We should blame the jihadists, not Israel

THE carnage in New York, Washington, London, Istanbul, Bali, Beslan, Buenos Aires, Jerba, Jakarta, Jerusalem, Madrid, Mombassa, Moscow, Mumbai, Yemen, Dafur, Nigeria, Kashmir, Zhengzhou, was not carried out by Israel.

Apart from the blindingly obvious fact that Israel is a frontline target of terrorism by those who wish its annihilation, there is another blindingly obvious fact: Those very same terrorist groups, such as Hamas, Hizbollah to name but two, share in common a larger hatred — of the United States, the United Kingdom and her Western allies, irrespective of who sits in the Oval Office or 10 Downing Street.

You don’t have to take my word for it. The terrorists shout it from the rooftops. They proclaim it in their charters and covenants.

Their spokesmen trumpet it on videos and websites. And, of course, they act on their beliefs.

If Israel weren’t around, would 9/11 not have happened? Or the London bus bombings? Or the Madrid train bombings? Or the Bali massacre? Or the attacks in Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey? Or the Fort Hood shooting spree?

Or the daily strikes on civilians in Pakistan? Or the al-Qaida presence in Yemen? Or the training camps in Somalia? Or the Taliban campaign to snuff out any glimmer of freedom for women? Or the attempt to kill a Danish cartoonist? Or Abdulmuttalab’s plan to blow up Flight 253?

It’s high time to grasp the essential fact that there exists a jihadist ideology driven by zealous belief, not downtrodden misery, which has us in its cross-hairs — in the air, on land, and on the high seas.

Rather than pretending it doesn’t exist or blaming everyone but those responsible, let’s get real and focus on those who wish us harm — not those, like Israel, who stand with us.

Steve Mann

Swinton Crescent

Lancashire

England