Tail Wagging the Dog?

Submitted by Gene Bearman (United States), Nov 7, 2004 at 12:38

Is it true that Americans view the middle east through the prism of what is good for Israel? Mr. Korn's otherwise fine article includes a strange insinuation that when the Israelis are ready to do business with the PLO the Americans should lay aside their grievances and do what is in Israel's best interests. I believe this attitude to be patently preposterous. The pressure on Israel BY THE UNITED STATES to negotiate and come to terms with the palestinians as a whole with the PLO as their representatives has been enormous.

It is my view that if Israel had been allowed at times in the past, such as when Arafat was cornered in Beruit (and later in Ramallah for that matter), to take care of the PLO problem once and for all then the world would not be experiencing the reign of terror by Islamic fundamentalism that is currently happening worldwide.

It could have been demonstrated at one time that crime does not pay. It is hard to make that case now. Israel is not at the heart of this difficulty - the United States and the European counties are responsible for not defending civilazition as one nation when terror first appeared against Israel. I hope that we continue to allow Israel to destroy its enemies as necessary as is our recent policy, and that we do likewise in a spirit of cooperation.

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