Terrorism’s Saddest Victims

It is a far cry from Disneyland. It is a theme park for children but there are no rides, there are no cartoon characters in costume, there are no magic shows to amuse. (There are, of course, vendors who sell hats and T-shirts for the children to take home!) This theme park is in Beirut. It is called “Landmark for the Resistance.” This “park” was built at a cost of four million dollars by Hezbollah (with money from Iran, no doubt.) This park has no attractions other than destroyed Israeli military equipment. This park celebrates the war Hezbollah has waged against Israel. Children can be led through the displays of tanks, mortar shells, and machine guns where they can play out being soldiers in the war on Israel. It’s a sort of Wanna-Be city for little terrorists in training. I think all of us have trouble understanding how a parent could wish this for a child but, believe it or not, since the “Landmark for the Resistance” opened in May there have been over a half a million visitors.
In the last few weeks we have seen and heard many comments about the current peace negotiations. The Jewish community has been divided about Israel- some saying Israel needs to be more flexible, some saying that only a “hard-line” approach will accomplish anything. The government of Israel itself has been divided on the issue of the settlement freeze. It is clear that we all want peace we differ only on how to get it! If anyone has the answer to that please call me! In the meantime let’s take a lesson from the “landmark.” There are forces in the Arab world that have no interest in peace and it is folly to think that they do. Terrorists do not want peace, they want victory. We need to learn that lesson.
Hezbollah is a group that raises children to be fodder in the war on Israel. Taking your child on a visit to a terror park is one more step in indoctrinating an entire generation to commit terror for the sake of holy-war. Children are taught that the only victory is to destroy Israel. When children should be playing games they are being taught to glorify killing and their own death. A people willing to do this to their children is not a people looking for a peaceful solution. These children may be the saddest victims of terrorism and they may prove to be the generation that brings Israel’s saddest days.