It’s a safe bet to say that “Things will get worse before they get better”, in the Middle East. Secretary of State Colin Powell is returning home more-or-less empty handed from his latest diplomatic mission, as efforts to forge a cease-fire between the Israelis and Palestinians have failed. The “joint statement” committing Israel to full withdrawal from the West Bank in exchange for the simultaneous halt of Palestinian “suicide bombers” (more aptly known as “homicide-bombers”) never materialized. Israel will not pledge to an across-the-board military pullout, nor will the Palestinians eschew violence and terrorism against Israelis. Therefore, Powell could not broker an interim truce at this juncture. Of course, it didn’t help that Arafat is up to his eyeballs in abhorrent activities, directly linked to monetary payments that support terrorism and the “suicide bomber” cult-of-death. It’s quite unfortunate that the “suicide-bomber” phenomenon will probably continue since Palestinians are pleased with an effective tactic that thrusts Israeli society into significant distress and upheaval. Without a doubt, Israel is fighting for its very survival, vowing further incursions into the West Bank until all terrorist activities subsides. A virtual stalemate exists. What are we to make of these precarious circumstances?
In part, the Israeli-Arab turmoil represents a long-standing blood feud, akin to the situation seen in the former Yugoslavia and other areas of the world. For all intent and purposes, the current “peace process” is a farce, a charade. It’s become exceedingly evident that a “real peace” cannot be negotiated until one side is thoroughly vanquished in this ongoing conflict. Let’s reiterate the sad truth, which should already be manifest to any astute observer. The Palestinians, and their compadres throughout the Middle East are not seeking true accord and accommodation with Israel. In the jargon of the streets, the Palestinians are simply “jerking us around” in regard to the ostensible “peace process”. Rather, the Islamic world is bent on Israel’s annihilation. What constitutes proof of this? First, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat rejected an enormously generous offer brokered by former President Clinton, which would have provided the Palestinians with virtually all of their formal demands. And, second, the Palestinians are determined to keep on fighting, diligently supported by the like-minded Islamic world that calls for Israel’s utter destruction. Astonishingly, Arafat’s response to Clinton’s notable peace proposal was to launch the violent Intifada against Israel that continues to this day. Arafat’s words to his own people in Arabic confirm that he, too, is calling for Israel’s demise.
Israel is besieged by a multitude of enemies in that region, which greatly exacerbates the plight of that tiny nation. Israel’s population is only about 5 million people, 4 million of which are Jews. The Islamic world of the Middle East and Northern Africa is comprised of more than twenty nations, with a population of approximately 380 million people. To date, Israel has been able to fend off enemies by virtue of its advanced military and nuclear capability, largely funded by the US. But some Islamic nations, replete with wealth garnered through oil sales, have made tremendous strides in the weaponry arena, beyond high-tech aircraft and modern conventional weapons. Unfortunately, outlaw regimes have developed biological and chemical warfare, and acquired medium range missiles (Iran’s Shahab-3 missiles). Now, according to reliable news sources, three unscrupulous rogue nations, Syria, Iran and Iraq, are poised to join the fight on behalf of the Palestinians, with their surrogate terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas at their side. Another battlefield has already opened up on the border between Israel and Lebanon, with Syria’s Hezbollah militants launching myriad rocket, mortar and machinegun assaults upon northern Israeli territory. It is anticipated that other bellicose activities will be perpetrated by these outlaw nations, shortly.
The current Israeli-Palestinian tumult appears to be ratcheting up, on a trajectory well capable of triggering a major conflagration in the Middle East. But would it stop there? Remember, Israel represents only one military front, one firing line, in this global Jihad driven by radical Islam. If America and other Western democracies sustain further strikes by Islamic rogue nations or their state-sponsored terrorist organizations, World War III could literally ensue. Moreover, Israel is certainly capable of utilizing its nuclear arsenal in its struggle for survival. In other words, this ongoing “clash of civilizations”, which positions the Muslims against the “infidels”, poses a very real threat to world peace and security. President Bush hopes to alter the dynamic in the Middle East through a “regime change” in Iraq, a necessary endeavor in light of the despotic rule of Saddam Hussein that promulgates terrorism and harbors Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Can anything or anyone thwart the Middle East’s cogent embrace of terrorism and Jihad? No, that’s unlikely. Islamic radicals categorically reject peace and accommodation with Israel and other Western democracies for that matter. Foremost on the wish-list of even mainstream Muslims is a desire to obliterate Israel, to wipe it from the face of the earth. Some Arabs and Middle Easterners, imbued with militant Islamic faith, even believe that they have the capacity to out-fight and overcome the military might of Israel. Despite the good will efforts by American and European diplomats, it may be all but impossible to prevent a flashpoint that will ignite a significant conflict throughout the Middle East region.
In a nutshell, the Islamic Jihadists have now worked themselves up into a considerable frenzy after more than 30 years of hate-filled indoctrination that has profoundly pitted them against Israel, America, and other Western democracies. Unfortunately, there is now a sizable minority of Muslims that are either thoroughly brainwashed or sympathetic toward the fanaticism of Islamic “Wahhabism”, a radical form of the religion committed to violent confrontation with all infidels, especially the Jews and the Christians. And we can thank our so-called “good friends”, the Saudi Royal Family, which helped foster and cultivate the “madrassahs”, the Islamic schools that continue to teach this nutty twaddle. The Muslim clerics, and other Muslim elites, have legitimized the use of violence against all non-Islamic peoples. And after Israel is completely destroyed, these militants plan to lead the charge against America, the “Great Satan”, with full force.
As the National Review so appropriately crowed on its magazine cover in the December 3, 2001 edition, “The Crusades–Here we go again”! The current “war on terrorism” is the emerging “Crusades” of the modern day era. Moreover, the enactment of a periodic Jihad or “holy war” has been the ongoing pattern of the unreformed Islamic faith since its inception, as noted by scholars such as Bernard Lewis. Islamic fundamentalism, as a strongly-held and pernicious faith movement, has now reached a type of critical mass, with adherents compelled to implement their beliefs on a grand scale. And this current “clash of civilizations” between Islamic fanatics and the infidels is certainly well underway, and will only expand. Although we can anticipate that the “holy warriors” will begin with Israel and the Mid-East, they will quickly spread their vile warfare en masse to America, and then on to Europe. All in the Name of Allah, these deluded cultists think that they are accomplishing the Almighty’s work by murdering the infidels, and assaulting the culture of freedom and Western democracy.
The West must wake-up and face the daunting task of confronting these very dangerous Jihadists head-on. Noteworthy, our enemies include all radical Islamic regimes that sponsor violence, but most particularly the Islamic rogue nations and their surrogates, the transnational terrorists comprised of Islamic fringe elements. Israel and America understand how the landscape of Islamic extremism is emerging, but the Europeans are still in deep denial. Forget about the “anti-war crowd” and the Loony-Left. They are dead-bang wrong! Our civilization is in profound danger, and we need to prepare both psychologically and militarily for what looms on the horizon. America and its allies must win this “war on terrorism”.