Terrorism Has Taken a New Twist
Until recent years, every organization, group, or institute in Israel, along with geographic regions where there was a concentration of people, planned their defense according to the well known ways of terror attacks, such as the planting of bombs or shootings. A terrorist was, in our eyes, a person who would place a bomb in a public place or shoot into a crowd and then run to save his own life. According to this method, a suspect was investigated according to the tools in his possession.
In the last few years, the methods of defense have been advanced because a new doctrine of terrorism has come on the scene—not just “suspicious objects” or shooting and then running away!
We have become witness to living bombs—terrorists who cover their bodies with explosives, go to the right places at the planned times, and then blow themselves up, taking everybody around them with them.
Two hundred forty-one American Marines lost their lives through the act of one lone terrorist in Lebanon when he drove a truck loaded with tons of explosives to the American base. The guard who saw the terrorist seconds before the explosion later testified that the terrorist was very self-confident and even smiled, although he knew he was going to die. The guard could not imagine that he would blow himself up with the truck. He was wrong, and many after him did not realize the danger of this new (but old) kind of terrorism.
A few months ago an innocent looking bicycle rider approached an Israeli control point at a junction and blew himself up next to the soldiers on duty, killing them along with himself.
While writing these lines, we hear on the radio that a man with a donkey-pulled carriage blew himself up while an army jeep was passing him. Thank God, the jeep passed too fast for its occupants to be injured. Sorry to say, we could fill pages with examples of successful attempts.
How can we beware of this kind of terrorism? Must we strip naked every suspicious looking person on the street? Should we keep apart the nations that are in dispute?
We will let the experts handle the logistics of self-defense and try to provide information about questions that are no less interesting.
Why do terrorist organizations use this kind of method and what are they trying to achieve?
The Hamas and Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations like them, use this method because it is effective. They need successful results to show to their sponsors (Iran) to receive immediate and more funds.
Because of the sensitivity of the world leaders to terror, they get immediate attention from Western countries as well. That means searching for a solution to their problems to keep everything quiet.
Who are these suicide bombers?
According to what we know so far, they are mostly from a socially weak and uneducated strata. They are zealous Muslim fanatics who have been religiously brainwashed.
The two main points are:
- A low social status—poverty.
- Religious zealousness—religious brainwashing.
It turns out that the terrorist organizations know very well the potential for their own needs of the people to be “programmed.”
Hamas and Hezbollah are examples of terror organizations who work among the socially weak and uneducated population.
While Hezbollah is putting its efforts in the Lebanese refugee camps, Hamas is devoting its full power on the West Bank refugee camps, where unemployment rates reach up to 40% and most of the citizens have little or no education.
Hamas took it upon themselves to foster the weak strata with a lot of money coming from Iran and other Arab countries. They offer a full educational program, “from kindergarten to the grave,” and even offer their members financial support to buy food and other necessities. This help from Hamas is being provided by religiously important figures in the mosques.
Thus, if you want your child to receive a decent education and also have some money and be able to make a living, everything will be “granted” if you return to Islam and do what you are told to do by your “Imam” (religious leader in the local mosque), who himself is tied closely to Hamas.
Since Hamas is a religiously fanatic group that does not stop at any means to convert the whole world to Islam, we should be aware of the great potential of these terrorists. The education the children receive teaches them to carry out all the destructive and dangerous ideas of their spiritual leaders.
Hamas sees in Israel and its Jewish population a bone stuck in its throat, one that needs to be removed as soon as possible.
It is written in the Koran that every piece of ground that the foot of a Muslim has stepped on belongs to Islam and is therefore holy and must be “redeemed.” From the viewpoint of Hamas, the land of Israel belongs to the Muslims, and they are ordered to redeem it from the hand of any other religion.
Most Muslims today will tell you that they believe in coexistence with all the other religions of the world. But talk is one thing, and religious doctrines are another.
