The latest atrocity by the Arab Palestinians, the Jerusalem bus bombing of August 19, does not have to be a just another senseless act of violence. Of course, if nothing changes, it will be, just as the countless others in the recent past. But Israel and Jewish people the world over have been given an opportunity to turn death into life and to make the deaths of so many innocents meaningful. We have a chance to breathe new life into the State of Israel and turn it, once more, into the mighty and brave country that beat off the Arab world and raided Entebbe.
When G-d closes a door, He opens a window. Right now, there is a window of opportunity that Israel and all Jews must, must use. Those who would see our destruction (that of world-wide Judaism and Israel) in slow, incremental legal steps by the international community are now in a weakened position. It is time to take a page from the Arab handbook on how to exploit this weakness and manipulate the world.
Here?s what we must do:
First, we must have all terrorist groups and individuals legally declared guilty of genocide or attempted genocide. This is possible using an Israeli law from 1950-5710. It is also possible to do the same by a proper application of the International Criminal Court?s revised ?Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide?. This states that any person or group who targets a specific group of people defined by their national, ethnical, racial or religious group is guilty of genocide. It further states that those who aid, abet or merely keep silent about impending attacks is equally guilty, as are members of a group whose objective is to target a specific group, as defined above.
Targeting Jews and/or Israelis certainly meets the criteria for the crime of genocide. So does stating one?s goals as being to ?rid the world of the Zionist entity.? So does having one?s stated goals as forced conversion. These criteria cover a lot of groups and individuals now controlling the Arab Palestinian government. All that is needed is a few people with the will and the legal skills to start the procedures.
Applying the Genocide Law also addresses my second point. Demolition of a terrorist's house has now become fairly useless. You can be certain that he/she or his/her family planned for such a contingency (and all are therefore complicit) as part of the planning involved in the actual commission of the act of terrorism. But this leaves the question of how to deter, prevent and punish acts of terrorism. Aside from capturing and indicting for the crime of genocide those involved or privy to the particular act of terrorism, measures must be taken not merely to prevent and deter future attacks, but to convince the Palestinian Arabs that it is in their best interest to help in such prevention.
Because they seem impervious to gestures of goodwill, determining what it is that Palestinian Arabs dread the most is a good place to start. They obviously don?t fear death or we wouldn?t be seeing wave upon wave of genocide bombings where the individual uses his own body as a weapon. They also don?t fear closures and curfews or they would have already altered their behavior. In fact, they seem to revel in such things as a way to portray themselves as some poor, innocent group being oppressed by big, bad Israel and the Jews. But there is one thing that makes them tremble with fear: loss of land they plan on using for their future country. Witness the hair tearing and cries of foul over a security fence.
Therefore, for every act of terror, every stone throwing (stones can and do kill), every kidnapping, knifing, home invasion, etc., as well as for every attempted act and each victim thereof, Israel will reclaim a portion of land that was hers until she was coerced into relinquishing it. This reclaiming of Israel?s land can be justified if said land is used as a buffer zone between those who would seek to commit genocide and innocent Israelis.
To those who would cry ?collective punishment?, I say that no terrorist act is committed in a vacuum. As long as the Palestinians continue to teach their children that there is no such country as Israel, as long as they continue to run children?s camps to teach their offspring how to become genocide bombers, as long as they continue to incite genocide on their radios and television, as long as they continue to dance and hand out candy every time a Jew is killed, they are all guilty and deserving of punishment. People who foment genocide should never be allowed to have a country or safe haven.
The third thing Israel must do is alter her relationship with the United States and the other ?Roadmap? countries. For too long, the US, et al have been bullying Israel into submission. This most recent attack might not have taken place if US President George Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell hadn?t forced their ?Roadmap? down Israel?s throat and insisted that Israel take steps that would leave her citizens vulnerable. It is long overdue for Israel to insist that she be allowed to do whatever it takes, whatever extreme measures are deemed necessary, to protect her own and to prevent terrorism -- just as the United States has been doing in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places.
And here?s where Jews all over the world can help. Write to your governments and your representatives and let them know that you will not support them in future elections unless they stop trying to undermine Israel?s right to exist in safety and security. And for you American readers, may I remind you that Bush is up for reelection next year. He is also counting on the votes of the Jewish bloc, as well as that of the non-Jewish supporters of Israel. Mr. Bush, like Pontius Pilate, has the blood of Jews on his hands, only no one is going to put him in any holy book. Let him know how you feel (president@whitehouse.gov).
