Brussels is the seat of the EU which has parceled out million to Muslims, including great gobs of cash to Palestinian terrorists. Did this blood money buy Belgium any goodwill?
By STEWART WEISSRepublican US presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks with his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski (L) at his side as he talks about the results of the Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois and Missouri primary elections(photo credit: REUTERS)
Art imitates megila. While Purim is still visible in our rear-view mirrors, I must comment on the amazing correlation between events in the megila, and the terror crisis gripping Europe. Even as we read about Haman’s genocidal plot to wipe out the Jews of Persia, a handful of contemporary Hamans were busy blowing up Belgians in horrific twin bombings at the air and rail stations. And on the very same day that we observed the Fast of Esther – in commemoration of the original three-day fast which Esther ordained in Shushan of old – Belgium was beginning its own three-day mourning period for the victims of the blasts.This latest assault on Europe by Islamic terrorists is but the most recent wake-up call to a slumbering, security- challenged continent. Think about it: Two bomber brothers – two, mind you – brought the country to its knees, closing schools, creating curfews and even canceling megila-reading in the synagogues. Can you imagine what 200 or 2,000 terrorists would do to Europe, in a coordinated attack? I guarantee you that the point is not lost on the Islamic murderers who are surely planning the next outrage.The bitter irony of these bombings in Paris and Brussels slaps Europe smack in the face. France is the country with the largest Muslim population in Europe (though, if Angela Merkel has her way, Germany will soon gain that dubious distinction). Do you think that Paris’s generous welcome policy towards Muslim immigrants gained it any gratitude, or a pass from the terrorists? And, for its part, Brussels is the seat of the European Union, which has parceled out hundreds of millions of dollars to Muslims, including – as reports this week once again verified – great gobs of cash to Palestinian terrorists, who collect handsome salaries while sitting in prison. Do you think this blood money bought Belgium any goodwill from the murderers? No, the fearsome but indisputable fact is that the more you feed the beast, the more it wants to devour. We in Israel have learned, to our chagrin, that the more we give away – by abandoning Lebanon, by dismantling Gush Katif – the more the terror organizations smell blood and detect weakness, and the bolder they become in their killing. If Europe wants to survive as a free, democratic, open society, it had better cage, or kill the beasts.Unless it’s too late already.Playing the Trump card No US presidential candidate in recent history – not even George W. Bush, the favorite target of liberals everywhere – has received as much condemnation and criticism as Donald Trump. And that includes numerous articles in this newspaper. But while I agree that the Donald has an aggressive, abrasive style that is woefully short on substance, I can well understand his growing popularity.Trump is bold, brash and breaks the mold; he is a kind of anti-Obama enfant terrible, and that plays well in a country that is sick and tired of the “Yes, I can, but no, I don’t” president, whose every ill-conceived endeavor into foreign policy has reduced America to an also-ran, if not a laughing stock.For while Barack Obama continues to mislead the people about the clear and present danger of Islam, or praises the virtues of reducing America’s influence in the world, Trump dares to tell it like it is and say what everyone is thinking, but misplaced political correctness won’t allow them to say. While Obama basks in “reaching out” to violently anti-West (and certainly anti-Israel) countries like Iran and Cuba; while world leaders pontificate in Pollyanna fashion about the moral imperatives of unchecked immigration by Middle East “asylum-seekers,” Trump clearly warns about strengthening enemies and carelessly opening the front doors of our countries to anyone and everyone who wants in, including terrorist sleeper cells.Trump is striking a chord with millions of people who just want to be told the truth, straight up, with no sugar- coating or political obfuscation.The Donald may not end up in the White House, but his numbers clearly add up to a warning – from one of the world’s most successful businessmen – to whoever does end up winning the election: It’s time to stop business as usual.
Sending out an SOS Israel’s latest crisis is dealing with the shooting of a wounded Palestinian terrorist by a young soldier in the Kfir Brigade. Emotions run high as we are pulled in seemingly opposite directions, as we confront a classic clash of values: We want the army to maintain discipline, and for soldiers to diligently follow the acceptable rules of engagement. Yet at the same time, we want to back up the IDF and not undermine the morale of these holy warriors who protect us day and night from those who would harm us.I trust in the military’s ability to faithfully examine the facts of this case and take whatever measures they deem necessary.But I want to stress two points.First, that our army is the most moral fighting force in the world – perhaps in the history of the world. Regardless of what transpired in this particular incident, let no one think that we have anything in general for which to apologize.We set the gold standard for ethical behavior in battle, and other countries – even the “civilized” ones – pale in comparison to the conduct of our own troops.Consider, as one example of typical military behavior in the world at large, the Moscow Theater hostage crisis of 2002. Forty or more Chechen terrorists – Islamists, of course – seized the Dubrovka Theater, holding 850 theater-goers captive for two and a half days. Russian special-force teams pumped an undisclosed chemical agent into the theater’s ventilation system and then raided the building. More than 130 civilians died of asphyxiation, and not a single terrorist survived. After they were rendered unconscious by the gas, the Russian soldiers identified the terrorists and systematically shot each one of them in the head. There was no adverse reaction from world leaders; indeed, the American and British governments specifically condoned the raid. Can you imagine if Israel had acted in similar fashion? Secondly, we must place primary guilt squarely where it belongs: On the head of the terrorist. The moment someone decides to harm another person, he forfeits his right to safety and protection. If he can be captured alive, with no danger to others, and then be tried for his crime, then so be it. But if he is killed, he has only himself to blame. There must never be a blurring in the public mind – and certainly in the minds of our soldiers – between the perpetrator and the protector.These are our children, after all, just out of high school and thrown into one of the most difficult theaters of combat the world has ever known. They conduct themselves in admirable fashion, and they are the pride of our nation.In war, things happen, and try as we might, some situations get out of hand and lead to tragic consequences. But it is the attacker who carries the blame; he – or she – ultimately deserves his fate for having struck at us in the first place.I will always favor the side of the soldier – my kid, and yours – and I urge you to steadfastly adhere to the doctrine of SOS. – Support Our Soldiers.The writer is the director of the Jewish Outreach Center of Ra’anana and a member of the Ra’anana city council; jocmtv@ netvision.net.il