For years, the US has been explaining that the threat posed by Islamofascist terror was not limited to al-Qaeda or the Taliban, nor bounded by Afghanistan's borders. Our enemy has broad support, fights on many fronts, and has a pan-Islamic goal of eliminating Western civilization and its influence, starting in Southwest Asia but certainly not stopping there. And, we have insisted, one of the main fronts of this new world war has been Israel.

This last lesson has taken the longest to sink in, given the Left's infatuation with the Palestinian cause. They march and holler on behalf of the Palestinians who suffer under occupation, without ever explaining the context of two major wars being launched against Israel through their territory preceding that occupation. And the Left continues to laud Yasser Arafat as a statesman, despite his long track record of terrorism, including the murder of Israeli athletes in Munich at the 1972 Olympics, his direct involvement in the murder of an American ambassador, and his ongoing war against Israelis through bombing civilian targets like pizzerias and cafes.

Even worse, the Europeans shared this dichotomy on terrorism, compartmentalizing al-Qaeda while lauding Arafat. Now, however, it appears that Russia may have had the scales fall from its eyes. The AP reports that Russia appears ready to officially ally with Israel in fighting terror:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that Israel's renewed offer to share its experience of combatting militant groups, in the wake of the Russian school massacre, would give a boost to the fight against global terror.

Speaking to Israeli opposition leader Shimon Peres at the start of a whirlwind day of meetings with officials in Jerusalem, Lavrov said terrorism is one of the biggest challenges facing the international community.

"We appreciate the very strong readiness of the Israeli people to help Russia at this hour and this will certainly strengthen the counterterrorist coalition these days," he said.

Without recognizing that these terror groups operate under a common vision, if not with explicit connections and coordination, it will be impossible to contain and destroy Islamofascist terrorists. One cannot excuse fanatic murderers in one area while trying to exterminate them in another. Hamas, Hezb' Allah, Islamic Jihad, and al-Qaeda all come from the same hatred of freedom and secular government, and Arafat provides the example and political cover they need to survive.

Russia has just received a brutal reminder that Islamofascists have declared a world war against the West, and their rational reaction should serve as a reminder to the rest of the world. We cannot avoid this fight, nor can we afford to make distinctions between different strips of homicidal maniacs.

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» Ask and You Shall Receive from Sha Ka Ree
Jeff has an item from last night where he ponders the Russians joining the War on Islamic Terrorism: Caerdroia: Backgrounders on the Caucasus Situation There's one other option, though, which would play to Russia's strengths and weaknesses, and would s... [Read More]

Tracked on September 6, 2004 12:23 PM