ISLAMABAD -- When terrorists struck the United States last September, many people were keen to downplay suggestions that the attack on the World Trade center had grown out of the anger generated by Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.
Although nothing can justify the loss of life suffered Sept. 11, it should not be overlooked that as the Palestinians braved Israeli aggression over the years Afghanistan played an increasingly significant role as a haven for Islamic militant groups devoted to recruiting and training young volunteers in the name of "jihad" (holy war). It is, therefore, vital that the cross-border violence between Israelis and Palestinians -- which now threatens to fuel bloodshed on an unprecedented scale -- not be ignored.
Acknowledgment of a link between the Palestinians' plight and Mideast militancy is imperative as security conditions across Israel and the nominally autonomous Palestinian territories continue to deteriorate and as a solution capable of bringing enduring peace remains elusive. In fact, the entry of Israeli armed forces into Palestinian-administered territory and the subsequent siege of the offices of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat promises only further violence.