Lieberman Gets An Earful

Lieberman Heckled by Arab Americans

DETROIT - Democratic presidential candidate Joe Lieberman was heckled Friday by several Arab Americans angry with his support for Israel as he spoke about restoring peace and trust in the Middle East.

"What about the wall?" shouted several attending the Arab American Institute leadership conference as they interrupted Lieberman's speech. The reference was to Israel's plan to build a barrier that juts into the West Bank...

..."It has nothing to do with security. It has to do with stealing from the Palestinians," shouted Greta Berlin during a question-and-answer session after the speech. Berlin had just returned from the West Bank, where she was working with the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian group.

It's no surpirse that the toads at the ISM are heckling Lieberman. It's not surprising that the wall is becoming such an issue.

What is surprising is that somebody like Leiberman is afraid to even speak up in its defense. A similar wall in Gaza has ended terrorist attacks there, and this wall will do the same thing on the West Bank.

The Palestianians - who clearly believe that terrorism is negotiation by other means - are horrified at losing the only weapon they have.

Yes, the wall will take some "Palestinian" territory. To this, I say: So what?

From global perspective, the Palestinians must not be allowed to take home any trophy form their bloody choice. By large margins, opinion polls show they support every suicide bombing. When Israeli schoolchildren are torn apart by bombs, the Palestinians celebrate. Their leaders cynically condemn each act, but they organize new attacks, to ratchet up the pressure on Israel to deal.

Will it work? The world is watching.

What will the Palestinians get for this? Will they get a win? Will they get the de-facto border from 1947, with Israel hiding behind the wall and abadoning the settlers?

Or will they lose? Will the wall take some of their territory and farmland?

The State Department says it will tolerate a wall on the 1947 borders: an Israeli loss, and a victory for the terrorists (See! We forced the Israelis to abandon their citizens!)

I disagree. The message to people who choose terrorism must be as clear as day: choose and lose.

It is vital to the cause of world peace that the Palestinians emerge empty handed from this wreckless choice: suffering more, poorer and more oppressed than they were.

Only then will they begin to look at Arafat as the terrible leader he is: a fool who was getting more at the negiotiating table than he ever dreamed possible, and threw it all away by making unreasonable demands that Israel could never accept (ie: the right of return). Arafat single-handedly doomed Barak, and now as a reward, he gets to deal with Sharon. From this, he should return with nothing but shame.

The world is watching. Other terrorists are watching.

Will terrorism work? Is it really a good way of forcing a democracy to give in?

What does the world gain by giving the terrorists the impression that it does work? The answer: more terror.


- posted by total @ 10/19/2003 06:53:00 AM .