Bombing others...

Editorial

Opponents of peace in the Mideast could not have been more clear. By timing their attacks in Jerusalem and Jewish areas of the West Bank to coincide with the face-to-face talks between the Israeli and the Palestinian prime ministers, they announced they would never accede to any settlement between the Jewish state and a Palestinian one.

The leadership of Hamas and Islamic Jihad has thrown down the gauntlet to moderate Palestinian factions, showing it is ready to reject any government that demands less than pushing Israel into the sea.

The stage is set for the new Palestinian top brass - Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and his security chief, Mohammed Dahlan - to step up to their responsibility for disarming and dismantling the terrorist infrastructure.

The terrorists gave Israel's Ariel Sharon a way to forgo his planned visit to Washington to talk with President George W. Bush about accepting the road map toward peace developed by the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.

Until the Palestinians begin taking action, Israel should not lessen its defensive pressure. Abbas, Dahlan and their supporters must prove their intentions by deeds or forfeit any chance of moving their people to their much-desired statehood.

...and bombing yourself

The Arab world should regret having let the genie of suicide bombing out of the bottle of cultural enmity because the tactic has now been used against their societies. Last week's bombings in Saudi Arabia and Morocco sadly prove the point.

Al Qaida - or whoever it was that sent its "martyrs" to attack the targets in Riyadh and Casablanca - hates the Jews, to be sure.

But equally frightening, it hates all who disagree with its militant religious fundamentalism, and it is willing to act on that hatred even when that means murdering its co-religionists or fellow citizens. If that doesn't appall the Arab world, what will?

Whether the Arab nations will now read the handwriting on the wall is an open question. Syrian President Bashar Assad promised U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that the Damascus headquarters of Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad would be shut down - but promptly reneged on the pledge.

Much of the Arab and Muslim world cheered when the World Trade Center in New York City fell on Sept. 11, 2001. They were actually cheering for a malevolent evil that now is being used against themselves.

Jewish Renaissance Media

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