Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Some things never change

Friday, Jan. 18, 2002 | 9:47 a.m.

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

THE KARINE A. was intercepted in the Red Sea by Israeli commandos early this month. It was loaded with tons of mortar rounds, antitank missiles, C-4 explosives and Katyusha rockets. All of these items were packaged to be dropped in the water and then be retrieved by Palestinian terrorists.

No matter how many statements by Yasser Arafat and his Palestinian Authority officials that they knew nothing about the ship, few people were foolish enough to believe them. The PA had bought the ship, and its captain, Omar Ahawi, is a colonel in the Palestinian Naval Police. He admitted he was carrying out the orders of the PA. The more Arafat and his followers denied they were buying offensive weapons to attack Israel, the deeper they got into trouble. Even Palestinian supporters had to admit that Arafat had again been caught in one of his many lies.

Immediately, before Ahawi talked about the PA role in the shipment, rumors were floated that the weapons were probably on the way to the Hezbollah in Lebanon. In short order that nonsense was shot down because the source of the weapons, Iran, has been flying rockets and explosives to the Hezbollah. On a regular schedule, 747 airplanes have flown Katyusha rockets from Iran into Syria where they are unloaded and transported by land to the Hezbollah in Lebanon. From there they rain down on Israeli settlements causing death and destruction. There has never been a need for ship transportation of offensive weapons to the Hezbollah.

Just another Arafat lie that has fallen on its face. So why do American diplomats keep dealing with a leader they know would rather lie than tell the truth? Very simply, they want to believe him in hopes that he can be an aid in bringing peace to the Middle East. They have participated in playing Arafat's game for at least 14 years. The time has arrived for us to tell him enough is enough and we no longer will deal with him.

What we have been doing with Arafat we are also now doing with Iran. Leaks from the U.S. State Department encourage the publication of stories about the growth of moderation in that country's politics. Our leaders are now dreaming about Iran helping us in our battle against international terrorism. Also, both our State and Justice Departments are blocking the Americans taken hostage at our embassy in Tehran in 1979 from suing Iran.

Former President Richard M. Nixon in his last of several interesting books, "Beyond Peace," called Iran "the major sponsor of terrorism in the Middle East." He recommended that "our strategy toward Iran should be to contain its influence inside and outside the Persian Gulf." He saw Iran as having "turned state-sponsored terrorism into a science."

Our diplomats now want us to believe that Iran is becoming more moderate and possibly will help us fight terrorism. They want to believe they can change Iran like they hoped, and failed, to change Arafat. It was less than five years ago that Arafat fingered Iran for ordering the most bloody acts against Israel. Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, at that time, told reporters, "We don't hide Iranian support. There is no need to deny that we receive financial and political support from Iran."

The Israeli boarding of the Karine A. tells the world that neither Arafat nor Iran has changed. They are both liars and killers and only fools will believe otherwise. Cutting the rattles off of snakes may stop the noise but they remain deadly killers. So do Arafat and Iran.