In the long run, Islam does not believe in religious coexistence. Also, Islam is a very missionary-minded religion. It sees other religions as inferior and orders its followers to fight and destroy, in a holy war, any follower of another religion if he or she refuses to become a Muslim after a prescribed period of time.
Although there are many kind, gentle Muslims, Hamas is taking Islam very seriously and lives according to what is written in the Koran.
Hamas and Hezbollah are considered the “original” Islam. These organizations are brainwashing the youngsters over whom they have educational authority. The religious preachers/teachers tell the young suiciders that death in the service of Islam will ensure them an immediate place of honor in heaven.
I remember a story I heard about the war between Iran and Iraq. Iran gave several children each a key to heaven to place in their pockets and then sent them out to clear a minefield. The key was to assure them that they would be able to open the door to paradise after accomplishing their holy task.
According to Hamas, children who are educated in the bosom of Islam learn that Allah will be very satisfied with them and will receive into his arms the suiciders who help to remove the Zionist enemy from their holy land (Israel).
Each potential suicider is told that his terrorist action is holy work for Allah; therefore, only a few are elected to carry out the job, and the prize is immediate and high. Several months ago, a 15 year-old boy was caught before he could execute his suicide action. He was told by his Hamas teachers that immediately following his suicide action and the successful killing of Jews, he would rise into paradise and receive the eternal “pampering” of at least 70 beautiful naked girls. Obviously, the religious leaders of Hamas know how to satisfy the fantasies of their followers.
Conversely, however, not one of the religious leaders of Hamas has ever taken it upon himself to execute a holy command such as they impose on their followers. They are smart people and would not do things such as that!
The Israeli police and army are aware of the origin of these attacks. Therefore, work or entry permits are not issued to young men from Gaza who are under 28 years of age and are not married. The chances of a married suicider are slimmer.
Another aspect is the family of the suicider. What do the parents of these youngsters think? Do they agree with their children’s decisions?
As far as I know, no one has interviewed parents before their sons carry out such actions. All the interviews are conducted after the bombings, when the parents have been confronted with the unchangeable fact that their son was a living bomb in the service of Allah.
The weeping of all mothers and fathers is the same, but under these sensitive circumstances they usually justify their son’s action.
Immediately following the action, the religious leaders of Hamas reward the suicider with the title “shaheed”—a saint. Through that title, everyone will know that their man is now happy in paradise with Allah. In a few cases, the families have tried to kill their sons’ religious teachers, but such cases are very rare.
It is important to note that not every Muslim is a terrorist or a suicider. Most Muslims living in Israel do not identify with the militants of Hamas and see them as fanatics who could bring disaster and destruction to all the population.
Also, Muslims, like the rest of the people on this earth, want to see their children and grandchildren grow up into productive adults.
Although they want to have their own state in or beside the State of Israel, most Muslims in Israel do not agree with this kind of terrorism. But although the majority of Muslims object to the militant Hamas, that organization is in firm control of the education of a very high percentage of the Muslim children in Gaza.
Right now, we are not afraid that Hamas will take over the government in Gaza and Jericho, but the danger of their doing so down the road is very real, since the children of today will be the voters of tomorrow!
If Hamas becomes stronger and takes over the government, we know how they will act toward the nation of Israel. Just look at Iran, and you will get the picture.
As a citizen of the State of Israel, I must trust in those responsible for the security of the state and pray that they are doing their job wisely and efficiently.
The best way to prevent suicide terrorism would be to keep the two parties apart, but from our experience we know that would be impossible. The life of the Gaza residents is still very much dependent on an open fence to Israel. Because poverty is a very fertile ground for Hamas, the Israeli government is doing everything possible to improve the economic situation of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza.
Also, along with the economic aid, the Israel Defense Force is doing its best to spot centers of education for terror and crime.
As for my family and myself, there is no way we could spot a suicider. All we can do is pray and trust in God, that He will keep us from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
So far, He has kept us safe!
