Lando 
Posted on 01/19/2005 12:11:51 PM PST by Lando Lincoln
Last week's Palestinian elections, which I had the privilege to observe, were universally regarded as a great success. But they are only the first step in establishing real democracy for Palestinians. The question now is whether the victorious Mahmoud Abbas will use his mandate to turn the Palestinian Authority into a governing body that genuinely represents its people, and strive to lay the groundwork for negotiations with Israel that could lead to the creation of a Palestinian state.
Some have called on President Bush to "seize the moment," and quickly broker some kind of a deal. But a better approach is to give Abbas time to demonstrate himself whether he will do what is necessary to achieve lasting peace. The United States should instead focus its efforts on areas that the Israelis and Palestinians simply cannot, namely the external factors that could influence whether Palestinian.
Israeli and Palestinian leaders I spoke with agreed that Iran and Syria would continue to use terrorists in the disputed territories and along the Lebanon-Israel border to engage in a proxy war against the Jewish State. While Abbas can do much to stop terror in the territories, the U.S. can help with Iran and Syria.
Since its revolution in 1979, Iran has never ceased its calls for the destruction of Israel. Now, it has become the primary ideological, financial and logistical supporter to the terrorists attempting to translate ideology into practice. According to Israeli sources, Iran now spends, on average, $40,000 per terrorist. This money is sent from Iran to Damascus, Syria - the home of the operational headquarters for almost all Palestinian terror groups. From there the money flows to a special unit in Beirut, Lebanon - a country virtually occupied by Syria - charged with operating Palestinian terrorists.
Using banks and even Western Union, the money makes its way to the local terror groups in the West Bank and in Gaza. Eventually money and training from Iran are used to launch a suicide bomber, set off a truck or car bomb, or plant an improvised explosive device (IED) designed to kill civilians and soldiers alike, and sabotage efforts at peace.
However, an even more lethal threat is growing along Israel's northern border. Estimates put the current number of rockets and short-range ballistic missiles deployed by the terrorist group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon at 11,000-13,000. These rockets are flown from Iran to Syria, and then make their way to the Israeli border by truck. Israeli towns have long suffered under attack from short-range rockets. The threat has eased somewhat since October 2003 when Israel retaliated for one attack by destroying a terrorist camp north of Damascus, but the proliferation of the rockets and missiles has continued.
While large-scale terrorist attacks in Israel may be less frequent - thanks in part to Israel's security barrier - 15-20 terrorists are arrested daily. If Iran and Syria believe that the Palestinians may finally be ready to make peace by dismantling the terrorists groups, jeopardizing their proxy war, we can expect increased attacks both inside Israel and from Lebanon attempting to destabilize the Palestinian leadership and force the Israelis into a potentially broader war.
The Palestinian Authority must take the lead in stopping terrorism from its people and territory. But the United States and the rest of the international community can help by holding Iran and Syria accountable for their continued low-intensity warfare in Israel. For too long the world has demanded action only from Israel and the PA.
Senator Kyl serves on the Senate Finance and Judiciary committees and chairs the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security as well as the Senate Republican Policy Committee. He recently led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Israel and Turkey.
Lando
It seems that when it comes to the Middle East that Senator Kyl definitely gets it. I wish more American politicians would and that the U.S. government would act accordingly.
Given this, Israel should respond to suicide bombings by destroying Damascus and Tehran.
ping
Senator Kyl is right on the money, as usual! He and Tancredo of Colorado are part of a handful across the Potomac that get it. I wish we had more like them.
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