I've written before (and no doubt will again) of the ongoing clash, not of civilizations, but of civilization vs. barbarity. This is the great conflict of our time, on par with the Great War and World War 2, and unlike those wars, this is mostly not a war of great armies maneuvering and clashing on the field of battle. This is a war that is being fought in neighborhoods and cities, waged against innocents; the October 7th attacks on Israel were only the latest (albeit one of the worst) of such cowardly soft-target attacks.
The terrorists refer, constantly and tiresomely, to the "intifada." This term was originally meant to describe a "Palestinian" revolt against Israel. It's come to mean much more than that; it is now generally taken to mean an Islamist revolt against civilization itself. An article published Tuesday at RealClearPolitics by one Daniel Flesch asks if the intifada is coming to America, and I think we must answer that question: "It's already here."
Intifada – or “uprising” – refers to two periods of sustained violent Palestinian revolt against Israel. The first intifada (1987-93) ended with the onset of the Oslo peace process, as Israelis believed Palestinian violence stemmed from their desire for independence.
The second intifada (2000-05) began with the failure of Oslo as Israelis learned that rather than seek their own state, the Palestinians sought to destroy the Jewish state. And they would seek to achieve this through any means necessary, including targeting civilians.
Prior to Oct. 7, the second intifada was the most traumatic period in Israeli history. In its first full year, Palestinian suicide bombers targeted buses, pizza shops, nightclubs, and other “soft” targets, killing over 100 civilians, including Americans.
Note that "any means necessary" means, from the evidence, not just targeting civilians. Let us be brutally specific here: "any means necessary," if we are to judge by the actions of the proponents of intifada on October 7th, 2023, means the mass slaughter of civilians. It means mass gang-rape of Israeli women. It means murdering parents in front of their children, children in front of their parents, and other crimes, far worse - there's no need to reiterate every detail. They are already burned into our collective conscience.
Daniel Flesch notes:
This is what those calling to “globalize the intifada” mean to import to American streets. Their goal is not to affect U.S. policy towards Israel or the Middle East but to destroy the United States through a political revolution that features a Palestinian-inspired strategy of indiscriminate attacks against civilians.
There's a problem. Mr. Flesch uses the future tense. The importation he speaks of has already happened. They are here, in amongst us, as we saw recently in New Orleans. Some have come in across President Biden's wide-open borders. Some came in on student or other visas. Some were even born here and radicalized later. But they are here, and we ignore that at our peril. As Mr. Flesch notes:
Consider recent events: On Oct. 9, the FBI arrested an Afghan national in Oklahoma City for plotting an ISIS-inspired mass casualty attack on election day. On Oct. 26, an illegal migrant shot a Jewish man in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Chicago who was walking to synagogue and then shouted “Allahu Akbar” just before exchanging gunfire with police. On Nov. 8, the FBI arrested a Houston man for providing material support to ISIS.
The New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans is only the most recent – and most successful – Islamic terrorist attack. And if the “globalize the intifada” crowd is allowed to persist, there will be more.
There will be more, yes. The question becomes, how to deal with the attackers before they can carry out their plans?
See Related: Hamas-Supporting, Antisemitic Columbia Students Are Publishing Hate
Police Find Weapons, Terrorist Materials When They Raid Home of Pro-Hamas Sisters Who Vandalized GMU
Our federal law enforcement apparatus seems far more inclined to arrest grandmothers praying in front of abortion clinics than to pursue terrorists, although there have been, we must admit, a few successes at staving off threats, like the Afghan national in Oklahoma City mentioned above. But our border crisis has poured gasoline on this fire; millions of young, military-aged men have poured into the country, and if one percent of them are openly hostile and planning attacks, that represents a force of thousands. We have little if any idea of where many of these young men are now or what they are doing.
To call this unacceptable is as great an understatement as to describe 9/11 as "some people did some things."
Some things need to be done and done immediately, if not sooner.
First: Close the borders. In any severe injury, the first step is to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, we have an incoming administration that seems determined to do this.
Second: Deport, deport, deport. Anyone in the country illegally from a nation on the terror watch list must be prioritized for deportation along with gang members and other criminals. These people must be on the first tier of the deportation plan.
Third: Personal preparation. The United States citizenry has one thing going for it that no other nation in the world has: The Second Amendment. If you are able and inclined, buy a good sidearm. Go through whatever process your jurisdiction requires to carry legally. Practice. Carry every day. It's hard for terrorists to hit soft targets if there are no soft targets.
This is the great conflict of our time. It's not going to be won easily or without cost. We, here in the developed world, did not choose this fight. But it's ours to fight, all the same, and the only way we will prevail is to awaken the sleeping giant once more.
