TEL AVIV -- If we understand the difference between state terrorism and individual terrorist acts, we'll understand the evilness of U.S. policies in the Middle East and the forthcoming disasters.
When Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was put under siege in his offices and kept hostage by the Israeli occupation forces, he was constantly pressed into condemning terror and combating terrorism. Israel's state terrorism is defined by U.S. officials as "self-defense," while individual suicide bombers are called terrorists.
The only difference is that Israeli aggression is the direct responsibility of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, while the individual terrorist acts are done by individuals in despair, usually against Arafat's will. One hour after Arafat declared his support of a ceasefire and wished the Jews a happy Passover, a suicide bomber blew himself up in an hotel in Netanya, killing 22 innocent Jews. Arafat was held responsible for this act, and the current Israeli offensive has been justified through this accusation.