When ethnic cleansing is OK

Joseph Farah writes:

What would you say if I told you the United States is backing a plan to uproot forcibly people from their homes because they are Muslim?

You would probably be incredulous.

You would probably be shocked.

You would probably be outraged.

"This is a violation of freedom of religion, freedom of conscience," you might say. "Why, this is ethnic cleansing. Didn't we bomb Serbia a few years ago on the basis of such an allegation?"

And you would be right.

Well, rest assured there is no plan backed by the United States to uproot forcibly peaceful Muslims from their homes anywhere in the world.

There is, however, a plan to do just that to several thousand peaceful Jews, many of whom have lived for a generation in thriving communities – showcases of prosperity and freedom for their neighbors.

This anti-Semitic ethnic cleansing plan is know as the "disengagement" plan in Gaza and parts of the West Bank.

There is only one reason these people are being displaced – because they are Jews in a land where Jews are not welcome.

President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon seem to think that uprooting these Jewish communities will placate and appease their extremist, anti-Semitic Arab neighbors. It won't.

Instead, they see it as one more capitulation in an ongoing struggle to chase out or kill all Jews and Christians in the Middle East. Far from scoring any points with the Islamic extremists and hyper-nationalist Arabs, they will be ensuring the escalation of a never-ending cycle of violence and terrorism.

Bush and Sharon believe this "disengagement," as they euphemistically call it, will lead to the establishment of an Arab Palestinian state that will live in peace and harmony with Israel. It's a pipedream.

When Israel withdrew voluntarily from southern Lebanon, the Hezbollah terrorists claimed a major moral victory, propelling them to still greater acts of terrorism against Northern Israel. Likewise, when the Jews are forced out of Gaza, Hamas will declare a military victory and escalate its terror attacks on Jews within the Jewish state.

In addition, how can Israel and the United States work on behalf of creating an Arab Palestinian state that does not accept the right of Jews to live peacefully within its borders?

This is one of the great untold stories of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians and their allies demand that all Jews get out of the country they are attempting to create. It's not surprising, since one of these allies is Saudi Arabia, where it is illegal for anyone other than a Sunni Muslim to practice their faith – even in the privacy of their own homes.

In any other part of the world, this kind of racist, anti-Semitic effort at ethnically cleansing a region would be roundly condemned by all civilized people. Yet, because most people simply don't understand the clear, official plan by Arab leaders to force out all Jews from the new Palestinian state as a stage in the war to eradicate Israel, the plan retains political support from most of the world – even the government of Israel.

Think about what I am saying: It is the official policy of the Palestinian Authority that all Jews must get off the land! Why is the United States supporting the creation of a new, racist, anti-Semitic hate state? Why is the civilized world viewing this as a prescription for peace in the region? Why is this considered an acceptable idea?

Is there any other place in the world where that kind of official policy of racism and ethnic cleansing is tolerated – even condoned?

Why are the rules different in the Middle East? Why are the rules different for Arabs? Why are the rules different for Muslims?