Middle East Terrorism
The world watched in horror as the pro-Iranian “Party of God” murdered Lt. Col. William Higgins, who worked for the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon. This vicious faction has a long history of similar behavior; it has been involved in assassinations, destruction of airliners in flight and the seizure and killing of other hostages. It also claimed “credit” for truck bombings that killed our Marines in Beirut in 1983 and 1984.
Some observers--quite erroneously--have drawn an equivalence between the Israeli capture of Sheik Obeid and the seizure of Lt. Col. Higgins. Obeid was not a peacekeeper: He commanded assassination brigades. And according to international law, such criminals may be seized wherever they are found, even on foreign soil. Israel has the same right to act against those who attack its citizens and territory as the U.S. had when it bombed Libya in response to terrorist attacks against our servicemen in Berlin and when it seized drug lords in other countries.
Hindsight may make us wish for a different outcome from the seizure of Obeid; but we must be careful not to confuse the victims of terrorism with those who plan and carry it out.
RICHARD A. WESTON
President
American Jewish Committee
Los Angeles Chapter
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