That noted humanitarian leader and statesman, who has a definite flair for memorable prose, Saddam Hussein, commented with glee on the massacre of thousands of innocents in the United States that America has "reaped its harvest of thorns." Well, good old Saddam may have something there, but not in the manner that he envisions. The Western world and the United States of America have reaped a harvest of thorns. Not because they were too strong and brutal against the terrorist countries and organizations of the Middle East, rather, the thorns grew because of their weakness, lack of resolution and their foolish condoning of Arab terror for the last thirty years.
They condoned that terror because, basically, it was targeted at Jews and the State of Israel. To use another felicitous phrase of Saddam, the mother of all terrorists in the world is Yasser Arafat and the PLO. Who first hijacked planes and blew others up to kill innocent people for the crime of traveling to Israel? Who placed a gun on the podium of the United Nations to tumultuous applause? Who planned and executed the killing of the children of Maalot, the teenagers at the Doplhinarium, the babies and women at Sbarro's? Was it not our peace partner, Yasser Arafat and his gang of corrupt and brutal terrorists? Yet, Arafat received and still receives from large sections of the world and even the Israeli public the treatment of a statesman and legitimate leader. Well, that is one of the thorns, and a major one at that.
Another thorn is the endemic anti-Semitism, subtle, pervasive and sometimes blatant, that continues to flourish throughout the world. Again, as long as it is the Jews and Israel who are being hated, it is somehow not too great a problem. The world forgets where Hitler and Stalin's anti-Semitism led and the price all of humanity had to pay for their hatreds. No one spoke up in time to prevent the catastrophes that they, in their evil, caused, because, after all, the Jews were too "pushy" and "aggressive? (the words being used to describe Israeli policy today by the European Union). Why didn't Europe, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Australia, etc. get up and walk out of the Durban conference? They certainly would have if the resolutions under consideration applied to any other country in the world except Israel. If the world condones anti-Semitism in the form of hatred of Israel, then the terrorists are legitimatised in their murderous acts against Jews and Israelis. It is only a short step of further illogic to legitimatize terror against the United States or any other country that is deemed wanting in the world of suicide fanaticism.
Listen to the words of the French ambassador to Israel at the President's reception for foreign diplomats last week. He said that the Arab terror against Israel is not to be compared to the terror attack against the United States. He said openly what we all suspected was the French government?s secret feeling on the matter - that terrorism against Jews is not terrorism. Somehow, it is considered to be legitimate nationalist expression. Terror against the United States - now that is terror! The poor ambassador may or may not be punished for his candor, but the attitude of the French in coddling Iraq, Iran, Arafat and the rest of the terrorist groups is certainly a major thorn in the side of the attempt to provide some semblance of security from random, senseless, murderous terrorism in this world. The tragedy is that this French attitude is echoed by many other countries in Europe, all of which unfortunately have deep anti-Semitic roots, centuries-old, implanted within them.
The world media is also one of the thorns that has been harvested. The biased media coverage of the Palestinian terror, the "even-handedness," the justification of Palestinian acts of murder as a response to "occupation," the slavish obeying of Palestinian orders as to what video film should be shown and what is forbidden to be shown, the pie-in-the-sky solutions of the op-ed page experts, all are messages of encouragement of the continuation of violence and terror. Some of the columnists have already changed their tune after the horror of the attack against America. The media should take a long hard look at itself and its hopefully unwitting role in encouraging violence and providing positive coverage to evil. Yes, Saddam, we have harvested thorns, but those who sow the wind will yet harvest the whirlwind.
Shana Tova and an easy fast and peace and forgiveness of sin to all of Israel and the world.
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Rabbi Berel Wein, noted author and lecturer, is founder of the Destiny Foundation, dedicated to educating Jews about their historical and ethical heritage (JewishDestiny.com ).
They condoned that terror because, basically, it was targeted at Jews and the State of Israel. To use another felicitous phrase of Saddam, the mother of all terrorists in the world is Yasser Arafat and the PLO. Who first hijacked planes and blew others up to kill innocent people for the crime of traveling to Israel? Who placed a gun on the podium of the United Nations to tumultuous applause? Who planned and executed the killing of the children of Maalot, the teenagers at the Doplhinarium, the babies and women at Sbarro's? Was it not our peace partner, Yasser Arafat and his gang of corrupt and brutal terrorists? Yet, Arafat received and still receives from large sections of the world and even the Israeli public the treatment of a statesman and legitimate leader. Well, that is one of the thorns, and a major one at that.
Another thorn is the endemic anti-Semitism, subtle, pervasive and sometimes blatant, that continues to flourish throughout the world. Again, as long as it is the Jews and Israel who are being hated, it is somehow not too great a problem. The world forgets where Hitler and Stalin's anti-Semitism led and the price all of humanity had to pay for their hatreds. No one spoke up in time to prevent the catastrophes that they, in their evil, caused, because, after all, the Jews were too "pushy" and "aggressive? (the words being used to describe Israeli policy today by the European Union). Why didn't Europe, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Australia, etc. get up and walk out of the Durban conference? They certainly would have if the resolutions under consideration applied to any other country in the world except Israel. If the world condones anti-Semitism in the form of hatred of Israel, then the terrorists are legitimatised in their murderous acts against Jews and Israelis. It is only a short step of further illogic to legitimatize terror against the United States or any other country that is deemed wanting in the world of suicide fanaticism.
Listen to the words of the French ambassador to Israel at the President's reception for foreign diplomats last week. He said that the Arab terror against Israel is not to be compared to the terror attack against the United States. He said openly what we all suspected was the French government?s secret feeling on the matter - that terrorism against Jews is not terrorism. Somehow, it is considered to be legitimate nationalist expression. Terror against the United States - now that is terror! The poor ambassador may or may not be punished for his candor, but the attitude of the French in coddling Iraq, Iran, Arafat and the rest of the terrorist groups is certainly a major thorn in the side of the attempt to provide some semblance of security from random, senseless, murderous terrorism in this world. The tragedy is that this French attitude is echoed by many other countries in Europe, all of which unfortunately have deep anti-Semitic roots, centuries-old, implanted within them.
The world media is also one of the thorns that has been harvested. The biased media coverage of the Palestinian terror, the "even-handedness," the justification of Palestinian acts of murder as a response to "occupation," the slavish obeying of Palestinian orders as to what video film should be shown and what is forbidden to be shown, the pie-in-the-sky solutions of the op-ed page experts, all are messages of encouragement of the continuation of violence and terror. Some of the columnists have already changed their tune after the horror of the attack against America. The media should take a long hard look at itself and its hopefully unwitting role in encouraging violence and providing positive coverage to evil. Yes, Saddam, we have harvested thorns, but those who sow the wind will yet harvest the whirlwind.
Shana Tova and an easy fast and peace and forgiveness of sin to all of Israel and the world.
--------------
Rabbi Berel Wein, noted author and lecturer, is founder of the Destiny Foundation, dedicated to educating Jews about their historical and ethical heritage (JewishDestiny.com ).