OPINION | Israel is flying high as it deepens ties with Argentina
By Armstrong Williams, opinion contributor - 08/23/17 11:40 AM EDT
© Getty Images
A
flight by Israel’s national air carrier El Al to Argentina next month
would be a historic first, if it were not for Nazi war criminal Adolf
Eichmann.
On May 20, 1960, nine days after Israeli Mossad agents
captured one of the Holocaust’s principal architects in Buenos Aires,
Eichmann was disguised in crew clothing, placed on an El Al jetliner,
and flown to Israel. The day before, an Israeli diplomatic delegation
led by Abba Eban had traveled to Argentina on the same airplane,
ostensibly to participate in the 150th anniversary of Argentine Independence.
After
arriving in Israel, and following a remarkable trial that captured
global attention, Eichmann was finally brought to justice, convicted of
war crimes and hanged by Israel for crimes against humanity. It's the
only time that the Jewish state has implemented the death penalty.
The
remarkable saga involving Israel and a Nazi living on the lam in
Argentina is now firmly in the past, as the national Israeli airline and
its Argentinian counterpart prepare to initiate flights between the two
countries. Netanyahu is expected to visit in September, which would be
the first trip to South America by a sitting Israeli prime minister. It
is a testament to how far Israeli-Argentinian relations have progressed,
and the latest evidence that Israeli diplomatic and commercial ties are
accelerating.
While bashing Israel remains a favorite pastime
at the United Nations, an increasing number of countries are finally
starting to appreciate the huge benefits they can enjoy from building
bridges with Jerusalem.
To be clear, there is still a very long
way to go before the world’s only Jewish state is afforded the same
dignity and respect as other, far less deserving countries. Even within
Argentina, which is poised to deepen its relationship with Israel, there
is painful history that must never be forgotten.
In March 1992, a
suicide bomber attacked the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, killing 29
people. Just two years later, in July 1994, Hezbollah terrorists
bombed the Jewish community center building, the Asociacion Mutual
Israelita Argentina (AMIA), taking the lives of 85 people. The images of
that attack are permanently seared into the psyches of Argentina’s Jews
as well as the global Jewish community.
Evidence points clearly
to the fact that leading state sponsor of terrorism and Hezbollah
patron, Iran, was behind the horrific bombing. The attack still serves
as a painful reminder of the threat posed by radical Islamic terrorists
who employ the most cynical and vengeful tactics in order to impose
their worldview and for whom slaughtering innocent people is within the
bounds of acceptable behavior.
Thankfully, the world seems to be
waking up to the reality that there is perhaps no nation, besides the
United States, with more experience than Israel confronting this serious
threat.
Western countries under attack from jihadists are
increasingly turning to Israel for help in order to counter the serious
threats to their people. All too often, the streets of Israel have been
the testing ground for terrorist tactics that are then exported
worldwide. Before people all over the world became accustomed to the
regular episodes of suicide bombings targeting civilians, these had
already been an unfortunate fact of life within Israel.
In recent
years, Palestinian terrorists began employing vehicles as deadly
weapons, using them to mow over soldiers and civilians alike at bus
stops and in city centers. Since that time, we have seen the large-scale
devastation they can cause as Islamic terrorists have used trucks,
vans, buses and cars to murder people in the streets of Europe,
including in France, Britain, Germany and, in recent days, in Spain. In
fact, the same exact tactic was used to deadly effect in Charlottesville
to kill a protestor and injure 19 others.
Thankfully for Israel,
it has always managed to find a way to not just survive the threats to
its daily existence, but to thrive despite the challenges. Part of the
Israeli recipe for success has been building itself into a remarkable
hub of innovation that produces research and technology that has
dramatically altered the world for the better.
Not only does
Israel already possess products that can improve the lives of nations
across the globe, but it is also a hotbed of research and development
that will produce the next life-changing technological leaps. That is
precisely why some of the most innovative companies in the world, from
Google, to Microsoft, to Intel and scores of others, have invested
billions in Israel and set up offices and research labs there.
Argentina
and other countries are signaling that they are increasingly aware that
embracing Israel and cultivating commercial ties is not just the right
thing to do, but it’s smart business as well.
Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is author of the brand new book, "Reawakening Virtues." He served as an adviser and spokesman for Dr. Ben Carson's 2016 presidential campaign, and is on Sirius XM126 Urban View nightly from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Eastern.
flight by Israel’s national air carrier El Al to Argentina next month
would be a historic first, if it were not for Nazi war criminal Adolf
Eichmann.
On May 20, 1960, nine days after Israeli Mossad agents
captured one of the Holocaust’s principal architects in Buenos Aires,
Eichmann was disguised in crew clothing, placed on an El Al jetliner,
and flown to Israel. The day before, an Israeli diplomatic delegation
led by Abba Eban had traveled to Argentina on the same airplane,
ostensibly to participate in the 150th anniversary of Argentine Independence.
After
arriving in Israel, and following a remarkable trial that captured
global attention, Eichmann was finally brought to justice, convicted of
war crimes and hanged by Israel for crimes against humanity. It's the
only time that the Jewish state has implemented the death penalty.
remarkable saga involving Israel and a Nazi living on the lam in
Argentina is now firmly in the past, as the national Israeli airline and
its Argentinian counterpart prepare to initiate flights between the two
countries. Netanyahu is expected to visit in September, which would be
the first trip to South America by a sitting Israeli prime minister. It
is a testament to how far Israeli-Argentinian relations have progressed,
and the latest evidence that Israeli diplomatic and commercial ties are
accelerating.
While bashing Israel remains a favorite pastime
at the United Nations, an increasing number of countries are finally
starting to appreciate the huge benefits they can enjoy from building
bridges with Jerusalem.
To be clear, there is still a very long
way to go before the world’s only Jewish state is afforded the same
dignity and respect as other, far less deserving countries. Even within
Argentina, which is poised to deepen its relationship with Israel, there
is painful history that must never be forgotten.
In March 1992, a
suicide bomber attacked the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, killing 29
people. Just two years later, in July 1994, Hezbollah terrorists
bombed the Jewish community center building, the Asociacion Mutual
Israelita Argentina (AMIA), taking the lives of 85 people. The images of
that attack are permanently seared into the psyches of Argentina’s Jews
as well as the global Jewish community.
Evidence points clearly
to the fact that leading state sponsor of terrorism and Hezbollah
patron, Iran, was behind the horrific bombing. The attack still serves
as a painful reminder of the threat posed by radical Islamic terrorists
who employ the most cynical and vengeful tactics in order to impose
their worldview and for whom slaughtering innocent people is within the
bounds of acceptable behavior.
Thankfully, the world seems to be
waking up to the reality that there is perhaps no nation, besides the
United States, with more experience than Israel confronting this serious
threat.
Western countries under attack from jihadists are
increasingly turning to Israel for help in order to counter the serious
threats to their people. All too often, the streets of Israel have been
the testing ground for terrorist tactics that are then exported
worldwide. Before people all over the world became accustomed to the
regular episodes of suicide bombings targeting civilians, these had
already been an unfortunate fact of life within Israel.
In recent
years, Palestinian terrorists began employing vehicles as deadly
weapons, using them to mow over soldiers and civilians alike at bus
stops and in city centers. Since that time, we have seen the large-scale
devastation they can cause as Islamic terrorists have used trucks,
vans, buses and cars to murder people in the streets of Europe,
including in France, Britain, Germany and, in recent days, in Spain. In
fact, the same exact tactic was used to deadly effect in Charlottesville
to kill a protestor and injure 19 others.
Thankfully for Israel,
it has always managed to find a way to not just survive the threats to
its daily existence, but to thrive despite the challenges. Part of the
Israeli recipe for success has been building itself into a remarkable
hub of innovation that produces research and technology that has
dramatically altered the world for the better.
Not only does
Israel already possess products that can improve the lives of nations
across the globe, but it is also a hotbed of research and development
that will produce the next life-changing technological leaps. That is
precisely why some of the most innovative companies in the world, from
Google, to Microsoft, to Intel and scores of others, have invested
billions in Israel and set up offices and research labs there.
Argentina
and other countries are signaling that they are increasingly aware that
embracing Israel and cultivating commercial ties is not just the right
thing to do, but it’s smart business as well.
Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is author of the brand new book, "Reawakening Virtues." He served as an adviser and spokesman for Dr. Ben Carson's 2016 presidential campaign, and is on Sirius XM126 Urban View nightly from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Eastern.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.
No comments:
Post a Comment