But here’s the most telling statistic to emerge from the Post’s poll: a full 77 percent of the American people would support a military response even if innocent civilians from foreign nations might be killed in the process. It appears most Americans have decided that the Israeli approach to terrorism is actually pretty reasonable. When combating soulless, vicious acts of barbarism, we must not let our high standards of morality impede the path to justice, deterrence and closure. If distant governments continue to harbor and indirectly support these terrorists, then we must resort to swift and extreme military actions in order to ensure proper punishment. We owe this to the victims, their families and our nation as a whole.
We are now at war, whether or not it is formally declared. We have been complacent for too long, standing idly on the sidelines while Israel was devastated by attack after attack on pizza parlors, discotheques and town stores. Now that our own national interests have been directly assailed, we realize that weeding out and eliminating terrorists is a matter of the highest importance on our security agenda. Earlier this summer Secretary of State Colin L. Powell censured the Israeli helicopter attack on the two Hamas leaders; rest assured that we would never, ever adopt this attitude in the future.
Indeed, had we made a preemptive strike and executed the terrorists before they boarded planes in Boston, Washington and Newark, thousands of innocent Americans would still be alive. Thousands of children would still have fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. As National Review’s Jonah Goldberg points out, “Who would argue that assassinating these hijackers in advance wouldn’t have been preferable to what happened Tuesday?”
Israel’s approach to terrorism is certainly stern and unyielding, but isn’t this the appropriate response to barbarous, senseless acts of mass destruction? The Israelis are pragmatic above all else; constant threats to its national sovereignty have given Israel a clear, unambiguous need to eliminate all those who would do harm against its citizens.
Many Americans have long supported Israel’s response to terrorism from a totally detached perspective. We are no longer removed from the terror. It has invaded our shores and wreaked havoc on our way of life. Now is the time for us to adopt the methods of our ally and stamp out terrorists in a merciless fashion. I think Sen. John S. McCain (R-Ariz.) said it best: “Americans know now that we are at war, and will make the sacrifices and show the resolve necessary to prevail. I say to our enemies, we are coming. God may show you mercy. We will not.”
Duncan M. Currie ’04 is a history concentrator in Leverett House.