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Jewish World Review Oct. 9, 2003 / 13 Tishrei, 5764 Cowardice costs By David Warren
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
Israel's weekend attack on the Islamic Jihad camp near
Damascus was an act of cowardice, properly considered. The
target was legitimate enough, and the best proof of this was
the immediate Syrian effort to seal it from journalistic
inspection; together with Hizbollah reprisals along the
Lebanon frontier. Had the target been the mere hiking trails
Syrian propaganda described — and which liberal media
immediately swallowed whole — it would not have had the
kind of fencing and gates around it that at least one
enterprising journalist observed. Moreover, the Syrian
authorities would have led a media parade through the
bombsite.
And having their effect, as Israel's action showed. Prime
Minister Sharon chose the Syrian target as an alternative to
acting against Yasser Arafat — either by exiling him, or, as
was originally proposed, by killing him. Under domestic
political pressure, Mr. Sharon was choosing the lesser way to
make the point that "Israel will not stand for this anymore"
— in response to an horrific suicide bombing in Haifa. He was
boxed in, by media-led world opinion. He goes on to hunt
Islamic Jihad agents in Jenin and Nablus who, the Israelis
sincerely believe, themselves ultimately report back to
Arafat' s surrounded compound in Ramallah.
In making his lesser point, Mr. Sharon was providing an
ineffective deterrent. He knows Arafat is informed, before
the fact, of all organized terror strikes against Israel, and his
intelligence services believe, on evidence repeatedly shown
to the U.S., that Arafat personally orders most of them. The
Haifa bombing was done through Islamic Jihad, instead of
through a Fatah branch, or Hamas, to make the greatest
possible distance from Arafat's chain of command. For
Islamic Jihad has become so closely affiliated with the
Iranian- and Syrian-sponsored Hizbollah, as to be practically
their "diplomatic representative" within the Israel/Palestine
theatre.
Mr. Sharon had implied that the earlier Israeli cabinet
authorization to remove Arafat would be acted upon after the
next major bombing. He was thus hoping to hold Arafat
hostage against new terror incidents. But the tactic risked
backfire if there were a major incident, and Arafat remained
untouched.
Now this has happened. In effect, Arafat has been able to
show his people and the Arab world generally that he can
continue the bombings with impunity — that the Israelis will
always look elsewhere to settle scores, not having the
courage to go for him directly. He has thus, once again,
successfully raised the stakes — so that his authority
continues to be restored over West Bank and Gaza, and his
prestige throughout the region.
Instead, Israel has been compelled, against its immediate
interests, to open a second front of contention. Mr. Sharon
has triggered border incidents along Israel's northern
frontier, and mutual mobilization of Syrian and Israeli armies.
He may think there is an advantage to Israel in re-opening
the Syrian can of worms which, previously, Israeli
governments had gone to lengths to close. Instead he has
created a distraction that Arafat can better exploit than can
he.
Arafat was even able to use the incident as cover for the
emergency swearing-in of his new cabinet under Ahmed
Qureia, boldly moving before disputes were settled with his
new interior and health ministers about the scope of their
authority.
World opinion has Israel boxed in, yet paradoxically, as the
temperature rises, world opinion will have less and less
influence over Israel's defense. The proverb, "As well be
hanged for a sheep as a lamb," begins to apply here — for it
is not as if Israel ever gets praise for its restraint, or any
other privilege it could risk losing. The only foreign power
that retains real power over the decisions made by Israeli
politicians is the United States, because it is in a position to
cut substantial military and civil aid. But Egypt gets the same
aid, and if Egypt's Hosni Mubarak can't be punished for
providing the Syrian regime with its Arab League cover,
Ariel Sharon can't be punished for taking potshots at known
terrorists.
The cowardly course invariably leads to the bigger
catastrophe. If the Israelis shot Arafat, there would be days,
even weeks of Arab rage, and international condemnations.
But this would most likely be followed by — nothing, except
the implosion of the Palestinian Authority, and thus the
removal of the political cover it offers to Palestinian
terrorists. Whereas, hitting a site in Syrian territory brings,
on balance, less rage; and more chance of hostilities across
international borders that could spread rapidly through the
region.
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JWR contributor David Warren is a Columnist for the Ottawa Citizen. Comment by clicking here.
© 2003, David Warren
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