Memorial Day in Israel, April 14

April 14 was memorial day in Israel, when fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism are publicly remembered. I watched on Israeli TV this morning an interview with the father of Malki Roth who was murdered in 2001 in a pizzeria bombing. She was an American citizen. The U.S. has international agreements about extradition of terrorists who kill Americans, but had not lived up to the contract. 14 people died, including 6 children, and 120 were injured. Another American woman, a pregnant tourist, was also killed.

 
Malki's father Arnold set the wheels in motion to have Ahlam Ahmad Tamimi—the Hamas terrorist who orchestrated the bombing--extradited to stand trial in the U.S. Tamimi was arrested and tried in Israel for her crime, receiving 16 life sentences, but was freed to Jordan in 2011 in a prisoner exchange and she now lives free and is considered a national hero. Through Mr. Roth's efforts she is now on the FBI most wanted list, and he is appealing to Joe Biden to bring her to justice. Jordan's excuse is it never ratified the 1995 treaty on extradition.

Ahlam Ahmad al-Tamimi | Counter Extremism Project

Video appeal for Joe Biden: https://youtu.be/9GclFQ15fkQ

The Iraqi refugee problem

Did you see the recent PBS show on the crisis in Syria, Jordan (and even U.S.) for Iraqi refugees? We did a lousy job covering the borders in Iraq after the 2003 initial victory. We don't do borders, not even our own. Now the place is overrun. Iraqis interviewed for the show had been run out by various groups. Some had been Saddam supporters. Some had worked for American companies and became targets for terrorists. Some companies will relocate a former worker, but not his family. That makes no sense--makes more terrorists! Seems it has a long history, as this 1998 story reports.

Just as I think we have an obligation NOT to run out on the people we went in to save, so we have an obligation to the refugees the war has created. It will be up to McCain or Obama to lead the way, and it won't be cheap--which is why McCain's "as long as it takes," makes more sense than Obama's moving target pull-out date. Democrats and Republicans alikeshould have a stake in seeing that the elected Iraq government succeeds, but that will be extremely difficult for Democrats who don't want anything started by Bush to turn out well. The MoveOnOrgies who have gained so much power in the party, are not going to go away. The moderates in the party may just have to swallow their anger and pride and try to be the "liberals" they claim to be instead of marxists and anarchists, the direction they are being pushed.

The PBS show wasn't balanced, but that would be difficult. It's a painful issue. Bush, of course, will get more blame for the pitiful woman refugee whose husband desserted her and the children after she was raped by terrorists than will the misogynist, Muslim male-centered culture. Like assigning blame to Bush instead of Nagin for the Katrina blacks who can't get their public housing back. It's old news that Nagin was and is unprepared to be the mayor of a major city. People need to be resettled. Period.