Israel encouraging terrorism
Clayton Swope
junior
This letter is written in response to Luke Burke's April 11 letter.
Ariel Sharon and his government have systematically undermined the authority of Yasser Arafat through military strikes and incursions into the territories to the point where his grip over Palestinian affairs virtually no longer exists. Sharon has all but eliminated that ability of the only Palestinian leader who has ever voiced any desire for a lasting peace with Israel to govern his own people and in the process set the stage for the ascension of militant organizations such as Hamas to fill the power vacuum as the new representatives and voice of the Palestinian people.
Sharon has ordered attacks on the entire security and governing institutions that maintain what little stability existed in the region and destroyed Arafat's ability to comply with any Israeli demands to reign in terror. The Palestinian territories have become fertile grounds for the development and growth of true terrorist organizations. These organizations do not even pretend to negotiate. These organizations will never understand peaceful coexistence, but simply bloodshed and bombs. With their leader Arafat recently blockaded in his Ramallah office and under constant siege by the Israeli military, the Palestinians will soon begin accepting resumes in their search for new leaders. These organizations are the prospective candidates.
While Sharon is busy dealing with Arafat and the power structures of his government, the dozen main terrorists groups that operate inside of Israel who have taken a back seat in the past decade to the peace process find their popularity rising. They have the opportunity to increase their legitimacy in the eyes of the entire Palestinian people. Sharon can keep pressuring Arafat to crack down on terrorism, but if Arafat needs to ask the Israelis' permission to leave his own house to go down the street and buy a newspaper, his words cannot be expected to have any major effect. With Arafat out of the way, the Palestinians will turn to these true terrorist groups for guidance and leadership. The violence will continue and only exponentially increase in scope and magnitude.
Clayton Swope
junior
Sorin Hall
April 11, 2002
All Viewpoint Stories for Friday, April 12, 2002
