So let us see if we have this straight. Jibril Rajoub is the head of the PLO’s Gestapo and as the PLO’s Himmler he directs the PLO "security forces" and their daily attacks and atrocities.

Yesterday a team of PLO "police" is shooting at Israeli troops from either the same building and different apartment as that in which Rajoub and his family live, or from just next to the building. Rajoub, in charge of enforcing the Oslo Accords, obviously was completely unaware that rifle and rocket fire was being shot at Jews from just inches away from his living room. Israeli troops then shoot back at the "source of the fire" being directed at them and hit Rajoub’s own apartment.

Israel then "apologizes" to Rajoub for its troops having damaged his apartment. The US and others then bellow their daily complaints about Israel "using force out of all proportion" in responding to PLO atrocities.

Now I have been trying all day to imagine how Winston Churchill would have reacted had British planes or tanks "accidentally" fired into the home of Heinrich Himmler, and I have been having trouble hypothesizing about any apology he would have offered. In fact, I suspect that had Himmler only been wounded and not killed, Churchill would have apologized to the BRITISH public. And I also suspect that any Churchillian talk about the "source of the fire of rockets at London in the blitz" would have been referring to Hitler himself and the highest Nazi officials, and not low-rank Wehrmacht troops.

But of course Israel is a more modern and progressive country than Churchill’s Britain. It features Yossi Beilin and Yossi Sarid on radio and TV, explaining how any military response by Israel to PLO violence is foolish. Incredible as it sounds, the same two Yossis who have been consistently wrong about each and every prediction and each and every policy proposal over the past 8 years with not a single exception are STILL assuring everyone - without a hint of blushing - that they have been right all along. That the PLO will still fight terror and protect Israeli security, just you wait and see. Israel just has to remove all those settlements.

And the foolishness of Israel having agreed to allow in the Reichstag Fire Investigation Commission (Mitchell Commission) is now becoming clear to all. The commission essentially calls for Israel to freeze and remove "settlements" in exchange for the PLO ending violence. What is wrong with this idea?

1. For the 15th time it involves Israel paying the PLO in a deal to stop violence, yet in each of the previous 14 times it paid to stop the violence and got nothing and the violence continued. It means Israel must abandon its claim that the PLO is in violation of previous accords and concede that all previous concessions by Israel need not be regarded as having been made in exchange for PLO compliance and ending violence. It creates a false moral and political equation equating settlements with PLO atrocities.

2. If Israel were to be foolish enough to agree to it, the PLO would still continue violence and atrocities and the US would pretend it is all coming from Hamas terrorists Arafat cannot control.

3. It would imply Israel stops shooting PLO officials at the same time the PLO continues to murder Jews.

4. It would mean Israel was implicitly abiding by the offer by Barak to grant the PLO the entire West Bank and Gaza and statehood, regardless of the past 8 months of PLO behavior. In short, it rewards PLO terror and violence.

Meanwhile, back to Rajoub, since he is in the news we thought we’d repost this:

Mister Rajoub’s Neighborhood

One of the first decisions of the Palestinian Authority was to open its own television broadcasting station. It has now announced that a new educational program will be shown on Palestinian television to celebrate the new era of peace that has broken out since the signing of the Oslo Accords.

The new program will be based on the world-famous children’s program Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. It will star the head of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces, Mr. Jibril Rajoub, and will be called Mister Rajoub’s Neighborhood.

In the pilot show, in walks Mister Rajoub, singing:

"It’s a wonderful day in this neighborhood,
A wonderful day for a neighbor,
Won’t you be mine, won’t you be mine."

Mister Rajoub then hangs up his sweater and puts on his slippers.

There is a knock at the door and in comes Mister Postman. Mister Rajoub strikes up a conversation with Mister Postman, and asks him to show the children watching how to make letter bombs to mail to the neighbors across the Green Line and to Palestinian "collaborators". After Mister Postman leaves, Handyman Haigerry comes by, always willing to explain how gadgets, gizmos and other things are made. Today Mister Rajoub asks Handyman to demonstrate how to construct a car bomb in which the neighbors can go to visit some of the other neighborhoods, like Ramat Gan. Handyman Haigerry makes an especially interesting presentation. "Thank you ever so much, Handyman," says Mister Rajoub when it is time for him to leave. "Oh, just call me The Engineer," replies Handyman.

But, hey, what time is it now, boys and girls? Yes, it is storybook puppet time! Mister Rajoub takes all the children in the neighborhood for a ride on Mister Trolley to go see Good King Friday, King of the State of Palestine, who got his name because of his sermons on peace in the mosques on Friday. Today Good King Friday will be explaining to the children of the neighborhood how to make Jihad. He is joined by his friend Lady Ebilene, who is sporting a new royal gown laced with TNT and detonators, just right for travelling to other neighborhoods on Egged buses.

Together Mister Rajoub, King Friday, and all their friends break out into song, "Oh you are special, yes so special, everyone is special, in their special way." Mister Rajoub plays the triangle in accompaniment. Alas, it is time to go and say goodbye to the neighborhood. But we can all come back and visit again with him tomorrow.

Copyright © 2001 by Steven Plaut.
All Rights Reserved.

-Published with permission