Admittedly, we [that is, the U.S. powers-that-be] sometimes reacted rather badly if the locals do not vote the way we thought they should. ... Many Americans (I hope) are greatly disturbed by the fact that we now are in the process of establishing a policy that there is such a thing as a bad election. If we don't like the winners, or some of them, then we do not recognize the legitimacy of democracy.
The Palestinians freely choose the bad Hamas; we cut off aid to them and send more missiles and such to their enemies.
Hezbollah freely wins a few seats in the little parliament of Lebanon, and we back the Israeli contention that they should all be killed, or at least thrown in jail forever -- as if Lebanon does not deserve the fragile democracy it has.
I am not arguing that Hamas and Hezbollah are good people, but then I come from a country where the colonial occupying power, the English in their red coats, declared my ancestors were "terrorists." They used that word because our men didn't wear uniforms, and they fired from behind trees.
The British, you may remember, used that same word, "terrorist," not without reason, to describe two of the future prime ministers of Israel, Menachim Begin and Yitzhak Shamir.
[For the record: In the late 1930’s, Yitzhak Shamir joined the Irgun”freedom fighter” organization and then in 1940, followed Avraham Stern into Lohamei Herut Yisrael, after which he was imprisoned by the British authorities. In 1943, he escaped from detention camp and became one of the Lehi's principal leaders, serving as principal director of operations until 1946, when he was detained again by the British and exiled to a British-run prison camp. He later joined Menachem Begin's Herut movement, which evolved into the Likud Party. In 1973, Yitzhak Shamir was elected to the Knesset.
[As for background of Menachim Begin’s terrorist activities, he set about planning a Jewish uprising against the British authorities around 1944, which continued until late 1947. Begin ordered many of the Irgun's operations, including the destruction of the central British administrative offices in the King David Hotel. Begin disbanded the Irgun following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 .]
Many statesmen begin as "terrorists". You have to deal with the world as you find it; that if you believe peace is better than war, and that democracy does not always produce the leaders he or I would choose, you still have to make a choice: Either you believe in democracy or you don't. That's the best we can do, and then move on from there.
[Excerpt of an opinion page by Richard Reeves, Yahoo News]
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