Ettinger: U.S. Doesn\'t Need PLO State

Does the U.S. need another terrorist state in the Mideast? Yoram Ettinger, Israel\'s former liaison to the U.S. Congress, answers with a resounding No. \"The PLO\'s track record,\" writes Ettinger, \"suggests that a PLO state would have bolstered Saddam [ever] since 1990; aligned itself with Iran; become the prime training ground for international terrorists...\"

Oct 11, 2001, 6:54 PM (GMT+2)

Does the U.S. need another terrorist state in the Mideast? Yoram Ettinger, Israel\'s former liaison to the U.S. Congress, asks this question in his weekly column today - The Jerusalem Cloakroom, published by the Ariel Center for Policy Research - and answers with a resounding No. \"The PLO\'s track record,\" writes Ettinger, \"suggests that a PLO state would have bolstered Saddam [ever] since 1990; aligned itself with Iran; doomed Jordan during the 1970 Syrian invasion; threatened Kuwait and other Persian Gulf Sheikhdoms; become the prime training ground for international terrorists; provided Russia and China with another Mideast platform; been the most corrupt and oppressive regime in the region; and utilized its initial territory as a springboard to establish a narco-terrorist state from Iraq to the Mediterranean.\" He also notes the pro-Bin Laden, pro-Saddam and anti-US rallies in PLO-controlled areas, reflecting the \"eight years of brainwashing by the PLO via schools, mosques and media.\"