CONTINUING TERRORISM IN ISRAEL

CONTINUING TERRORISM IN ISRAEL

            One of  my fascinating memories of Jerusalem is strolling through the Mount of Olives. Because some of the trees literally date back to the first century, there’s an aura of the mystical about the area. Unfortunately, the epiphanic went up in smoke on Sunday night in that section of Jerusalem.

Seven firebombs were hurled into Jewish homes. The masked terrorist carried ten firebombs and managed to throw seven at ground floor apartments in a compound. Security guards fired in the air and sent the man running. Controversy followed as to whether the guards should have shot to kill. While not a large enough incident to attract Western journalists, the incident was indicative of continuing Jewish struggles.

A larger issue is the emergence of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). The group’s existence became more widely known after one of their activist’s confrontation with an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) office. We will probably hear more about them.

Coming from Denmark, the ISM is a pacifist group promoting the “Palestinian cause.” Wikipedia describes them as a nonviolent protest group standing on the Palestinian side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, the group includes anarchists who openly support terrorism. In their own website, they state their intention is to resist Israeli occupation. Their mission statement supports armed struggle as a right of the Palestinian Authority Arabs. One of the articles states, “Non-violent resistance is no less noble than carrying out a suicide operation.”

In other words, smile at the soldiers if it helps the cause; kill ‘em if you have to. Can a group really have it both ways? Sounds like they’ll accept whoever wants to join regardless of their motives (An weapons). A tad contradictory?

ISM activists also promote the cause of Iran, including Iran’s geopolitical goals against the United States. Those objectives may well become the “crunch” if the group goes far enough so that it is no longer ignored.

Journalist Lee Kaplan reports, “The ISM has built a network across our nation’s (America) colleges.” Campus club-type organizations with names like Muslim Students Union and Students for Justice in Palestine are on major campuses where support is given to terrorists groups like Hamas.

Possibly, the ISM movement will dissolve like fog and disappear in the light of day, but I wouldn’t count on it. Such student groups come and go, depending on the climate. Like the Black Panthers, most have a loud growl in the beginning and then their energy wanes as the political climate changes. It’s been awhile since students reacted violently in the college setting. Maybe, the time isn’t right –then again!

Should the ISM attempt to create more disturbances in Israel, you will have heard of them and have some idea of what’s going on. Knowing who activists are and what their ultimate objectives will be helps making sense out of what we hear from the media. Stay aware should the ISM try to make a grab for the headlines.

Question: Have you previously recognized the appearance of similar groups claiming one objective while pursuing another? Could the ISM cause real difficulty in Israel?