Where I stand—Mike O’Callaghan: All-out war or peace

Friday, April 27, 2001 | 4:15 a.m.

Mike O'Callaghan is the Las Vegas Sun executive editor.

I WAS IN ISRAEL when the intifada started and bus bombings and armed attacks against the Jews became the news of the day. The Palestinians, represented by the PLO, wanted to control the West Bank of the Jordan River.

I was in Israel when Saddam Hussein's scuds came into Israel's cities and Palestinians stood on West Bank houses and cheered as they went overhead on the way to homes and schools. Israel, at the request of Gen. Colin Powell and President George Bush, absorbed the blows and didn't strike back.

I was at Metulla and along the border of Lebanon the week 150 Katyusha rockets were fired by the Hezbollah into farms, towns and bus depots. The death of a little girl hit by a rocket when running out to greet her father coming from work was chilling.

During one trip I wrote, "Heavy snows have covered some of the damage done by 122mm and 240mm Soviet designed rockets. However, the water from melting snow pours through the hole a rocket made in the Kiryat Shmona bus depot. It hit the concrete roof at high noon as people lined up for their tickets and rides. The explosion wounded 15 people with flying concrete and debris. Despite the interruption, the efficient Israeli bus system was soon back on schedule.

"The rocket attacks usually came at night. 'They came three times a night with five to nine rockets in a salvo,' the city clerk told me. The people of Kiryat Shmona, a city of 20,000 people including 3,000 refugees from Russia and Ethiopia, didn't leave town."

I was in Israel to hear presidential candidate Ehud Barak promise to remove the Israeli troops from the safety zone of Lebanon and bring them home as the Hezbollah guerrillas were demanding. He was elected and removed the troops only to have the terrorists follow them to and across the border of Israel to continue killing Israelis.

Barak still went ahead and turned more of the West Bank and Gaza over to the Palestinian Authority led by Yasser Arafat. In reality all he received from them in return was more rocks, bullets, rockets and deadly bombings in his major cities. Israel had armed the PA policemen and now had these weapons turned on their own soldiers, civilians and schoolchildren. Hamas and Arafat's own Fatah units have been among some of the most bloody killers. Years of hate and weapons instruction for Palestinian youth brought even more conflicts into the streets. The killers are now in charge, and they have used the land returned to them as fire bases for their mortars and training of guerrillas.

Mortars and rocket launchers can be moved from position to position rapidly. Returning fire wasn't getting the job done so the armed forces of Israel moved into Gaza to destroy several fire bases. Arafat, who has encouraged these aggressive actions of his police (army) and the Hamas, called the move by Israel "unforgivable." The United States joined in this condemnation with Secretary of State Colin Powell blurting out that the reactions of Israel was "excessive and disproportionate."

I'm sure that in Vietnam, Platoon Leader Colin Powell would have returned even heavier fire to defend his men and their positions. Of course, it's a different story when you are making policy during Cherry Blossom time in Washington and the mortars and rockets are killing soldiers and civilians of another nation seven time zones away.

Arik Sharon has replaced Barak because the people of Israel were tired of their schoolchildren and others being the victims of terrorists. Giving up land and helping the PA develop a police force has only resulted in even more bloody terrorism that can only be answered by trained military people.

So what's going to be the result? Although I have hoped for peace among all of my Arab and Jewish friends, the prospects have dimmed over the years. What we have learned is that Arafat and his followers have been successful acting as guerrillas and bombers, but they have failed to learn how to develop and run a democratic style of government. Financial corruption and abuse of power has been the PA legacy, which is covered up by blaming the Israelis for their problems.

It's time for the United States and the United Nations to admit the truth and tell the PA to get its act together and act like a civilized government. Chastising Israel for defending its people just won't get the job done, nor will it result in peace. Unless things simmer down, don't be surprised if an all-out war including Syria takes place.