There are just a few points I'd like to make to close out a very bad week in the so-called "war on terror" or "war on terrorism," whichever euphemism you prefer. I prefer neither. It would be more accurate to say, at this point, that this is a war on certain aspects of those manifestations of terrorism that appear to be of particular concern to the undisclosed interests of someone or other in Washington.
It's becoming quite clear that terrorism, per se, is not only to be tolerated but is to be encouraged so long as it doesn't cross that particular line. This policy direction has been made manifest during the past week in which multiple sucide bombings, shootings and mortar attacks have been launched (the latest today) against Israeli citizens by various arms of a singular terrorist entity, resulting in several deaths and dozens of horrific injuries. And our government's incomprehensible response has been to pressure the Israeli government into publicly agreeing that it would be best to give these murderers a sovereign state from which to lauch such attacks in the future.
What a message we're sending to those who are at this moment considering whether or not to employ such tactics against us and others in the future. It's a clear, unambiguous message, and it speaks much more eloquently than all the firey and impassioned words our leaders have been reading to us from their teleprompters and paper scripts over the past 20 months. It is, in fact, diametrically opposed to those words, especially to the ones our President uttered on June 24, 2002.
Today, Palestinian authorities are encouraging, not opposing, terrorism. This is unacceptable. And the United States will not support the establishment of a Palestinian state until its leaders engage in a sustained fight against the terrorists and dismantle their infrastructure.
What has changed since then? Only the implementation of dozens of successful terrorist attacks under the protection of those same "Palestinian authorities" and the prevention, by Israeli action, of hundreds more. What part of "will not support" does President Bush not remember? What part did he not mean?
Campaigns are being organized, finally, belatedly, to "block" the "Road map." But weren't we all just a few months ago laughing at similar campaigns designed to stop the liberation of Iraq? It's too little, and it's too late. The fix is in. And it isn't mitigated by the fig leaf (metaphor courtesy of Aaron Lerner) that Powell and Rice slapped over it today.
The roadmap was presented to the Government of Israel with a request from the President that it respond with contributions to this document to advance true peace. The United States Government received a response from the Government of Israel, explaining its significant concerns about the roadmap.
The United States shares the view of the Government of Israel that these are real concerns, and will address them fully and seriously in the implementation of the roadmap to fulfill the President's vision of June 24, 2002.
This statement has no meaning and no authority. It's completely open-ended and ambiguous and it will vanish in smoke like all such assurances inevitably do. Its only purpose, in fact, is to give Sharon something to point to as explanation for his capitulation.
If I sound bitter and disgusted, it's because I am. I don't know how many more blood spattered buses and sidewalks and baby carriages we need to see (hundreds?) and I don't know where we need to see them (in Boston? Chicago? Omaha?) before we get that there is no compromise with terrorists, no appeasement, no accomodation. I don't know how many more foreign policies need to go badly awry, like our rapproachment with Saddam Hussein in the 1980s, like our love affair with Oslo in the 1990s, before we face up to the cruel fact that we aren't going to win this "war on terror" by being nice, lovable guys and by looking the other way when atrocities are being committed by those we feel compelled, for some reason, to support. And since this "war," ultimately, is for our own freedom, our own way of life and our own existence, we'd damn well better get that message soon. Very soon.
And now I'm going over to Meryl's place to read her post on Sorena's school play, which I'm hoping will put me a more Shabbosdiche mood.
Shabbat shalom.
