Terrorism: a weapon

One year after the Israel-Hezbollah war people are still puzzled by the unexpected outcome.

How is it possible for Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to win against the Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian armies and not prevail against a paramilitary group armed with rockets and anti - tank missiles?

Simple. The Israeli-Hezbollah war wasn't a conventional war, but a terrorist one instead. So what makes terrorism successful?

It is rather obvious that neither Hamas nor Hezbollah can dream of defeating IDF on the battlefield. Therefore, their goal is not decisive military victory, but constant pressure via aggression and terror.

The pictures of Israelis leaving the North during the Israel-Hezbollah war proved that violence works. The evacuation of Sderot citizens, due to the rocket fire from the disengaged Gaza strip, further reinforced this conclusion.

If short conflicts make Israelis flee, what could a prolonged aggression achieve?

How much violence can Jews tolerate before they leave for America, Australia or Europe?

At the same time, Palestinians are kept in territories by force.

There are fatwas, religious rulings, which forbid them to leave Palestine or to renounce their right of return. Moreover, people who dare to sell their property in West Bank or Gaza to Jews are persecuted severely and often threatened with death.

The strategy is clear. Terrorists need both sides to be entangled in the vicious cycle of violence.

While Jews have plenty of opportunities to leave, Palestinians are forced to stay. Get the picture?

Terrorist attacks and the counter-response of IDF provide an additional advantage. Besides Israeli victims, whose goal is to bitter the lives of everyone brave enough to reside there, there are also Palestinian casualties. The latter are essential because they make terrorism successful.

The unfortunate deaths of these poor people justify the existence of the "resistance" and ensure that the flow of suicide-bombers and "resistance fighters" won't stop. What they also ensure is international support.

This misguided solidarity comes predominantly from radical-left circles. Terrorist allies in the West play a twofold role.

First, they put constant pressure on their governments to criticize Israel. Second, they make sure that there will not be a "disproportionate response."

What the Lebanese army did to Fatah-al-Islam should not happen to Islamic Jihad, Hamas or Hezbollah. Shelling for weeks in refugee camps packed with terrorists under an ultimatum to either surrender or perish is unthinkable.

Terrorism must continue. Resistance must not stop. As weird as it is, this logic is prevalent in some intellectual circles.

Without this unconditional support terrorism wouldn't be the threat it is. While Israel, America or any other country that deals with such barbarism applies the stick, some groups make sure to provide plenty of carrots.

Don't believe me? Open the newspaper, Ahmadinejad might be speaking at your university.