America The Target

By Mike Evans

(September 30) - On a September evening in 1980 in Tel Aviv, I sat with former Mossad chief Isser Harel for a conversation about Arab terrorism. As he handed me a cup of hot tea and a plate of cookies, I asked him, "Do you think terrorism will come to America, and if so, where and why?"

Harel looked at his American visitor and replied, "I fear it will come to you in America. America has the power, but not the will, to fight terrorism. The terrorists have the will, but not the power, to fight America - but all that could change with time. Arab oil money buys more than tents."

As to the where, Harel continued, "New York City is the symbol of freedom and capitalism. It's likely they will strike the Empire State Building, your tallest building [he mistakenly thought] and a symbol of your power."

With my Western mind-set I replied that America was dedicated to fighting terrorism. Harel smiled and said, "You kill a fly and you celebrate. We live with flies daily. One dies and 100 flies come to the funeral.

"If 'land for peace' happens," Harel continued, "I think it will mean America gets peace for a season, as the West pressures Israel into giving Arafat our land. But once you let the genie of appeasement out of the bottle, he will grow and eventually turn on you. In time America itself will be in the crosshairs.

"Hitler first killed Jews, then he killed Christians. Our culture and our democracies are the root of [the terrorists'] rage. If we're right, then they are wrong."

Twenty-one years later, the first part of Harel's prediction came true; except, of course, that the twin towers of the World Trade Center were much taller than the Empire State Building. However, it was the second part of his doomsday prediction that came true much earlier.

It was 1982 and Israel had declared its own war on terrorism by invading Lebanon to root out Arafat's terrorist infrastructure. I was summoned to New York by then prime minister Menachem Begin's aide, Reuven Hecht, for a meeting with Begin prior to his meeting with then president Ronald Reagan. Hecht had just met in Washington with then secretary of state Alexander Haig, who had told him that America had changed its mind: it would no longer support Israel's war against terrorism in Lebanon. Begin was in shock. The West - whose planes had been blown out of the sky, its diplomats, soldiers, and civilians murdered by terrorists - was now fighting to save the primary organization responsible for these vile acts. In the end, American pressure prevailed and Arafat's 10,000 PLO terrorists, rifles in hand, were escorted out of Beirut to safe bases in Tunisia and other Arab lands. The cries of Israeli mothers whose sons had died in Lebanon and who stood outside his apartment screaming "Murderer!" were more than Begin could bear. He resigned a depressed and broken man. Since then hundreds of Israeli civilians have been killed and thousands wounded by terrorists recruited, trained, and equipped in territory controlled by Arafat's Palestinian Authority. Osama bin Laden's cells operate in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as does Hizbullah - all with Arafat's blessing.

Arafat who holds the world record for suicide bombings in his intifada is coming to New York. He will surely express his sympathies over America’s tragedy when he speaks to the United Nations. He will likely repeat his worn-out 1988 United Nations dirge, “I denounce terrorism.”

This is a golden opportunity for him to help defuse the terrorists’ bomb since he is the godfather of world terrorism, and the world feeds off his intifada. To the American people who have seen hundreds of suicide bombings over the years are now living it out, the “I denounce terrorism” slogan means nothing.

By announcing (1) an official end to the intifada that has been the fertile soil for terrorism; (2) an end to the teaching of martyrdom in the territories; (3) an official commitment to honor the extradition requests of all terrorists who have killed Americans and all foreigners – including Israelis); (4) the dismantling of all terrorist organizations (including the removal of Hamas and Islamic Jihad – both on the U. S. terrorist black list - from his cabinet) will do more – when coupled with U. N. monitoring and a reasonable timetable - to prove that Arafat is not supporting or harboring barbaric terrorism. Without this real attempt to dismantle terror, Arafat and the PLO organization that he founded may indeed be added to the Bush black list in time.

Now that America has declared its own war against terrorism, Arafat has summoned the press to photograph him giving blood ostensibly for the victims of the attacks on America. Meanwhile, his Palestinian Police threatened journalists who filmed Palestinians dancing in the streets to celebrate the same attacks. All this supposedly in aid of encouraging Islamic states to join the anti-terrorism coalition.

Even Arafat's Hamas protégé has announced it is willing to suspend suicide attacks inside Israel "unless it is provoked." Can one imagine bin Laden saying "I will suspend suicide attacks against America unless I am provoked - now let me join the anti-terrorism coalition"?

Israel and America share the same democratic values that terrorists despise and seek to destroy. For Americans to think that Arafat, the godfather of Islamic terrorism, does not continue to support it is a prescription for more terror in America. A war on terrorism that categorizes some terror as good and some as bad is a guarantee of failure; a cruel spectacle in the theater of the absurd.

