Posted on 04/14/2002 7:11:05 AM PDT by Clive
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has his hands full today. He's faced with trying to tell whether Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is sincere or just trying to pull off another of his notorious con jobs.
Powell is President George W. Bush's emissary in this U.S. effort to negotiate a ceasefire with both sides -- Palestinians and Israelis. And he is only there because Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's offensive against Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank has been so effective that it has aroused a howl of international protests -- from surrounding Arab and other Muslim nations, from European governments and others, including Canada's Jean Chretien.
Stung by the escalation of Palestinian suicide bombers attacking Israeli civilians, Sharon finally had enough when he launched military attacks March 28 against Palestinian towns in the West Bank where Arafat and the terrorist groups were based. The final outrage occurred the previous day when a suicide bomber killed 26 Israeli civilians and wounded more than 100 while they were sitting down at a communal Jewish Passover dinner.
With the homicidal bombers hitting cafes, banquet halls, buses, pizza parlours, shopping malls and other "military targets," the Israeli people were being subjected to the constant, escalating fear of terrorist attacks. And, as that old Marxist terrorist Vladimir Lenin once said: "The purpose of terrorism is to terrify."
DECIDED TO ACT
So, seeing the grinding, deadly effect on the morale -- and lives - - of the Israeli people, Sharon decided to act. And, as one of Israel's most effective military commanders, he ordered his troops to root out and destroy "the infrastructure" of terrorism in the West Bank where Palestinian suicide bombers were trained, equipped and sent into Israel on their attacks.
By the way, it's interesting that almost all of the suicide bombers are in their teens and early 20s -- impressionable, brainwashed youngsters. The older ones who teach and persuade them somehow manage to avoid the great honour of personal martyrdom.
At any rate, Sharon bluntly put the Israeli position after Bush demanded he pull his forces back from the West Bank: "This is a battle for survival of the Jewish people, for survival of the state of Israel."
The Israelis pushed ahead to root out the Palestinian forces in such places as Neblus and Jenin. Meanwhile, 200 of the armed Palestinian fighters grabbed sanctuary from the "infidels" -- the Christian Church of the Nativity (built on the birthplace of Christ) in Bethlehem. They are still enjoying the safety of the church many days later.
Of course, for the Israelis to attack would be "an outrage."
Finally, Sharon started removing some of his troops from West Bank towns while pressing ahead in others. He said they would all leave when the job was done.
Meanwhile, Arafat -- surrounded by the Israelis who promised not to harm him -- refused to accept Bush's repeated request that he call for an end of all suicide bombings.
SIX KILLED
And he keep that up until Friday, when a 20-year-old woman who belonged to Arafat's "Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade" made her way from the West Bank and blew herself up at a bus stop adjoining an Israeli market. Six Israeli civilians were killed and 84 wounded.
Yesterday, one of her sisters said that her family and friends "are sad that she's dead, but we are happy that she killed Jews and injured many."
Of course, that latest outrage that took place within minutes of Powell ending his meeting with Sharon. It caused Bush's man to postpone yesterday's planned session with Arafat. And then Arafat, realizing the Bush initiative might end, issued his "spontaneous," long-demanded statement:
"We are condemning strongly all the attacks which are targeting civilians from both sides and especially the attack that took place against Israeli citizens yesterday in Jerusalem."
Still surrounded by Israeli forces, he even claimed a "commitment to a negotiated peace."
With Palestinian Hamas terrorists threatening to continue suicide-bomber attacks, Powell said he wanted to see a committment by Arafat to "effective action" at today's talks.
Meanwhile, Sharon is not so easily taken in. His forces were still rooting out Palestinian terrorists in several West Bank places yesterday. He vowed those "actions" won't stop until the job is done.
Official Israeli Defense Force Website, Highly Informative click here
My patience is at an end also.
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