The Barbarians Are Already Inside. There’s Nowhere to Get Away From Them: Mark Steyn, National Post, Nov. 15, 2015 — As I write, Paris is under curfew for the first time since the German occupation…
The Paris Massacre: Rabbi Benjamin Blech, Aish, Nov. 14, 2015 — The day is already called Black Friday – a day which will long be remembered for its barbaric cruelty and its attack on the very fiber of Western civilization.
What France Can Learn from Israel in Confronting Islamist Terror: Gregg Roman, Times of Israel, Nov. 16, 2015 — As my French friends, colleagues, and acquaintances agonize over what is to be done in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, the best advice I can think of is to look at Israel.
Love Isn’t the Only Response to the Paris Attacks. Toughness is Too: Christie Blatchford, National Post, Nov. 15, 2015— The morning after the Paris attacks, a store around the corner from my house put out a little sign on the sidewalk: “L’amour est la réponse,” it read.
After Paris Attacks, Netanayhu Says World Must Condemn Terror Against Israel to Same Degree: Algemeiner, Nov. 15, 2015
Canada's New Reality After Paris: Wesley Wark, Ottawa Citizen, Nov. 14, 2015
There is Only One Proper Liberal Way Forward in This ISIL Struggle — Merciless, Pitiless War: Terry Glavin, National Post, Oct. 9, 2015
Russian-Iranian-Syrian Axis: France Brought Terror on Itself: Lee Smith, Weekly Standard, Nov. 15, 2015
THE BARBARIANS ARE ALREADY INSIDE.
THERE’S NOWHERE TO GET AWAY FROM THEM
Mark Steyn
National Post, Nov. 15, 2015
As I write, Paris is under curfew for the first time since the German occupation, and the death toll from the multiple attacks stands at 129, the vast majority of them slaughtered during a concert at the Bataclan theatre, a delightful bit of 19th century Chinoiserie on the boulevard Voltaire. The last time I was there, if memory serves, was to see Julie Pietri. I’m so bloody sick of these savages shooting and bombing and killing and blowing up everything I like — whether it’s the small Quebec town where my little girl’s favourite fondue restaurant is or my favourite hotel in Amman or the brave freespeecher who hosted me in Copenhagen … or a music hall where I liked to go to hear a little jazz and pop and get away from the cares of the world for a couple of hours. But look at the photographs from Paris: there’s nowhere to get away from it; the barbarians who yell “Allahu Akbar!” are there waiting for you … when you go to a soccer match, you go to a concert, you go for a drink on a Friday night. They’re there on the train … at the magazine office … in the Kosher supermarket … at the museum in Brussels … outside the barracks in Woolwich…
The day before the attack, I said on the radio apropos the latest campus “safe space” nonsense: “This is what we’re going to be talking about when the mullahs nuke us.” Almost. When the Allahu Akbar boys opened fire, Paris was talking about the climate-change conference due to start later this month, when the world’s leaders will fly in to “solve” a “problem” that doesn’t exist rather than to address the one that does. But don’t worry: we already have a hashtag (#PrayForParis) and doubtless there’ll be another candlelight vigil of weepy tilty-headed wankers. Because as long as we all advertise how sad and sorrowful we are, who needs to do anything?
With his usual killer comedy timing, the “leader of the free world” told George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning, America” Friday morning that he’d “contained” ISIL and that they’re not “gaining strength.” A few hours later, a cell whose members claim to have been recruited by ISIL slaughtered almost 130 people in the heart of Paris and succeeded in getting suicide bombers to within a few yards of the French president.
Visiting the Bataclan, M. Hollande declared that “nous allons mener le combat, il sera impitoyable“: We are going to wage a war that will be pitiless. Does he mean it? Or is he just killing time until Obama and Cameron and Merkel and Justin Trudeau and Malcolm Turnbull fly in and they can all get back to talking about sea levels in the Maldives in the 22nd century? By which time France and Germany and Belgium and Austria and the Netherlands will have been long washed away. Among his other coy evasions, President Obama described tonight’s events as “an attack not just on Paris, it’s an attack not just on the people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values we share.”
