Terrorizing the terrorists
By Ryan Jones
Jerusalem - March 28, 2004
"The policy of escalation and confrontation adopted by the Israeli government is of great danger and an evidence of Israel's state terrorism, which led to the killing of unarmed civilians," read a statement from the Gulf Cooperation Council following Israel's execution of Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin.
For once I have to agree with the decadent oil sheikhs of the Gulf - Israel last week did utilize terror and, as far as I am concerned, it was about time.
While Israel needs to destroy the terrorist organizations currently arrayed against it, the only way to finally end future aspirations of murdering Israelis is to effectively terrorize fanatics bent on killing in Allah's name into giving up their murderous ambitions.
Israel should terrorize the terrorists.
Until last week, one did not have much to fear from being the leader of a known and recognized "Palestinian" terrorist organization. Then the sheikh was vaporized, and the rules of the game were changed.
Now, characters such as Hamas' Abdel Aziz Rantisi and even Yasser Arafat himself are squirming, wondering if their current line of work will result in an IAF helicopter pilot putting out their lights.
If Yassin's execution turns out to be a one-off operation, however, the effect will be lost. Israel should seize the opportunity and open a new chapter in its war on terror, adopting a policy of ruthlessness to match that of the terrorists.
True, your average "suicide" bomber may already have a penchant for death, leaving him or her undeterred by Israel's war on terror. But your average bomber needs the Yassins, Rantisis and Arafats to guide, supply and train him.
By launching a brutal and determined execution campaign against the terrorist leadership, undaunted by world opinion, Israel can go a long way towards diminishing the scourge of "Palestinian" terror.
But world opinion is exactly the problem. Judging by the level of international indignation following Yassin's demise, and Israel's traditional bowing to outside pressure, the "Palestinian" terror chiefs are safe for the time being.
That is where our support, as Christian Zionists, comes in. Israel will feel far freer to pursue and destroy its enemies if tens of millions of bible-believing Christians demand that their governments stop tying Israel's hands.
I can hear some of the reactions already - "But we are called to be peacemakers, we cannot advocate war and killing."
Keep in mind that throughout the Bible, war was always an integral part of bringing peace. Those who believe all that changed with Jesus should remember that the world will experience its biggest ever bloodbath when Messiah comes to set up His kingdom on earth. (See Isaiah 63:1; Revelation 14:19)
The 17th century Dutch Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza offers wisdom Christians would do well to consider:
"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."
It is to see justice for the victims of terror, for this virtue of peace, and our desire to see the children of Israel living free from fear that causes us to support a war against the self-declared enemies of God's chosen.
One day the world, under the direct kingship of the Lord, will live in complete and total peace. Until then, it is surely the wish of all right-thinking men that their children will enjoy a modicum of security and tranquility. As history has repeatedly shown, that kind of peace can only be found on the other side of war.
Declared Aristotle: "We make war that we may live in peace."
