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Yanks Just Better Than Brits

America's pundits and editorialists have for the most part been supportive of Israel's side of the story in the capture of the weapons-laden Katrine-A. Several examples of that support are offered below (the Monitor thanks Zionist Organization of America National President Morton Klein for the compilation), but first, a splash of frigid water from Reuters correspondent Jon Immanuel.

Two Minutes Over Baghdad: The Day Israel Saved The World

Shortly after 5:30 p.m. on June 7, 1981, Israel saved the world from the threat of nuclear blackmail. In less than two minutes? time, Israeli jets laid waste an atomic reactor on the outskirts of Baghdad, and so deprived a brutish dictator the potential for mass destruction.

Two Minutes Over Baghdad: The Day Israel Saved The World

Shortly after 5:30 p.m. on June 7, 1981, Israel saved the world from the threat of nuclear blackmail. In less than two minutes? time, Israeli jets laid waste an atomic reactor on the outskirts of Baghdad, and so deprived a brutish dictator the potential for mass destruction.

Vindication

It is no secret that there were many people who were very unhappy when The Jewish Press endorsed George W. Bush for President. Indeed, as far as we can tell we were the only Anglo-Jewish publication to do so. We received countless letters from irate readers and organizational types who were aghast that we would fail to support Al Gore who after all chose a member of the Jewish faith ? and an ostensibly Orthodox one at that ? as his running mate.

Yes, But How Long Will It Last?

It is no small thing that the civilized world is rallying to Israel's side in its vigorous efforts to stamp out the Palestinian attacks. In the face of a no-nonsense President Bush, it seems that Arafat is no longer persuading anyone with his empty promises. And despite the protests of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, it appears that Arafat will finally be compelled to call a halt to the terrorism.

Reading The Mail

Readers might find the following items from the Monitor's mailbag to be of some interest. (The Monitor responds privately to all e-mails and letters, but every now and then selects a few for public viewing.)

Dramatic Show Of Solidarity

It is altogether fitting and proper that New York State's Governor George Pataki, New York City's Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Mayor-Elect Michael Bloomberg chose Chanuka for their solidarity visit to Israel. Chanuka symbolizes Divine deliverance and the triumph of good over evil, themes that have particular resonance now that both the United States and Israel are waging war against terrorism. Indeed, the presence of these three politicians in Israel at this time sharply underscores the parallel challenges presented by the events of September 11 and the more than year-long Intifada. Coming as well, in the context of President Bush's no-nonsense support for Israel's anti-terrorist efforts, it is an indication that American appreciation of Israel's plight is not only broad, but deep as well.

The Harpoon Block II Deal?Upsetting A Delicate Balance

The linchpin of the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt ? and the basis for Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula ? was that the Sinai would be demilitarized, and a natural "no-man's land" of sorts would be created between the two countries. However, a proposed U.S. missile deal with Egypt threatens to negate this vital element of the military balance that has obtained for more than two decades.

Dinner At Le Marais Caps OK Labs? International Mashgichim Conference

When a convention of kosher supervisors steps out to dine, you can be sure the restaurant of choice will meet their highest standards of kashrut as well as cuisine.
Le Marais, a French steakhouse that has been under the supervision of OK Laboratories since its opening in 1995, provided the setting for dinner and lively conversation following the OK?s 2nd Annual International Mashgichim Conference in November.

On Not Fearing The Future

A continuing refrain one hears these days is that Israel should not go too far in its war on terrorism and drive Arafat and the Palestinian Authority from power. Thus, while there is finally acknowledgement around the world ? even by the European Union! ? that Israel's efforts against the Palestinian suicide bombers are of a piece with the U.S.'s and the world's war on Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, fear of what would follow Arafat & Co. has accorded this terrorist entity some redeeming value. But we are not buying.

A Long Festering Problem

After September 11, many expressed amazement at the relative ease with which illegal aliens from Arab countries were apparently able to lose themselves in American society. This in no small measure contributed to the horrific events of that day. But a startling story in this past Monday's New York Times documents that there was doubtless another related dimension as well. According to a The Times piece entitled, "After A Long, Slow Climb to Respectability, a Muslim Charity Experiences a Rapid Fall," the US was not only duped into providing a home for terrorists, it also served as a cash cow for terrorists.

