Denice Gary-Pandol
Middle East Specialist
The Killing of Innocents © 2006
The Killing of Innocents?
Are you impressed with civilian casualties in Lebanon or the Gaza during this most recent Middle East war? The Bush doctrine states that
the United States will make no distinction between the terrorists and those who harbor them. According to the President’s foreign policy
position on this issue, he states: “Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the
terrorists.”
In support of the president’s position, the aiding and abetting of terrorism is considered a crime that rises to the level of crimes against
humanity. Moreover, the violation of international law by the Lebanese government to execute United Nations Resolution 1559 makes
Lebanon guilty of harboring terrorists. This, in effect, suggests that Lebanon condones the stated ideology and goals of Islamic groups
such as Hizballah for an Islamic jihad -- i.e., the violent spread of Islam world-wide. As one of Islam’s great leaders and modern hero to
millions of Muslims the world over, Ayatollah Khomeini, stated: “[Jihad is] the conquest of non-Muslim territory
. . . the domination of Koranic law from one end of the earth to the other . . . the final goal.”
Meanwhile, Israel is the only nation-state in the Middle East that continues to fight on the front lines of this global war against Islamic
terrorism. Dropping leaflets and making phone calls, Israel constantly warns civilians and therefore the enemy - - to flee areas the Israeli
Defense Forces will target next, while Hizballah randomly strikes any and every civilian target possible in Israel. What nation-state informs
their enemy of upcoming military targets? As Israel looses the element of surprise on the battlefield, she continues to deal with
international criticism that suggests she is too aggressive.
In light of this intense international pressure directed against Israel for the unintentional deaths of civilians
in a war zone, should Israel continue the fight? To the extent Israel succumbs to U.S. pressure and enters into a ceasefire agreement,
she moves closer to the next bloody struggle with terrorists who live and breathe to continue a war of attrition and break the
"psychological wall in the idea that Israel is invincible," according to Abu Maamun, a senior leader in Jenin of the Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigade,
whose terror organization works in tandem with Hizballah who operates inside Israel as well, using Israeli Arabs as part of their advanced
spy network. These Arabs provide useful information on Israel’s military infrastructure for Hizballah and HAMAS.
In the end, this destructive ceasefire process reveals the weakness of the West. Indeed, Islamists count on the fact that Israel, the United
States, and particularly Europe, have no appetite for bloodshed. The result - the West continues to court disaster while the terrorists
continue to regroup, dig-in, and to attack another day. Hizballah’s reach extends all the way to North and South America, with active cells
operating in the United States, Latin America, the United Kingdom, in Germany and in Africa. And so the global war against terrorism
goes as the spread of violent, Islamic jihad gains in momentum and numbers.
Interestingly enough, Arab polling data from the Middle East indicates that much of the population in Lebanon serves the interests and
shares the goals of Hizbollah, as do Palestinians who serve the interests and share the goals of HAMAS. How can this be confirmed?
Consider the following:
- It was the Lebanese people's decision, the majority of which are Hizballah supporters, to elect Hizbollah
to government positions of power and the decision of Arab Muslims in Gaza to elect HAMAS.
- It was the Lebanese people's decision to give a wink and a nod to Hizbollah terrorists allowing them to live freely in their midst,
stockpiling rockets and other weapons of death and destruction in their homes, mosques, hospitals, and neighborhoods. It was the
decision of Muslim Arabs in the Gaza to do likewise with HAMAS.
- It remains the choice of people in Lebanon and Gaza to send their children to summer camps that teach them how to kill non-
Muslims and become shahids, martyrs for Allah.
- It remains the decision of the people and governments in Lebanon and Gaza to incite racism against Jews and Americans in
madrassahs, in mosques, and on television and radio on a daily basis.
Perhaps many of these civilians might be better defined as willing accomplices who support the terrorists and contribute to the fomenting
of racism and who now reap a harvest of death and destruction due to the seeds of hatred and murder planted in the fertile ground of anti-
semitism - - an institutionalized phenomenon across the Arab world.
So is pressuring Israel to avoid war in order to avoid “civilian” casualties the answer to the current crisis? Certainly there are the truly
innocent in every society – men, women, and children. But beyond any collateral damage in Lebanon and Gaza, the world must accept
that in law, Israel has the right to self-defense. This fight has ramifications that go beyond the immediate battles and casualties in the
Middle East. Any diplomacy short of a total victory for Israel is appeasement in the war on terror.
If the United States is serious about its commitment to winning the war against Islamic terrorism, it will urge Israel, a strategic partner in the
free world’s global struggle, to do whatever necessary to eradicate the threat posed by terrorists in both Gaza and the Lebanon.
© 2006 Copyright Denice Lyn Gary-Pandol. All rights reserved.