Are We Safer?

ers that the U.S. failure in 1980
Philadelphia
"proves the weakness of the United
re Americans taking the
States."
necessary steps to protect
Meanwhile, the disaster at Tabas
themselves from further
has gone down the memory hole for
attacks?
Americans. But it's Americans (and
This question comes to mind on
Israelis and other Westerners) who
reading a news agency dispatch
really should be recalling the incident
titled, "Iran Enthusiastically
at Tabas, for this marked a major
Celebrates the American
turning point.
`Humiliation' at Tabas 22
It was when the current
Years Ago."
round of militant Islam's war
It refers to Tabas, a remote
against the West took its first
desert town in Iran, which on
fatalities. "Death to America"
April 25, 1980, was the site
proved to be not an empty
of a U.S. military disaster. A
slogan,
but the battle cry of
rescue team sent by President
this era's most vibrant and
Jimmy Carter to spring 49
dangerous extremist ideology.
American hostages held in
In retrospect, it is clear
the U.S. embassy in. Tehran
DAN IEL
that
the eight deaths at Tabas
had to abort when two U.S.
PIP ES
were
the very first in a
aircraft collided at Tabas,
Spe cial
sequence
that has continued
leaving eight U.S. soldiers
Comm entary
for over two decades.
dead.
Consider just some of the
To this day, Iran's militant
attacks on Americans:
Islamic leadership keeps the
• April 1983: U.S. embassy in
memory of that day alive. Last week,
Beirut bombed, killing 63.
the government bussed thousands of
• OctOber 1983: U.S. Marine bar-
militiamen to Tabas, where they
racks in Beirut bombed, killing 241.
prayed and shouted slogans like
• December 1983: U.S. embassy in
"Death to America" and "Death to
Kuwait bombed, killing six.
Israel." It will build a museum in
• January 1984: Malcolm Kerr,
Tabas exclusively devoted to chroni-
president of the American University
cling the failed American mission.
Iranian television news informs view- of Beirut, assassinated.
• April 1984: The environs of a
U.S. airbase in Spain attacked by
Daniel Pipes is director of the Middle
Hezbollah, killing 18 servicemen.
East Forum. His e-mail address is
• September 1984: U.S. embassy in
Beirut again bombed, killing 16.
pipes@MEForum.org

A

In a rush to appease Arab hatred for
Israel and media-inspired "outrage" at
Israel's temerity in striking back at
those who seek to kill its citizens, this
country is moving again towards sub-
sidizing Arafat. Others, including for-
mer President Jimmy Carter would
like to seize this moment to restrict
aid to democratic Israel. But this is
precisely the time when Washington
should be using its aid leverage to
pressure Arafat and the Palestinians.
But donating money to the PA will
not help those Pales-tinians who have
been victimized by Arafat's decision to
wage war instead of making peace. Such
aid will only rebuild the infrastructure of
terror. Alternate sources of administering
aid must be found if progress toward
peace or a better life for the Palestinians
is to be achieved.
A far higher form of compassion than
throwing money at these organizations
might begin with an understanding of
the corrupt nature of those who have
helped perpetuate the problem. ❑

• December 1984: Two Americans
murdered on a hijacked plane in
Tehran.
• June 1985: American sailor
killed on a hijacked plane in Beirut.
And on and on, the assault contin-
ued. More recent incidents include
the World Trade Center bombing of
February 1993 in New York City,
the two attacks on U.S. soldiers in
Saudi Arabia in 1995 and 1996, the
two American embassies blown up in
East Africa in August 1998, and the
USS Cole destroyed in Yemen in
October 2000. In all, some 600
Americans lost their lives to militant
Islam before September 2001.
All of these were highly publicized
incidents, dominating the headlines
and furrowing brows about an effec-
tive counter-terrorism policy. But
they did not inspire action. The U.S.
government neither attacked the
enemy nor changed policies.
For example, the 241 dead at the
Marine barracks bombing (the
largest number of Americans killed
by militant Islam before 9-11)
brought forth no retaliation at all;
the 1993 World Trade Center bomb-
ing prompted no review of immigra-
tion procedures.
In short, although Americans were
repeatedly attacked, they barely
responded. One can hardly blame
the militant Islamic groups and gov-
ernments for concluding that the
United States was weak, demoralized
and ripe for attack. The population

was feckless, distracted and compla-
cent, the government incompetent.
And now? The trauma of
September changed some things, but
not enough. The government won't
name militant Islam as the enemy,
but hides behind the euphemism of
"terrorism." The CIA and FBI
remain largely unchanged. Airline
security is a sham. Israel is con-
strained from rooting out the
Palestinian terrorist infrastructure.
As the sense of vulnerability and
resolve of seven months ago dissi-
pates, Americans are returning to
business-as-usual. Sept.11 increas-
ingly feels like a remote nightmare
without much relevance to the pres-
ent circumstances.
To which I predict: If things pro-
ceed in this direction, there can only
be one certain result — further
assaults perpetrated by militant
Islam.
The carnage begun that awful day
in the Iranian desert in 1980 will
not run its course until Americans
understand how much they need to
fear and loathe militant Islam. We
can only hope this happens sooner
rather than later, so that the number
of casualties to come will be smaller
rather than larger. ❑

Daniel Pipes will speak at
Shabbat services at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 3, at Temple Beth El.

Perspectives on Israel: a continuing series

What Happened in Jenin

n I I n military action in Jenin was self-defense.

S raG

°There is no massacre to investigate.

The term massacre has been used regularly over the past months
to describe every Israeli military action, and has never been found
to be true. Jenin was a known hotbed of Islamic Jihad terrorists
and dozens of suicide bombers claimed to have been sent from the
camp. Israel warned civilians to evacuate before entering with
troops (23 of whom were killed), rather than simply bombarding
the area with superior air power as America did in Atghanistan.

As an Islamic Jihad bomb-maker told Egypt's al-Ahram newspaper:

"We started working on our plan: to trap the invading soldiers and
blow them up from the moment the Israeli tanks pulled out of Jenin
last month (March)." [They] made hundreds of explosive devices
and carefully chose their locations.

(By the beginning of April) "We had more than 50 houses booby-
trapped around the camp. We cut off lengths of water pipes and

packed them with explosives and nails. Then we placed them about four
metres apart throughout the houses — in cupboards, under sinks, in
sofas."

According to the bomb-maker, everyone in the camp, including the
children knew where the explosives were located so that there was no
danger of civilians being injured... (Israeli soldiers would be the target).

Israel will continue to defend its citizens, until the Palestinians stop
this terrorism.

For more information on Israeli military action in Jenin,
visit the Israel Defense Forces website at: www.idf.il

Jewish
Commynity
Council ighglib.liec.thfa&L,Viglueg the

To learn more about how you can become an effective Israel advocate, visit www.jewishcommunitvcouncil.orq

5/3
2002

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