oints of view >> Send letters to: Ietters@thejewishnews.com Editorial Fatah Is Among Israel's Terrorist Neighbors I t's common knowledge among Jews that Islamist terrorists command a deadly presence along Israel's northern (Hezbollah) and southern borders (Hamas). But make no mistake about it: Fatah, the governing party in the Palestinian- controlled areas of the West Bank on Israel's eastern border, boasts a terrorist wing that is tied to both Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Gaza Strip-ruling Hamas. That makes Fatah not a potential peace ally, but an avowed enemy, at least as it's currently constituted. In January, when Hezbollah commander Jihad Mughniyeh was killed in an appar- ent Israeli airstrike within the Syrian Golan Heights, Fatah, headed by Palestinian Authority (PA.) President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel's supposed peace partner, memorialized Mughniyeh as a "hero" and a "martyr." Rifat Shanaah, leader of Fatah's Lebanon branch, expressed sympathy to Hezbollah on Abbas' behalf, declaring, "We are in the same trench and are resisting the same enemy:' according to Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch (PMW). Shanaah went on to stress Fatah's "adherence to the principle of struggle and jihad between us and our brothers in Israel faces the possibility of imminent danger on three fronts. Hezbollah" — a principle, he said, that is shared not only by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the umbrella for armed struggle against Zionist repression in pursuit of Palestinian statehood, but also by the Palestinian people. Enter Hamas It was widely reported that Fatah embraced a unity agreement with Hamas last year, osten- sibly to strengthen its chances to achieve statehood through international recognition, but most probably because it would give the P.A. another front from which to threaten Israel. By charter, Hamas seeks Israel's destruction. Fatah's charter isn't so blatant, but the party surely wouldn't mind if some- how the Jews were forced to flee from what Abbas calls "the land of the olive trees." Fatah long has shown no shame in nam- ing schools, streets, sports tournaments, summer camps and ceremonies after terror- ists — a practice that is a Hamas pastime. In a Facebook post two weeks ago, Fatah quoted Abbas as affirming his commit- ment to "armed struggle" as a legitimate component of resisting Israel, which Palestinian leaders consider an impediment to international recognition for the "State of Palestine." In the post, Abbas noted "every- thing in its time." Unassuming as that phrase sounds, PMW reveals that it alludes to the deceptive P.A. policy of alternating between use of terror ("Fatah — the first stone and the first bullet") and diplomacy ("Fatah will remain the beacon of the cause"), whichever the P.A. deems the most beneficial at any given time. PLO Shadows Abbas also chairs the PLO. So when a PLO ambassador described the Palestinian "joy" over Hezbollah's Jan. 27 "operation" that killed two Israeli soldiers in northern Israel, such hatred bore the rubric of Abbas. In an article published in the official P.A. daily newspaper Al Hayat Al Jadida, PLO Ambassador to India Adli Sadeq noted the Commentary Medicine As A Bridge L ate last year, we had the opportunity to join 10 physicians from Philadelphia, Chicago, Ontario and Sydney, Australia, on a fact-finding mission to better understand humanitarian and medical care issues resulting from the Arab conflict with Israel. The trip was facilitated through Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, NGO-monitor CAMERA, Media Central and Magen David Adorn. It took us from Golan in the north to Gaza in the south. With the help of the Israel Medical Association, we visited hospitals, such as the Ziv Medical Center in Tzfat where civilian victims of the civil war in Syria are treated. We visited the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva and the Tel HaShomer Rehabilitation Center, where miracles are performed. Ziv Medical Center is only 19 miles from Syria. To date, this hospital has provided care for more than 410 Syrian casualties of its civil war, combatants and civil- ians. About 17 percent are children. We met a 9-year- old boy who lost his eyesight, a leg and had a severely injured arm from playing with a booby-trapped toy. He underwent surgery and rehabilitation and was fitted with prosthesis. He's since returned to Syria. We also saw two teens with serious wounds, two rebel fighters and two little girls – all treated no differ- ently than any other Israeli patient. The dedicated staff at Ziv (a third are Jewish Israeli, a third are Arab Israeli and a third are Druze) go to great lengths to provide psychological support to the children, including therapeutic clowns and rooming them together to decrease anxiety. 50 February 5 • 2015 Co-Authors from left to right: John R. Cohn, M.D., Stuart M. Sprague, D.O., Vuong DuThinh, M.D. There is no better way to summarize this noble humanitarian effort than to quote directly from the hospital's mission statement: "Medicine has no bor- der. It can serve as a bridge between people. We will continue to provide lifesaving treatment to the Syrian casualties for as long as needed." At the Erez crossing at the Gaza border, we learned how Israel transfers hundreds of patients from Gaza to be treated in Israel where more sophisticated care is available. These transfers are done on a routine basis even as rockets fly across the border toward Israel. Ironically, some of these patients included family mem- bers of Hamas leaders, the same terrorist organization committed to the destruction of Israel. We saw similar dedication to humanity and decency at other hospitals, such as at Soroka Medical Center, a major trauma center that absorbed the brunt of casualties from both Israel and Gaza during the most recent conflict. Palestinians were hoping Hezbollah would kidnap Israeli soldiers, who then could be used as a bargaining chip to demand the release of "all" Palestinian prisoners. Sadeq was quick to demonize Israel as "the aggres- sors," "rampant villains" and a "wild bur PMW reported. It's hard to imagine how Abbas, con- sidered by U.S. leaders as a moderate in a region roiling with believers of radical political Islam — the hijacked, perverted offshoot of Islam the religion — can sepa- rate himself from such vitriol. To try to avert escalation into a full scale war it isn't prepared for, Hezbollah tempo- rarily seems to have stood down after its anti-tank missile struck an Israel patrol on the Israel-Lebanon border, killing the two soldiers and injuring seven others. But no one in the Jewish world should lose sight of the fact that Israel faces the possibility of imminent danger on three fronts, from Hezbollah, Hamas and Fatah — each a proxy of sorts for Syria's Assad regime hovering just beyond Israel's Golan Heights. Then, of course, there's the still-active, still-ominous Iranian nuclear threat ... ❑ - Everywhere we saw a commitment to save lives, regardless of nationalities, religion or political ideolo- gies. These facts on the ground go unreported, partly as Israel does not want to publicize the humanitarian efforts to protect the recipients who might face real persecution once they return home because they had been to the "enemy" side. As conflicts and tensions arose in Jerusalem and surrounding territories and we are witnessing increas- ing acts of terrorism against the Israeli population, news outlet once again are showing pictures of heavily armed Israeli security forces clashing with seemingly unarmed civilians. These outrageous headlines have more shock value than reporting on doctors delivering humanitarian aid but, in effect, perpetuate bias against Israel. There are always two sides to any conflict, but a balanced presentation ought to acknowledge and not distort the facts that Israel has not only gone to great lengths to minimize Arab civilian casualties, but has turned its marvelous medical system to alleviate suf- fering and heal the sick from conflicts, such as the Syrian civil war, where more Arabs have been maimed and killed than in almost a century of the war on Israel. As doctors, we are proud to see our Israeli col- leagues reflect the best our profession has to offer. As citizens of countries that value free speech, we are obligated to counter lies and propaganda that demon- ize Israel. In so doing, we protect our own freedom. ❑ Dr. John Cohn is professor of medicine and pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals in Philadelphia. Stuart Sprague, D.O., is chief of Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Northshore University Health System in Chicago. DE Vuong DuThinh is a cardiologist practicing in Grand Blanc.