June 7, 2002

Mr. President, Help Israel Save The World

President Bush, why have you, more than any of your predecessors, demonstrated unwavering support for Israel?

We often create apocryphal stories to explain why prominent non-Jews would support Israel, but in this case, we would be ignoring two strongly mitigating reasons behind President Bush's support. They are the Christian Religious Right and Saddam Hussein.

Approximately seventy million Evangelical Christians of various denominations live in the United States. Their eschatology is highlighted by the "second coming" of their messiah at a time when all Jews will reside in a Jewish state upon the land of Israel. Jews, they believe, will either accept the Christian savior or perish. This is to happen during the millennium period, which continues beyond the year 2000. Evangelicals see the emergence of the state of Israel in 1948 and the subsequent military victories against Arab aggressors as the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.

The Religious Right is solidly Republican and the only absolute constituency the President has. The President will not offend his constituency. But there are two schools of thought in the White House. The State Department, led by its Secretary Colin Powell, insists that Israel and the United States negotiate with Arafat who, it claims, is the legitimate leader of the Palestinians, while Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and Vice President Cheney want an end to the Arab dictator, and for good reason.

The Iraqi despot will soon have nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Once in possession of them, Saddam could dictate the economic destiny of all Western countries. Cheney's mission to the Middle East over a month ago was either to neutralize or win over the Arab countries in the region in support of America's planned war against Iraq. Fear of the rising anger among the popular masses in each of their countries caused the Arab leaders to deny Cheney his requests. To the Arab masses, Palestinian  homicide bombers are martyrs, and the Arab media, evoking passionate anger against the infidel nations, acclaims each martyr's murderous acts.

Make no mistake, Arafat's "martyrs" are the victims of his betrayal of his people and their cause. He sends teenagers and young men and women to die at the behest of his closest friend and colleague Saddam Hussein. Arafat, and absolutely no one else, sends suicidal murderers to kill Jews, knowing that Israel will retaliate and that a vast number of Arabs in the street will react, preventing any of the Arab leaders from supporting the United States in its war to destroy the Iraqi president.

President Bush knows this and so does the Secretary of State, but General Powell insists on Arafat as the principal Arab player. The State Department has long been a captive of Saudi Arabia. Foggy Bottom cares little for Democrats or Republicans. It has always arrogantly assumed supreme rule over American foreign policy, presumably protecting America's great thirst for oil.

But synthetic fuels, such as solar and wind energy, and other new substitutes for oil, will soon make Arab power obsolete. The President's recent surrender to the reality of global warming, a potential calamity caused by extracting and burning fossil fuels, should be a red flag to all oil producers that their days are numbered.

Our friends on the Religious Right have demanded that the President forego the support of our so-called Arab friends and cast Arafat, Saddam's buddy, into oblivion . I applaud this. The friend of our enemy who places his sons and daughters on the phony altar of martyrdom cannot be a partner for peace nor a leader of a future government.

Arafat's supporters, wake up! This old weasel betrays his people, Israel's peace advocates, and the whole of humankind. What can Saddam do for Arafat that no one else can? Bribe him with false promises of world domination or a shared partnership in the maniacal killing of Jews, Christians, and free people everywhere. President Bush and his supporters know that Israel, in defending the lives of its people, is now the only separation between the Saddam-Arafat axis.

Mr. President, help Israel save the world.

Shabbat Shalom