Guerillas in our midst

In Israel, the problem of stopping terrorists is difficult because there are
many Arabs in all parts of Israel, but most of them are Israeli Arabs and
they mainly are not the killers. The Palestinians from outside Israel are
the suicide bombers, brought up in an educational system (including UNWRA
schools) that glorify the "martyrs" and teach that Jews have "stolen their
land" and have no rights here. So the terrorist organizations have a ready
source of kids who are prepared to die for this honor and a few bucks. But,
its relatively easy to detect them as they try to infiltrate Israel.
In the US, the immigrants are from all over the Muslim world but are
relatively well off, much better so than in most of the Arab countries, they
are middle class and educated. If they are involved in terrorism it is
because of their ideology, a hatred of the West and a desire to see an
Islamic caliphate restored and powerful. If they are motivated by personal
considerations it is their resentment of the West's power and their own
drive for empowerment.
This is also true of the Muslims in the UK, however, there the Muslims are
mainly poor Pakistanis. They grow up with two resentments, one against the
UK as being anti-Muslim and the other that of the poor immigrant, who feels
excluded and cannot successfully break into British society. Perhaps the
British situation is the most problematical since the July 7 bombings were
carried out by four British-born Muslims. They could be anyone, good high
school students, good teachers, seemingly well behaved and law-abiding
citizens. How to find them and stop them? The lives of all those taking
the Underground in London can depend on that.
One clue is ideological affiliation, those who seem to be serious about
their Islam to the point of fanaticism (but they may hide it). This might be
detected in what Mosque they attend and which Imams they follow. Another is
whether or not they took a trip to Pakistan or another Islamic country where
the extremists live and where they can get a dose of indoctrination and
techniques. But, it is also possible for this to happen anywhere in the
world, for example there are Islamist cells in most European countries.
During WWII the British secret service did an amazing job, they detected all
Nazi agents and turned most of them, so that they were sending false
information to the Germans. This was crucial in such situations as reducing
damage to British factories that were being bombed by the Luftwaffe, and
duping the Germans to believe that Patton had an army in East Anglia that
was going to invade at Dunkirk. But, when dealing with a shadowy home-grown
cell-like enemy, who trusts noone, this is a more challenging situation.
You need fluent Arabic speakers, loyal but who can pass for Islamists
themselves to infiltrate them, as well as excellent listening devices. Of
course, this raises the question of how far can one go in a democracy to
invade an individual's rights. Both the UK and US (The Patriot Act) have
introduced new legislation to cover these contingencies.
We have only to look at what happened to Charles de Menezes at Stockwell
station where he was executed by the British secret service, to know that
serious mistakes can happen. What was most reprehensible in that case, was
that they had no positive evidence that he was involved in terrorism, they
failed to stop him entering the underground station (if he had explosives on
him) and they lied extensively about his actions when they spotted him (he
did not run, did not wear a large coat, did not act suspiciously, as they
reported). But, it's a judgment call, if he were indeed a terrorist with
explosives (although that seemed unlikely) and they confronted him, he might
have blown them and others up too.
Nevertheless, the British 4 in the UK and the Saudi 16 in the US (as well as
those in Madrid and elsewhere) went totally undetected while they planned,
organized, trained and carried out their nefarious acts. It could happen
anywhere at anytime. I heard that it just happened again in Bali, two bombs
in cafes.
Yesterday, Secty. of State Condoleeza Rice made an important statement at a
press conference clarifying US policy towards Hamas. There appeared to be a
contradiction in US policy, that whereas they are fighting the terrorists in
Iraq, they seemed to be supporting the right of Palestinian terrorist groups
such as Hamas to participate in PA elections. PM Sharon made it clear last
week that Hamas was not acceptable to Israel as a democratic participant.
Now Rice has said that "Hamas is a terrorist group and it must be disbanded
for peace and security in the Middle East and for the proper functioning of
the PA. After all it is a road map obligation of the PA to disband militias
and armed resistance groups....You cannot simultaneously keep an option on
politics and an option on violence....Hamas stands for a one-state solution
not a two-state solution, Hamas therefore stands for the destruction of
Israel...We do, I think, need to give the Palestinians some space to try and
reconcile their national politics, but they're going to eventually have to
disarm these groups - they can't have it both ways!" In response, PM
Sharon announced today that operation "first rain" was being halted for the
time being, but would resume if further rocket attacks occur on Israel.