But that’s not true, is it? He’s right that it’s an attack not just on Paris or France. What it is is an attack on the West, on the civilization that built the modern world — an attack on one portion of “humanity” by those who claim to speak for another portion of “humanity.” And these are not “universal values” but values that spring from a relatively narrow segment of humanity. They were kinda sorta “universal” when the great powers were willing to enforce them around the world and the colonial subjects of ramshackle backwaters such as Aden, Sudan and the North-West Frontier Province were at least obliged to pay lip service to them. But the European empires retreated from the world, and those “universal values” are utterly alien to large parts of the map today.
And then Europe decided to invite millions of Muslims to settle in their countries. Most of those people don’t want to participate actively in bringing about the death of diners and concertgoers and soccer fans, but at a certain level most of them either wish or are indifferent to the death of the societies in which they live — modern, pluralist, western societies and those “universal values” of which Barack Obama bleats. So, if you are either an active ISIL recruit or just a guy who’s been fired up by social media, you have a very large comfort zone in which to swim, and which the authorities find almost impossible to penetrate.
And all Chancellor Merkel and the EU want to do is make that large comfort zone even larger by letting millions more “Syrian” “refugees” walk into the Continent and settle wherever they want…To repeat what I said a few days ago, I’m Islamed out. I’m tired of Islam 24/7, at Colorado colleges, Marseilles synagogues, Sydney coffee shops, day after day after day. The west cannot win this thing with a schizophrenic strategy of targeting things and people but not targeting the ideology, of intervening ineffectually overseas and not intervening at all when it comes to the remorseless Islamization and self-segregation of large segments of their own countries.
So I say again: What’s the happy ending here? Because if M. Hollande isn’t prepared to end mass Muslim immigration to France and Europe, then his “pitiless war” isn’t serious. And, if they’re still willing to tolerate Mutti Merkel’s mad plan to reverse Germany’s demographic death spiral through fast-track Islamization, then Europeans aren’t serious. In the end, the decadence of Merkel, Hollande, Cameron and the rest of the fin de civilisation western leadership will cost you your world and everything you love. So screw the candlelight vigil.
Rabbi Benjamin Blech
Aish, Nov. 14, 2015
The day is already called Black Friday – a day which will long be remembered for its barbaric cruelty and its attack on the very fiber of Western civilization. On Friday night at least 129 people were brutally murdered and more than 350 people wounded in a coordinated series of attacks which rippled across a half-dozen locations in the city of Paris. In one of them, four terrorists armed with assault rifles shouting "Allahu akbar" stormed in during a concert by the US rock group Eagles of Death Metal and executed hostages one by one.
In the aftermath of the most deadly violence on French soil since World War II, the Eiffel Tower shut down “indefinitely.” The Louvre closed its doors. A country of cherished secular freedoms outlawed public gatherings until at least Thursday.France has vowed revenge for the attacks. President Francois Hollande deemed the shootings and bombings "an act of war." He declared a state of emergency and took the unprecedented step of closing all borders late Friday after gunmen opened fire at multiple locations. He said early Saturday, "We will lead the fight, and we will be ruthless."
Around the globe, people are gathering to mourn for the victims of Friday’s attacks, holding candlelit vigils, singing la Marseillaise and leaving flowers and messages at French embassies the world over. Several national landmarks were also lit up in the French Tricolore.
The media is also suggesting a new slogan to express the shared pain and revulsion against these horrific acts of terrorism in France. It was just over ten months ago that the Western world declared that an attack on Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine, was an attack on all of us. A slogan swept the globe: “I am Charlie”. Today the new refrain, offered by political leaders spanning countries around the globe, is “We are all France.”
The one phrase which unfortunately is not given equal prominence and yet is far more relevant, the phrase which gets to the heart of this tragedy and identifies its root cause, is the one that in the aftermath of Black Friday needs at long last to shake the somnambulant statesmen from their indifferent reveries and wake up the silent leaders from their apathetic response to the terrorism which has been raging in the only democratic country in the Middle East. The world needs finally to understand “We are all Israel.”