Michael Evans has, for two decades, been a specialist on the Middle East. He is the author of 37 books, and 11 award-winning specials on the Middle East. During the Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid, Mr. Evans fervently challenged former Secretary of State James Baker in public debate on tightening terrorist security measures. Mr. Evans has appeared on “Good Morning America,” “Nightline,” and CNN’s “Crossfire.” His articles have been featured in The “Wall Street Journal” and “Newsweek.” As a journalist, Mr. Evans has covered the vast majority of events that have transpired throughout the world relating to Middle East, including the Middle East Peace Conference, the White House Peace Accords, the state funeral of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and the 43rd specially-convened General Assembly of the United Nations in Geneva where he publicly challenged Yasser Arafat to denounce terrorism. Mr. Evans has been a personal friend of both Jerusalem Mayors, Teddy Kolleck and Ehud Olmert, and has been received on many occasions by the majority of Israel’s Prime Ministers.

(Published in the Jerusalem Post, Sunday, September 30, 2001)

Happy Fourth of July, Israel

by: Mike Evans

America celebrates Independence Day, by far the most important national holiday of the year in the United States. It commemorates the birth of the nation and the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, with fireworks, picnics, concerts, parades, political speeches and ceremonies. It is a day of patriotism and pride – the largest birthday celebration in America and a true day of remembrance.

It is in this spirit that I, as an American, will celebrate Israel. The nation of Israel and the Jewish people have sacrificed more for American freedom per capita than any nation on earth.

Radical Islamists call America the “Great Satan,” and Israel the “Little Satan.” The reason is obvious; the Jewish people in Israel have, with their own blood, defended America and the Western world against radical Islam since the days of its rebirth on May 14, 1948.

When Jewish poetess, Emma Lazarus, penned the immortal words emblazoned on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty,Palestine was desert, a wasteland in the hands of the unfriendly Turks. From 1881 to about 1920, three million Jews emigrated from Eastern Europe to the United States. Welcoming them to America were Lazarus’ words:

“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Ties between the Jewish people and the early pilgrims in America were as foundationally strong as the rock on which they stepped ashore in 1620. A group hoping to found a “New Israel” would become highly influential when the colonists began to aspire to freedom. Early founders and presidents of the newly-formed republic would express the hope that the children of Israel might one day find rebirth in their homeland – the land God gave to Abraham.

Our forefathers, Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin lobbied for an image of Moses guiding the Israelites on the Great Seal. Such presidents as John Adams, Woodrow Wilson, and Abraham Lincoln lobbied for a homeland in Palestine for the Jews. President Harry S. Truman was the first world leader to recognize the new State of Israel in 1948.

One of the greatest symbols of Israel’s sacrifice is Yonathan Netanyahu, commander of Sayaret Mutkal, who was killed in action during Operation Entebbe in Uganda. His brother, Benjamin, is the current prime minister of Israel. Character and dedication are symbolized in a letter Yonathan wrote to his parents on December 2, 1973. In the letter he wrote: “We are preparing for war and it’s hard to know what to expect. What I am positive of is that there will be a next round and others after that. But, I would rather opt for living here in continual battle than for becoming part of the wandering Jewish people. Any compromise will simply hasten the end. As I don’t intend to tell my grandchildren about the Jewish State in the twentieth century as a mere brief and transient episode amid thousands of years of wandering. I intend to hold on here with all my might.”

On July 4, 1980, the anniversary of his death, I read Yoni’s story in the Jerusalem Post. It deeply touched me in such a way that I made my way to the Netanyahu home to express my sympathies for his sacrifice to the Netanyahu family. Benzion Netanyahu answered the door and very graciously invited me inside for tea. After a few moments, we were joined by Benjamin. I had never seen a more painful agony than I saw in Benjamin’s eyes.

I was so moved by the encounter that I requested a second meeting that week with Prime Minister Menachem Begin through his personal secretary, Yehiel Kadishai. When Mr. Begin came through the door of his office I said, “Mr. Prime Minister, yesterday I met the prime minister of Israel.”

He said, “You are mistaken; it wasn’t yesterday that we met.” I said, “No, it is not you.” He laughed and asked, “Who is this competitive prime minister?”

“Benjamin Netanyahu. He will be prime minister twice. Will you give him a job?” He laughed. “Twice? Isn’t once enough?”

At that time, Mr. Begin didn’t know Benjamin. His senior advisor Reuven Hecht, also in the room, knew Benjamin, and spoke highly of him. Menachem Begin agreed. The following night, Reuven offered Benjamin a position in the Israeli embassy in Washington, DCunder Moshe Arons.

For over twenty years, I kept the story in confidence and did not tell Benjamin that I had asked for an appointment for him … not until he demanded that I tell him the truth. He smiled and said, “Oh, so you’re the one. I don’t know whether to kiss you or kick you in the rear.” Without a doubt, Benjamin is prime minister of Israel and has maintained courageous moral clarity because of the sacrifice of his brother, Jonathan.

The death of Yoni Netanyahu inspired me to write Israel: America’s Key to Survival in 1981. On the front cover of the book areU.S. and Israeli flags sliced in half by an Islamic Saudi Arabian sword. The premise of the book was that Israel was the only democracy and firewall between radical Islam and the West. I wrote that if Israel was weakened, radical Islam would begin attacking the West.New York City’s tallest building would be the first target.

On the back cover is a quote from Benjamin Netanyahu:

“Their goal is to destroy America… destroy it … reduce it to nothing and they feel they can effectively do it through terrorism.”