Having served as Israel's defense minister during the Gulf War, Moshe Arens took pains during a visit to San Diego to differentiate the coalition needed by the United States in that war against Iraq with the coalition that America needs today to fight terrorism.

A member of the Likud party who also had served as Israel's foreign minister as well as an ambassador to the United States, Arens spoke to a special luncheon meeting of the Ranch Breakfast Club of the United Jewish Federation and also addressed an audience at Congregation Beth Am on Wednesday, Oct. 24.

Although both coalitions were assembled by American presidents named Bush, Arens suggested there is a "great difference between that time and the present time, firstly because the assets that the Arab countries may have like ...  the soil of Saudi Arabia for the deployment of U.S. troops, is not needed today. United States forces need access in Tajikstan, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan, and as you can see from the news, they have gained that access.  They don't need bases in Saudi Arabia, and certainly not in Syria and certainly not in Egypt.  Their participation, I wouldn't say it is valueless, but it is certainly not essential to the war that the United States is now waging against Osama Bin Laden..."

Arens told both San Diego audiences that various Arab states and Iran all have been unenthusiastic about supporting the war against terrorism.  When a British envoy sought help from Iran, he was turned down. "Iran is a terrorist state, it promotes terrorism," Arens said.  "President Mubarek in Egypt: when he was approached he said that he would be happy to join a coalition that would be led by the United Nations, not by the United States. Well, that was an indirect way of saying 'please leave me alone; I don't want to join this coalition.'  Assad Junior in Syria said he would like to call an international conference that would deal with 'Israeli terrorism'; that would be his contribution."

The United States should recognize that whereas these Middle Eastern states had an interest in opposing Saddam Hussein in Iraq; they have no such concern about stopping the activities of Osama bin Laden, Arens said.

"They were afraid of Saddam Hussien 11 year ago; they are not afraid of Osama bin Laden.  They don't see him as a threat to them.  They know he is a threat to the United States, but he is not a threat to them.  As a matter of fact in their countries there are not an insignificant number of people and movements that are supporters of Osama bin Laden..."

Arens suggested that the United States weakens its credentials as an opponent to terrorism when it approaches terrorist states to be members of a coalition formed to fight terrorism.  

However, Arens suggested, sooner or later the United States will decide that such groups as Hizbollah (which is supported both by Syria and Iran), Hamas and Islamic Jihad (which are based in Palestinian controlled areas) are terrorists organizations exactly like bin Laden's, and should be officially listed as such.

"And why do I say that with such certainty?" the Israeli diplomat asked rhetorically.  "I have seen as you have seen the President of the United States present to the American people ...  those mug shots of the 22 most wanted terrorists.  Now most of them were people who were associated with Osama bin Laden, but there was one picture on there of a man whose name is worth remembering.  His name is Imad Mughniye, who should be remembered right next to Osama bin Laden, because before Sept. 11th he held the record for the number of people murdered under actions that he masterminded and he organized."

Arens said that Maghniye, who is a member of the Hizbollah, was behind such terrorist atrocities as the "suicide bombing of the U.S. Marine compound in Beirut in which 151 Marines were killed...the French military compound bombing in Beirut, where about 70 French soldiers were killed...the bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires (in 1992)...the bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires (in 1994)...the murder and abduction of U.S. Marine Colonel Higgins in Lebanon...the abduction of the Israeli navigator Ron Arad who has disappeared these past 15 years."

He predicted that after the United States succeeds in Afghanistan, "there are other organizations and there are other people around the world (who will) be called into account."

In the meantime, Arens acknowledged, U.S. efforts to woo Arab states that sponsor organizations committing terror in Israel has caused uncertainty in Israel.  
"These past 12 months Israel has lost 180 Israeli citizens-men, women, children, babies-an average of one every second day," he said.  "This is the year that Israelis have gone to funerals.  It has been a bad year, and no one wants to envision another year like that or, God forbid, even worse."

The lack of enthusiasm on the part of U.S. Secretary of State for including Hizbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad on the list of terrorist organizations "was something that upset the Israelis, upset the Prime Minister (Ariel Sharon) and led to the remark that I am sure all of you noticed when he talked about Czechoslovakia and the appeasement of 1938 and that in turn, I understand, was upsetting to President Bush.

"I think that whereas the message of our Prime Minister could have been phrased somewhat more subtly, what went through his mind was something, I think, that went through the minds of every Jew whether in Israel or anywhere else in the world-that when the enemies of Israel are being appeased, and if only on the surface it looks like this is being done at Israel's expense or partially at Israel's expense, it brings back memories of those terrible days when Hitler was being appeased and the Jewish people were being abandoned to their fate."