The Horror Goes On

More than a score of worshipers, most of them elderly men, are slaughtered in an Istanbul synagogue. Aboard an airliner in Karachi frustrated and panicky gunmen open fire, killing at least 18 passengers and wounding 90. The world, at least those in it who refuse to find excuses for cold-blooded acts of terrorism, responds with horror, revulsion and outrage. Once again innocent civilians have been made casualties on an ever-shifting ideological battleground. Once again indiscriminate murder has been committed in an obscenely warped effort to advance a cause.

That cause can be readily inferred, but not precisely identified. There was a time when specific groups, most of them part of the Palestine Liberation Organization, were quick to claim responsibility for terrorist acts. In time the lesson sank in that such gloating inevitably invited retaliation, usually by Israeli air attacks that sometimes harmed the claimants and sometimes did not. Now, though, the PLO has fragmented into contending elements and new players from Iran and Lebanon have taken the terrorist stage. Now most terrorist acts are self-attributed by one group or another that had never been heard from before and is likely never to be heard from again.

These invented names may spread some confusion and provide a temporary cloak of safety. But most experts on terrorism continue to see close cooperation if not central direction in recent terrorist incidents. Some of these experts suspect that both the Istanbul and Karachi incidents were the work of Abu Nidal, who divides his time between Syria and Libya. But proving that will be hard.

The two Arabic-speaking gunmen who invaded the Istanbul synagogue can’t be questioned. Both died from explosions of their own hand grenades, either as suicides or because their weapons detonated prematurely. Their attack in any event once again exposes the lie that only Israel and Israelis, and not Jews in general, are the targets of Arab extremists. The four terrorists seized in Pakistan have also been identified as Arabs, but the Pakistanis have so far said nothing about their affiliations.

The Istanbul synagogue was an easy target because that city’s Jewish community, which has long felt secure and accepted, had never sought special police protection. The penetration by the terrorists of supposedly tight security at the Karachi airport and the apparent failure of Pakistani commandos to conduct timely rescue operations both remain to be explained. Meanwhile Israel promises retribution for the massacre of Jews in Istanbul, and Pakistan promises justice for the terrorists whom it holds. A response from Israel can be counted on, though whether it will be retribution is another matter. As for justice in Pakistan, which has been quick to reaffirm its sympathy and support for the Palestinian cause, that remains to be demonstrated.