The dual acts of terrorism in Kenya last week prove that Israel is facing the same enemy as the United States — al-Qaida.
And sooner or later, we won’t be surprised if Israel proves that Hezbollah, Hamas and Yasser Arafat’s own Fatah organization are in cahoots with al-Qaida.
President Bush, however, continues to insist that Israel restrain itself rather than anger the Arab world and jeopardize its support for a war in Iraq.
Frankly, we can’t understand why Bush wants to coddle the Arab nations.
Egypt is extolling the anti-Semitic “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” on nightly TV during Ramadan. Saudi Arabia, supposedly without realizing it, provided financial aid to the “student” hijackers who blew up the World Trade Center and part of the Pentagon. Jordan sided with Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War and could conceivably do so again. Syria continues to harbor known terrorists.
Does Bush really consider countries like those to be U.S. allies? If we weren’t bankrolling many of them in one way or another, all those Arab nations would probably line up with Saddam.
What are those countries doing to strike out against terrorism? They can’t fight terrorism and support Yasser Arafat at the same time.
At least this week Bush officially determined that the Palestinians are not in compliance with the agreements they have signed with the United States and Israel. But the president declined to impose sanctions that were made available to him by Congress.
It’s time the president recognize who the enemies are before attempts are made to shoot down U.S. planes with surface-to-air missiles or bomb hotels abroad owned by American companies.
America needs to finally take stock of who are its real friends, and who can be counted on to fight terrorism.