When G-d closes a door, He opens a window. Right now, there is a window of opportunity that Israel and all Jews must, must use. Those who would see our destruction (that of world-wide Judaism and Israel) in slow, incremental legal steps by the international community are now in a weakened position. It is time to take a page from the Arab handbook on how to exploit this weakness and manipulate the world.
Here?s what we must do:
First, we must have all terrorist groups and individuals legally declared guilty of genocide or attempted genocide. This is possible using an Israeli law from 1950-5710. It is also possible to do the same by a proper application of the International Criminal Court?s revised ?Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide?. This states that any person or group who targets a specific group of people defined by their national, ethnical, racial or religious group is guilty of genocide. It further states that those who aid, abet or merely keep silent about impending attacks is equally guilty, as are members of a group whose objective is to target a specific group, as defined above.
Targeting Jews and/or Israelis certainly meets the criteria for the crime of genocide. So does stating one?s goals as being to ?rid the world of the Zionist entity.? So does having one?s stated goals as forced conversion. These criteria cover a lot of groups and individuals now controlling the Arab Palestinian government. All that is needed is a few people with the will and the legal skills to start the procedures.
Applying the Genocide Law also addresses my second point. Demolition of a terrorist's house has now become fairly useless. You can be certain that he/she or his/her family planned for such a contingency (and all are therefore complicit) as part of the planning involved in the actual commission of the act of terrorism. But this leaves the question of how to deter, prevent and punish acts of terrorism. Aside from capturing and indicting for the crime of genocide those involved or privy to the particular act of terrorism, measures must be taken not merely to prevent and deter future attacks, but to convince the Palestinian Arabs that it is in their best interest to help in such prevention.
Because they seem impervious to gestures of goodwill, determining what it is that Palestinian Arabs dread the most is a good place to start. They obviously don?t fear death or we wouldn?t be seeing wave upon wave of genocide bombings where the individual uses his own body as a weapon. They also don?t fear closures and curfews or they would have already altered their behavior. In fact, they seem to revel in such things as a way to portray themselves as some poor, innocent group being oppressed by big, bad Israel and the Jews. But there is one thing that makes them tremble with fear: loss of land they plan on using for their future country. Witness the hair tearing and cries of foul over a security fence.
Therefore, for every act of terror, every stone throwing (stones can and do kill), every kidnapping, knifing, home invasion, etc., as well as for every attempted act and each victim thereof, Israel will reclaim a portion of land that was hers until she was coerced into relinquishing it. This reclaiming of Israel?s land can be justified if said land is used as a buffer zone between those who would seek to commit genocide and innocent Israelis.
To those who would cry ?collective punishment?, I say that no terrorist act is committed in a vacuum. As long as the Palestinians continue to teach their children that there is no such country as Israel, as long as they continue to run children?s camps to teach their offspring how to become genocide bombers, as long as they continue to incite genocide on their radios and television, as long as they continue to dance and hand out candy every time a Jew is killed, they are all guilty and deserving of punishment. People who foment genocide should never be allowed to have a country or safe haven.
The third thing Israel must do is alter her relationship with the United States and the other ?Roadmap? countries. For too long, the US, et al have been bullying Israel into submission. This most recent attack might not have taken place if US President George Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell hadn?t forced their ?Roadmap? down Israel?s throat and insisted that Israel take steps that would leave her citizens vulnerable. It is long overdue for Israel to insist that she be allowed to do whatever it takes, whatever extreme measures are deemed necessary, to protect her own and to prevent terrorism -- just as the United States has been doing in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places.
And here?s where Jews all over the world can help. Write to your governments and your representatives and let them know that you will not support them in future elections unless they stop trying to undermine Israel?s right to exist in safety and security. And for you American readers, may I remind you that Bush is up for reelection next year. He is also counting on the votes of the Jewish bloc, as well as that of the non-Jewish supporters of Israel. Mr. Bush, like Pontius Pilate, has the blood of Jews on his hands, only no one is going to put him in any holy book. Let him know how you feel (president@whitehouse.gov).