It was no mere coincidence that Black Friday in Paris was also the day of a tragic funeral. The victims were Rabbi Yaakov Litman and his son Netanel who were slain on the way to a Shabbat celebration for the forthcoming wedding of the Rabbi’s daughter Sarah. They were murdered in an Islamic terror attack in the Hebron hills by terrorists from a vehicle stopped on the side of the road. This time innocent Jewish victims died by gunfire. In the past weeks there were many other murders and woundings by stabbing, indiscriminate acts of violence brutally carried out with indifference to age, gender or location.
For them the world did not cry out in shared pain. For them the world looked only for “reasons” – the supposedly civilized way of justifying unforgivable acts of terror. For them the world was able to excuse the inexcusable, to pardon the unpardonable, to defend the indefensible. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, speaking at the funerals of Netanel and Yaakov Litman, made the point clearly. Addressing hundreds of mourners, the president said there is no difference between terror attacks in Israel and those abroad.
“I do not distinguish between terrorism and terrorism. No terrorism is justifiable. There is no terrorism that is more justified or less justified. The scenes of death and bloodshed we have witnessed in Paris, throughout the Middle East, and here in our country, should serve as a warning to us all. Whether in Paris or Hebron, Jerusalem or New York, we must fight a bitter and stubborn struggle against those who massacre innocent people, against those who murder in cold-blood.” That was well said. But what needs to be added is the clear linkage between the fanaticism which led to the horrific massacre in France and its predecessor in Israel to which the world closed its eyes because its victims were only Jews. How long will it take for Europe and the rest of the world to understand that “We are all Israel.”
Jews have always been “the canary bird in the coal mine”. It is a famous analogy which comes from coal miners who would carry a canary down into the mine tunnels with them, knowing that if dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide collected in the mine, the gases would kill the canary before killing the miners, providing a clear warning to act before they too would perish. History has shown us that Jews play the same role for civilization. Jews are invariably selected as first victims. All too often they are seen as expendable – victims whose murderers need not be punished. It took time before the world acknowledged that Hitler’s final solution for the Jews was but a first step which threatened all of civilized mankind.
How long must we wait until the world understands that “We are all Israel” – and the fanatic extremists who shout Allahu akbar as they stab innocents in Jerusalem will all too quickly find their way not only to France but to all the surviving representatives of civilized values, faiths and cultures?
WHAT FRANCE CAN LEARN FROM ISRAEL
IN CONFRONTING ISLAMIST TERROR
Gregg Roman
Times of Israel, Nov. 16, 2015
As my French friends, colleagues, and acquaintances agonize over what is to be done in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, the best advice I can think of is to look at Israel.
This tragedy was not “France’s 9/11.” Al-Qaeda effectively depleted its stateside human assets in that attack and never regained the ability to strike the American heartland. This is France’s Al-Aqsa Intifada – unfortunately, more of the same is absolutely going to follow. Whatever one’s political predisposition to Israeli counterterrorism policies may be, its success fighting Islamist terror over the past two decades is the only real-world model for overcoming the specific challenges France now faces.
Here are some of the main takeaways. First, it’s time to sacrifice some freedoms of convenience. Most Israelis don’t know what it’s like to walk into a mid-size concert venue of the kind targeted in France without passing through a metal detector and their government intends to keep it that way. They may gripe about it, but they would feel less free if their government wasn’t inconveniencing them on a daily basis.
Second, go ahead and profile. All of the jihadists bent on terrorizing France have some obvious commonalities. The reason Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport is considered the gold standard of airline security is that Israeli screeners are encouraged to single out passengers for extra scrutiny on the basis of religion, age, gender, and so forth, while waving the vast majority through terminals more quickly. Not even the most seasoned terrorist is likely to take the risk of running this gauntlet if he knows for certain he’s going to find himself in a room full of inquisitive Israelis.
