Back

The Curse and the Blessing

- Tuesday, May 30, 2000 |

Speaking at Tel Aviv University, National Security Advisor Samuel Berger said of the recent Palestinian-Israeli clashes, (they are) “Both the curse and the blessing of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for the tragedy that awaits in the event of inaction also constitutes the greatest incentive for immediate action.” [As reported by UPI 5/21/00.]

A blessing? A BLESSING? The same day a 2-year-old girl is severely burned in the firebombing of a car Mr. Berger can find a blessing in violence? For that alone he should be fired. But if not for that, he should be fired for the lack of understanding evidenced by the rest of the sentence.

“The tragedy that awaits in the event of inaction…” Awaits? The tragedy is here and now — and not because of inaction on the “peace front,” but because of deliberate hostile action ginned up by the Palestinian Authority, Israel’s ostensible “peace partner.” Aside from the child in the car, there is already tragedy in the dozens of Palestinians and Israelis killed and wounded in this and previous rounds of violence. There is long-term and maybe irreversible tragedy in the lives of Palestinians raised to hate Israelis (and Americans) and raised to throw stones and graduate to throwing Molotov cocktails. Palestinians taught to see Israel as an obstacle to be overcome — preferably through jihad — not a legitimate country and not a neighbor to be lived with is a tragedy now, for them and for Israel.

“The tragedy…constitutes the greatest incentive for immediate action.” Action to stop the violence? There is incentive to stop violence only if you aren’t benefiting from it. Stoking hatred and orchestrating violence is Arafat’s calling card. “Babies are our bullets,” he said recently. BG Amos Malka, OC Northern Command, has expressed his concern that the Palestinians would learn from Hizballah’s success in Lebanon that force works, and the way to maximize gains from Israel is to create enough violence that Israel will pay some price to stop it.

“Immediate action.” Since the Palestinians believe violence is useful and desirable (they must since they are the ones doing it; there are no firebombs in B’nai B’rak or Ashkelon) then the ones to take immediate action to stop what Mr. Berger calls a “tragedy” would have to be the Israelis. What action would he have them take? If the rioting could go on while the Knesset was debating turning over to the PA three villages bordering Jerusalem, what more would he have Israel do?

But wait a minute. Why should Israel offer the Palestinians anything to stop the rioting they shouldn’t have started in the first place? Why should there be a payoff for firebombing a baby? And Mr. Berger must have some bribe in mind, because he surely didn’t mean that the Israelis should take immediate punitive action to stop the riots.

All in all, the U.S. government would be better served by a National Security Advisor who is a) able to recognize the curse of violence for what it is, and b) condemn the perpetrators.