Jennings Again

If you thought the Monitor was finished with ABC World News Tonight anchor Peter Jennings last week, you don't know the Monitor or Peter Jennings. Throughout his career, starting with his years as a Beirut-based correspondent in the late 1960's and early 70's, Jennings has evinced a sharp pro-Palestinian bias - one that goes well beyond the ritualistic bromides mouthed by garden variety journalists who strive with all their might to attain the proper level of political correctness.

Have Haifa?s Leftists Learned Their Lesson?

Haifa is Israel?s third city, but by international standards it is a small town. It is also the least Israeli of Israel?s cities. It has weather like the Riviera. It is cosmopolitan: On the top of the mountain German is still spoken, at the bottom Arabic, and in the middle Russian. It has the country?s only subway train. It has lots of trees and a huge environmentalist movement. In Haifa, children dare not venture outside nor make noise during the siesta hours of the afternoon. A dirty park bench will produce storms of protests and letters to the editor.

The U.S. Lays Down The Law

The recent developments in U.S. Mideast policy are nothing short of stunning. Over the past few days, in unusually blunt and unequivocal language, President Bush and Secretary of State Powell have left no doubt that they have had it with Yassir Arafat's duplicity regarding the violence directed at Israel. And in Tuesday's order freezing the financial assets of organizations allegedly linked to Hamas, there is also no doubt left that the day is past when we will prevaricate regarding funding for Palestinian terrorists. Yet, while most are viewing these welcome actions in terms of support for Israel ? and it certainly is that ? we also believe that they are key to our continuing war against terror.

Secretary Powell's Speech

We refer our readers to the Jerusalem Post editorial appearing below on the topic of Secretary of State Colin Powell's speech on the Middle East. But we also offer the following:

There is certainly ample basis for both the positive and negative comments on Secretary Powell's speech. On the negative side of the ledger were his support for a Palestinian state, the dispatch of "special envoys" reminiscent of the Clinton "pressure" years, the use of the term "occupation" when referring to Israel's control over Yehuda and Shomron, and his condemnation of the "settlements."

Kill This Myth

It's been raining rumor and myth since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. And though most of the so-called urban legends that now abound on the Internet and even make an appearance or two in mainstream news outlets are easily dispelled by their very outlandishness, there are some that just won't go away.

The Fall Of Kabul

Although "it's not over 'til it's over," the reports out of Afghanistan of the continuing collapse of the Taliban hold on the country are certainly welcome signs of the effectiveness of the President's anti-terrorism policy. To be sure, Osama bin Laden is still at large. But it cannot be lost on any of the nations of the world that if they provide safe harbor to terrorists, this is the kind of power that can be unleashed against them to, in President Bush's words, "cough them up."

Paving The Way?

In the light of the ostensibly single-minded war against terrorism, it is becoming increasingly difficult for defenders of Yasir Arafat to explain away his continuing embrace ? if not worse ? of terrorism emanating from within areas under his control. Further, the various Arab states that are nominally allied with the United States such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are having a devil of a time justifying their continued support of Arafat despite his recalcitrance, and also their urging pressure on Israel to make concessions to the Palestinian as the price of their participation in the anti-terror coalition.

Wannabees Beware

It is probably too much to hope for, but we hope nevertheless that the recent Schneier-Boteach/Sharpton debacle will serve as an object lesson to macher wannabees.

Critical World Zionist Congress Elections

The June 2002 election for the 34th World Zionist Congress looms as one of the more important items on Orthodoxy's communal agenda. The World Zionist Congress determines the policies and budgetary allocations of the Jewish Agency in Israel, the central agency which administers the bulk of the funds raised by the UJA-federation system worldwide.

