Behold! Bias against Israel

This week’s reading in the Torah (Deuteronomy 11:26 – 16:17) begins with the Hebrew word “Re’eh,” which means behold or see! And, indeed, many people this week are coming to terms with what we are beholding, with respect to media bias against Israel and our own State Department showing their obvious anti-Israel position.

How can the U.S. State Department claim that we (the United States) will track down any terrorists worldwide and give them consequences for acts of terror against American citizens anywhere they happen to be … and yet that same scenario doesn’t hold for Israel? Why is it that in all the major media outlets this past week, very few of them were willing to use the “T” word (terrorism) as it relates to the bomb blast in Jerusalem last Thursday that killed primarily women and children at a pizza parlor?

Behold! Add to this that radical Moslem suicide bombers are now being called activists instead of terrorists. Timothy McVeigh must be rolling over in his grave. He so very much wanted to be understood as an activist against the U.S. government for their allowing the FBI-BATF to brutally murder innocent people (including women and children) at Ruby Ridge and Waco. Yet the only thing the media would ever call Mr. McVeigh was a terrorist. Now, in Israel, the Palestinian suicide bombers are called activists rather than terrorists in deference to the Arab-Moslem oil lobby in this country.

Speaking of Mr. McVeigh, the other major issue with the “media bias” of today is moral equivalence of the terrorist attacks against Israel and the Israeli response in trying to find and capture (or kill) the terrorists before they can do their damage. Israel has no choice but to do this, because Arafat’s Palestinian Authority is not arresting the Hamas murderers, as called for by the George Tenet Cease-fire and Mitchell plans. Can there be any moral equivalence between an act of terror perpetrated by Mr. McVeigh on the citizens of Oklahoma City and the execution of him carried by the state? Why has the U.S. suddenly accepted such double standards when it comes to Israel?

Behold! Congress is a whole different kettle-of-fish. At least some of them are still representing their constituencies who elected them to office. There could be some tough times ahead for the PA-PLO on Capitol Hill if Americans get vocal about their concerns. For example, if President Bush determines that the PLO is not preventing terrorism, he will have to impose sanctions. That requirement is in the foreign aid bill that the House of Representatives has passed overwhelmingly (381-46).

Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs William Burns said that the administration has yet to take a position on it. However, U.S. President George W. Bush was recently quoted as saying that “Arafat can do better” in fighting terrorism. In addition, the “Kobi Mandel Bill,” named for an American Jewish boy murdered in Israel by Arabs (radical Moslems), calls for the U.S. Justice Department to investigate and prosecute (Arab) terrorists who maim and murder U.S. citizens. And Congressman Eric Cantor has introduced a bill called the Temple Mount Preservation Act of 2001, which would deny the PLO any aid if it disturbs the holy site. Yet another bill would stop U.S. tax dollars to the PLO unless it condemns terror as a means of achieving political goals. This was already a statement that was a part of the now-failed Oslo accords.

What else do we behold? What was Israel’s response to the suicide bombing in West Jerusalem, inside the Green Line, which is not a part of the so-called West Bank? They took Orient House in the eastern part of Jerusalem, which had been established illegally (according to the Oslo agreements) as a political site for the Palestinian Authority. There was no bloodshed, no one died as a result. Israel decided to try a political response instead of a military one that might possibly incur casualties of innocent people.

And the reaction of the World? Behold! Condemnation, of the Israeli response was voiced around the world (including our own U.S. State Department) as if the Israelis are allowed to do nothing in response to terror attacks against their very own citizens.

What is behind the media bias and State Department reactions? Collusion! This defined as playing into the hands of others, for the purposes of fraud and/or deceit. Behold! It is a global jihad and Israel is only one of the “front lines” of a global, radical, resurgent Islam (that goes back to the 11th and 12th century Holy Wars with the Crusaders. The media don’t want to report on this, but we’re seeing radical Islam popping up in many places, and the persecution of Christians and Jews (and also those of other religions, like Hindus) in the following modern countries: Israel, Lebanon, Algeria, Southern Sudan, Afghanistan (Taliban), Philippines, Pakistan & Kashmir, Malaysia, Western China, Argentina, Chechnya, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia. In each of these countries, radical Moslems are showing their contempt (lack of tolerance) for those of other faiths (called Dhimmis). When is the world going to wake up and behold, what is going on? Radical Islam has the worst record of any religion when it comes to basic human rights of minorities (including religious freedom).

What can people do about this deplorable situation? Behold! There are blessings and curses – blessings for being obedient to the word of God and curses (I like to call them consequences) for ignoring and blatantly opposing the word of God (see Genesis 12:3).

This is all about choices and consequences! Pro-Israel Christians (and others) need to make their voices heard on Capitol Hill and within the media. Write letters to the editors of newspapers when you see their anti-Israel bias in the papers. Start to watch only balanced news reports. Get on e-mail distribution lists for alternate news sources about what is really happening in Israel (I can send them to you).

And, go on tours to Israel – it’s relatively safe to be with a private tour group, on private buses and going to private tourist sites within Israel. I will be going in May of 2002 as a Special Educator for ITTC, focused on the Jewish Roots of Christianity, Jewish-Christian Relations, Interfaith Dialogue and Prophecy fulfillment in the Holy Land today. Consider joining us, or one of the many other “Solidarity Tours” to Israel that are being planned for this year. Israel needs your love and active support at this critical time.

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Editor’s note: Yaffah daCosta recently did a special broadcast on the Middle East Crisis for the Marlin Maddoux program on Wednesday, August 15, that featured Murray Kahl (representing Lebanese Foundation for Peace), Yeydidya Atlas (Arutz Sheva Radio – Israel), Col. Moshe Leshem (retired, Israel Defense Forces) and Elyakim HaEtzni (who is a former Knesset member and now of Kiryat Arba Settlement). This very informative two-hour broadcast – which includes insights into global jihad – is now available on the Point of View website in their archives.