How Does A Democracy Fight Terror?

Editor’s Note: Amy M. Stein, the Anti Defamation League for the Peninsula and Silicon Valley’s assistant director, wrote this guest column in response to Morgan Hill Times editorial board member John Quick’s column July 11 column entitled, “Understanding Terror’s True Human Cost Could Bring Peace.”

By Amy M. Stein

Imagine that there has been a suicide bombing in the United States and that a terrorist organization from inside Canada has claimed responsibility. In addition to killing many civilians, the group has also taken hostages. While expectations are that Canadian authorities will investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice, imagine what would happen if Canada not only failed to act, but even endorsed the murders? What would America do? 

Would the United States ask permission to seek out such terrorists?  Obviously, the U.S. would have no option but to protect its citizens from attacks. This is the situation Israel finds itself facing. While it is a nation that seeks security and peace, it faces foes who will seek its destruction and who are harbored by its neighbors. Yet Israel receives condemnation from the United Nations for defending its borders and its citizens from bloody attacks. 

Unfortunately, Israel doesn’t have Canada as a neighbor. Terrorist organizations are waging a two-front war against Israel from the north and the south. Hamas, now the Palestinian ruling party, is directly accountable for the recent attack on an Israeli military base and the kidnapping of one soldier and the killing of two others. Since Hamas orchestrated this act, Israel has no choice but to respond to Hamas – and thereby the Palestinian government.   Israel also endured unprovoked attacks on its sovereign territory from Hezbollah, which holds seats in the Lebanese government.

Nations are responsible for actions on their soil. Just like the United States would hold Canada responsible for attacks here, Israel holds (and the international community needs to hold) the government of Lebanon responsible for Hezbollah’s terrorism. It is important to note the following: Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, based in Lebanon, whose goal is the destruction of Israel. In that pursuit it has attacked Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide. It is also responsible for infamous attacks against American military installations in Lebanon in the early 1980s. It is financed and armed by Iran and enjoys full backing from Syria. Hezbollah’s recent attacks in Israel have undoubtedly been conducted with the guidance and support of Damascus and Tehran. 

It is impossible to rationalize an irrational act such as the murder of innocent people; the mere attempt discredits the enormity of the offense. Likewise, to blame the victim of a deadly assault or to justify the attack on the basis of the attackers’ own hardships undermines the basic unacceptability of terrorism. And yet, this is the response of Israel’s critics. There is no dispute that the Palestinians face many adversities, however their impoverished conditions cannot be an apology or a rationale for terror. Trying to excuse the inexcusable diverts attention away from actual solutions to the conflict – and actual hope for the future of the Palestinian people. Rather than focusing on solutions, the terrorists insist only on feeding their visceral hatred for Israel.  If Israel had a willing partner not committed to its annihilation, Israel would very likely be able to achieve a peaceful resolution with the Palestinians.

Israel is the sole functional democracy in the Middle East, surrounded by adversaries that not only wish it ill, but seek its destruction. The truth is that asking Americans to imagine an analogous situation with its neighbors is difficult at best. America is bordered by friends, whereas Israel is engulfed by many enemies. What is clear is that the U.S. would not wait for world approval to act in its self-defense. The U.S. would not change its course of action due to criticism. And in the same vein, Israel cannot be deterred by critics.  Israel’s priority is maintaining its borders and its citizens’ safety, a concern any nation would have.

It is absolutely permissible to criticize and take issue with the actions of Israel’s government. What is not acceptable, and what is dangerous, is to treat Israel differently than other nations and hold it accountable for standards to which no other nation is held. The United Nations Security Council’s attempt this week to condemn Israel for its actions in Gaza is shameful and completely ignores the reality that a terrorist war is being waged against Israel. Interestingly, influential Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt are exercising reason over emotion and are publicly condemning the recent terrorism. These countries should be applauded for their honest critiques of fellow Arabs.

European Union Policy Chief Javier Solana has said, “Parties which do not condemn violence cannot be considered future peace partners.” Israel is expected to employ diplomatic measures to resolve conflicts. However, Israel lacks a real partner for peace in this conflict. Diplomatic measures are no match for explosives. Remember when diplomacy was offered to the Palestinians on a silver platter by Ehud Barak in 2000? Yasser Arafat could have had the Palestinian state that is of such contention. Arafat’s response to Barak? Terror.

So how does a democracy fight terror? Israel must combat terrorism in a way that puts its security and the safety of its citizens first. Isn’t that the way the United States would handle it?

Amy M. Stein is the Anti-Defamation League’s Assistant Director for the Peninsula and Silicon Valley. The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.