They're Laughing At Us

As we and others have opined, the inclusion of Arab states that continue to harbor terrorist cells in the anti-terrorism coalition is seriously undermining the effort by signalling a political business as usual modus operandi. We have been equally critical of signs that the Bush Administration is agreeing to certain demands of Arab states in general in order to keep them in the coalition. Primary among the concessions was the recent public support expressed by President Bush for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Plainly, the Arab states think they are finally onto something in their effort to have the United States cut Israel loose. But the snickering that this has doubtless engendered seems about to turn into outright mockery if it hasn't already done so.

As Simple As A-B-C

Prime Minister Sharon has come in for much criticism both here and in Israel by those who fault him for withdrawing the IDF from Palestinian controlled areas it entered in response to shootings emanating from there. They argue that remaining in those areas for an extended period of time is in Israel's best interests, but Mr. Sharon is nevertheless bowing to pressure from the Bush administration.

Separate Military And Political Objectives

The relentless military crackdown on the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's camps in Afghanistan stands in sharp contrast to the tentativeness of the State Department regarding terror cells elsewhere and those directing their attention towards Israel. Apparently in the interests of coalition building, there is a downplaying of the significance of the roles of Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other states hosting or sympathetic to terrorists.

Evil Does Exist

The other day, in a piece entitled, "For Some Jewish Leaders, Partnership With Muslims Is A Casualty of Sept. 11 Attacks," the New York Times reported on a rude awakening in the "interfaith dialogue" crowd in the aftermath of September 11:

The President And A Palestinian State: In Any Event,The Timing Was Wrong

In principle, we disagree with the notion of U.S. public support for a Palestinian state. The record is clear that, whatever Yasir Arafat and his crowd may claim to the Bush Administration, the Palestinians have no present intention of living as a peaceful neighbor with Israel.

Behind The Sharon Criticism

Although Prime Minister Sharon's "appeasement" analogy was not exactly apt ? President Bush is a proven friend of the Jewish State and is certainly no fainthearted Neville Chamberlain, nor is Israel a defenseless Czechoslovakia ? he did succeed in making an important point. There is no gainsaying that the task before us in seeking to uproot terrorism around the world does not lend itself to a quick solution. Indeed, everyone in the Administration, from Mr. Bush on down, continues to caution that we are in for a long haul.

Osama bin Laden's “Crusade”

To those who harbor, in the back of their minds, the uneasy notion that America's friendship with Israel really was the reason for the September 11 events, an article by Holger Jensen in Sunday's New York Post should be required reading. In the course of making a point about how the nations of the world seem to tolerate terrorism when it promotes their immediate political aims, Jensen also provides a revealing catalog of the Osama bin Laden terror agenda:

The Two Lists

The folks over at the American Jewish Congress say that the State Department's inclusion of Palestinian groups on its list of "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" should reassure Israel. They are dead wrong! Those organizations are not on the other, more important list the State Department issued last week. To be sure, U.S. citizens are prohibited from financially supporting groups on the Foreign Terrorist Organizations list and all U.S. financial institutions are required to freeze the assets under their control.

The Left Gears Up For Battle (Part II)

The Monitor's most recent undertaking, interrupted by unavoidable circumstances last week, involved a look at some of the early left-wing reaction to the terrorist attacks on America. That our friends on the left would adopt a blame America and/or Israel party line should have been obvious from the get-go, and was exemplified by essays written by Robert Fisk in The Nation and Gary Kamiya on Salon.com.

Getting Out Of The Penalty Box

As the days go by, the outlines of President Bush's strategy for dealing with the aftermath of September 11th are becoming more and more clear. As the President intimated in his riveting "This Is War"/"You Are Either With Us Or Against Us" speech to the nation, and as Secretaries Powell, Rumsfeld and Fleischer have since fleshed out, the United States is trying to craft the broadest possible coalition ? including even those who have heretofore harbored or otherwise assisted "terrorists." And the focus of the coalition is to be on terrorism with a "global reach" ? as opposed to "terrorism" in all its forms. The primary goals are to make the overall effort to appear as nothing other than a confrontation with international outlaws and to make as many, particularly in the Arab world, part of the solution with a vested interest in its success rather than having them remain as part of the problem.

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