Is Egypt a reliable ally to America or merely using American taxpayers' free dollars and weapons? Why has America been giving Egypt $2 Billion American taxpayers' dollars a year, which adds up to approximately $44 Billion, plus free gifts of various weapons, since the Camp David peace treaty was signed in 1979? Is this a bribe to keep peace? Or is it merely a good method of feeding of money to Egypt, allowing it to purchase American weapons and thus assist the American military-industrial complex? The fact is that Egypt is only for Egypt — which is OK and normal — until her government falls to the Islamic Brotherhood — at which point Egypt will become a threat, not only to Israel but to American interests all over the oil-rich Middle East.
Russia & China
Finally, we can look into such nations as Russia and China who are usually quick to give advise to Israel but, they themselves use massive force to put down rebels or any groups who defy their rule. Well, that should be enough about the Arabs' methods of dealing with terror and the disinterest of the U.N. in whatever method is used.
The West, of course, is now in a panic over the possible use of the technology they sold to the Arab states and their probable use of these catastrophic weapons of mass destruction, including NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) against America, Russia and Europe.
Are we now to entrust the country of Israel to International Monitors, Observers or Peace-keepers? Or should we enable and encourage Israel to defend herself as she can? It would be in the interests of world peace. A strong Israel is the West's only bulwark against the takeover of the entire oil-rich Middle East by radical Islamic fundamentalists united within many Arab and Muslim countries.