Third, recognize that deterrence isn’t fair. Since it’s impossible to dissuade suicide bombers with the threat of certain death or bodily harm, you have to threaten things they care about. Israel’s policy of demolishing the family homes of Palestinian terrorists may not be altogether “just,” but it’s necessary to counter the overwhelmingly positive social approval and financial benefits these families receive for contributing “martyrs” to the cause.
If being related to a terrorist isn’t already a deeply unpleasant experience in France, make it so. Understand that it’s neither possible nor desirable to ensure that terrorists are the only ones paying a price for their terrorism. Make whatever efforts to avoid harming innocents are consistent with your values, but don’t let the backlash from armchair counter-terrorists and Francophobes abroad dictate policy.
Fourth, target the brains behind terrorist infrastructure. Go after the people responsible for recruiting, financing, training, motivating and directing Jihadis, not just the foot soldiers. Prosecute them if you can, but if they’re overseas don’t be afraid to dispense swifter justice. Though controversial when Israel first adopted targeted killing as a counterterrorism tool, most governments (including most notably the Obama administration) now recognize its effectiveness. The number of fatalities from suicide bombings in Israel dropped from hundreds in 2002 to zero in 2010.
Fifth, fight the incitement. Americans can still afford to pretend that Islamist hate speech and indoctrination has little to do with terrorist violence, but France can’t. The French government took a step in the right direction when it deported 40 Islamists accused of incitement in June of this year. It needs to go further. Instead of avoiding the banlieues, rings of Muslim majority neighborhoods around French cities that are impoverished, crime-ridden, and blighted, gendarmeries and intelligence services should sweep into these suburbs and place community centers, mosques, and high rises under surveillance. Checkpoints should be setup at the entrances to Islamist havens and searches conducted on those commuting in and out of these areas…
Finally, at the risk of belaboring the obvious, France must control and monitor its borders if it wishes to avoid a repeat of Friday’s terror attacks. The ability of at least one of the attackers to claim refugee status in Greece and move onto France was an intelligence failure of the highest degree. As Sweden, Germany, Austria, and other countries reconsider Schengen, an agreement that allows uninhibited movement around Europe, so too should France. The French Interior ministry instituted border controls immediately after the attack. This change should be permanent. As President François Hollande declared after the attacks, France is reeling from an “act of war,” not a crime wave. Israel has demonstrated that it is possible to win such wars, but this isn’t for the faint-hearted.
LOVE ISN’T THE ONLY RESPONSE TO THE PARIS ATTACKS. TOUGHNESS IS TOO
Christie Blatchford
National Post, Nov. 15, 2015
The morning after the Paris attacks, a store around the corner from my house put out a little sign on the sidewalk: “L’amour est la réponse,” it read. It sounds mushy-headed but you know, probably love is part of the answer, and if not love, then at least the resolve to remain tolerant.
For instance, I think Canada should still keep open its doors to desperate Syrian refugees, though it might be nice if the new Liberal government walked back its plan to process 25,000 of them before the end of the year. Given that one of the Paris attackers might have been using a Syrian passport, real or faked, to get into Europe via Greece, given that the thousands on the move every day provide wonderful cover for ISIL sympathizers and operatives, a little security vetting – it would surely be imperfect but still – is in order. I also wish that ordinary Muslims didn’t have to wear this latest outrage carried out in the name of their faith, though I expect they may, or may feel they are.
But love, or a commitment to tolerance, isn’t the only response. Toughness is too. Canada can’t honestly claim, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did in his first statement the night of the attacks, to have offered France “all of our help and support” when his first order of business, even before formally taking office, was to announce that the six lousy jets which have been Canada’s contribution to the U.S.-led coalition, bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria, will be coming home.
That contribution was both real — the jets made 180 bombing raids in about a year – and symbolic, and said in unmistakable terms that in times of trouble, Canada sticks with her friends. Mr. Trudeau and the Liberals campaigned on ending Canada’s participation in the air war, but now would be a fine time to say — look folks, things have changed, and we see now that we should stay in.
