Holy war, holy terror by Yonah Alexander Guest Column Jerusalem Post August 15, 2002 The history of mankind is filled with evidence that religions contain many elements of hatred and antagonism toward other religions. Consequently, fighting between enemy groups in the name of religion was not unnatural. Now a contemporary conventional wisdom is that the age of religious wars seems to be over. The argument is that the current trend is ecumenical, reflecting the minimization of religious confrontation and the maximization of theological fraternalism. Tragically, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains a major deviation from this apparent development. That is, "holy" terrorism in the name of "higher Islamic" imperatives is the leading spoiler of any political and diplomatic efforts to initiate a cease-fire to the continuing violence, let alone a Middle East peace. Consider the latest reports regarding Palestinian efforts by various factions to initiate a cease-fire to the almost two-year war against Israel. The expectation was that both secular (e.g., Fatah's Tanzim and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades) and religious movements (e.g., Hamas and Islamic Jihad) would declare a unified policy of ending suicide bombings and other attacks on civilians in Israel proper but continuing terrorist operations against Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza. This effort, as well as earlier reported initiatives aiming at a unified agreement for a unilateral declaration to stop terrorist activities under certain conditions, has generated a deep debate among the various Palestinian factions. Even the Fatah was apparently split as to whether to halt all attacks inside Israel. For example, Major-General Ahaton Zeevi, the IDF's intelligence chief, asserted that the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade supports continuing suicide bombings within the Green Line. What is of special concern is that the flurry of reports on the apparent movement toward a cease-fire to Palestinian terrorism is creating an illusion among the public and policy-makers in Israel, the US, and Europe that there is a "change of heart," particularly within the Palestinian religious groups. Unfortunately, nothing is farther from the truth. In the first place, some officials of the Islamic movements have already expressed their opposition to limiting suicide bombings in Israel. Ismail Abu Shanab, a Hamas leader, insisted on the right of Hamas to fight Israeli occupation, including in the areas within the 1948 boundaries. Similarly, Islamic Jihad's Mohammed Hindi promised to continue its policy of resistance by all means. It is critical to remember the nature of the ideological framework of these two terrorist groups. Hamas, led by its founder and spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, has five major objectives. First, a commitment to Islam as a way of life. Second, destruction of the "Zionist entity." According to the movement, the only solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict is a jihad against Israel. Third, creation of a Palestinian Arab state replacing Israel. Hamas contends that all of Israel is located on Islamic sacred land; any concessions that would leave part of the land in Israel's hands constitute treason to the Palestinian-Arab cause and signify religious heresy. Fourth, synthesis of Pan-Islamic religious ideals and Palestinian nationalism. And fifth, violent opposition to the Israeli- Palestinian peace process. The theological basis of the smaller group, Islamic Jihad, underscores similar fundamental objectives. First, the destruction of the State of Israel through violent means. Islamic Jihad rejects any peaceful settlement with Israel. Second, the overthrow of Arab governments that do not uphold Islamic law. And third, harsh criticism of the PLO because of its involvement in the peace process with Israel, which contradicts the continuation of the Palestinian uprising and its further escalation. In sum, what is the most disturbing and alarming, and unquestionably constitutes a major threat to peace in the Middle East, is the complete surrender of religion to the political needs of the Palestinians. That is, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have carefully, systematically, and continuously tailored their messages to specific audiences, at home and abroad, with a theological jargon that produces an extreme, self-righteous form of nationalism. Through the spoken and written word, including visual instruments, these groups drew upon those components of Islam that helped them to severely damage the credibility of Israel's case while fostering their own case on unassailable terms. The religious duty of jihad, which regards any deviation as a "shameful sin against religion" and a "renunciation of Islam," must be treated in relation to the Middle East conflict in the context of the considerable Palestinian "secular" pledge for Israel's annihilation. The identification of both religious and political obligations of Palestinian resistance to the Jewish state have had a profound influence on molding Islamic Israelphobia, particularly among the more observant Muslims. The vehement campaign of Hamas and Islamic Jihad incitement is generating more acts of terrorism, destroying regional peace efforts, and encouraging anti-Semitism throughout the world. The war against terrorism, led by the US, must therefore continue in the Middle East and elsewhere. ---------- The writer, a professor and the director of the Inter-University Center for Terrorism, both in Israel and the US, recently published the book Combating Terrorism: Strategies of Ten Countries.