As I’ve watched the last two days unfold — the vigils, the panic on Paris streets, the sorrow, the vows of defiance, all of it by now terribly familiar — I confess that my overriding thought was that the West could take on almost every level a lesson from Israel. I was there in 1991 during the first Gulf War when, you may remember, Iraq hit Tel Aviv with Scud missiles — and that at the time, there were reports that some would have chemical warheads. Thus, when I checked in at my Tel Aviv hotel, I was handed a gas mask and told that in the event of a siren, I had two shelters from which to choose — one sealed against chemicals, one regular bomb shelter.
At the wail of the first siren, I tried putting on the gas mask but gave up after ripping out half my hair, and as I recall, was on my way, heart thumping, to the regular shelter when I ran into Matthew Fisher, the veteran correspondent who now writes for Postmedia. He was on his way to the front lawn, outside our hotel, to watch the scuds, so I went with him.
It felt very defiant to do it, though I couldn’t carry the jockstrap of the average Israeli: The citizens of that tiny country live 24-7 with the sort of tension and threat now enveloping Paris, and do it with a raucous and tough-as-nails sensibility. And if ever there was a country which has fought terrorism as fairly and carefully as it is possible to do, it is Israel.
The last time, just earlier this year, that Paris was the scene of terrorist attacks, they were against the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which had dared to include the Prophet in its exhaustive list of non-sacred targets, and, a couple of days later, a Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket. Now, it appears there is no Jewish connection, yet it may be that the rise of anti-Semitism in France, in particular during the summer of 2014, was the predictor of all this, of what happened at a soccer stadium, a music club and various bars and cafes on Friday night.
Just a couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me a long piece which appeared in Vanity Fair this August. It began with this sentence: “How can anyone be allowed to paint a swastika on the statue of Marianne, the goddess of French liberty, in the very center of the Place de la Republique?” Written by the great American journalist Marie Brenner, the story describes the riot which happened there on Saturday, July 26, 2014, when a pro-Palestinian demonstration (complete with some black and white ISIL banners and the Marianne defacer) culminated with thousands of protesters chanting “Mort aux Juifs! Mort aux Juifs!,” or death to the Jews.
The story was about much more, of course, but its central theme was that this riot, or one of the others in what Brenner called the summer of hate, was the tipping point for so many French Jews and sent record numbers leaving the country for Israel. Maybe there’s something there that Canadian officials can use in screening prospective refugees: How do you feel about Israel? How would you like to live among Jews? Ever chanted mort aux juifs? Jews are the canaries in the coal mine for humankind. If l’amour est la réponse, then loving Jews is one of the unshakable conditions.
After Paris Attacks, Netanayhu Says World Must Condemn Terror Against Israel to Same Degree: Algemeiner, Nov. 15, 2015—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on world leaders to show the same level of indignation over terror against Israelis as they do over terror attacks around the world.
Canada's New Reality After Paris: Wesley Wark, Ottawa Citizen, Nov. 14, 2015 —This night of carnage, on a scale unseen in Europe since the Madrid train bombings in 2004, and the fear of what might come next, will force the new Liberal government to pay more attention to security policy, both at home and abroad, than they intended. They have some difficult decisions to face.
There is Only One Proper Liberal Way Forward in This ISIL Struggle — Merciless, Pitiless War: Terry Glavin, National Post, Oct. 9, 2015—“In these difficult moments, we must — and I’m thinking of the many victims, their families and the injured — show compassion and solidarity. But we must also show unity and calm.” Compassion, solidarity, unity and calm.
Russian-Iranian-Syrian Axis: France Brought Terror on Itself: Lee Smith, Weekly Standard, Nov. 15, 2015 —Even Iran and Assad’s newest partner Russia says the attacks are France’s fault. Sure, Russian premier Vladimir Putin sympathizes with Paris, but, says the thuggish Russian media outlet Izvestia, “France is paying for its active part in the destabilization of the Middle East."
