Unless you live under a rock, you are probably well aware that terrorist Abu Abbas has been captured by American forces in Baghdad, and that it appears he will finally have to face justice for his vile acts some 17 years ago. Already, the defeat at all costs crowd is claiming this is not a real blow against terrorism, but rather it is merely a symbolic victory. For those of you who forget what this cretin did, here is a little primer:
Abu Abbas, as head of the Palestinian Liberation Front, was tried and convicted in absentia in Italy for his role in the 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro. He allegedly oversaw the operation, which included the killing of an American passenger, Leon Klinghoffer, off the coast of Egypt.
His minions took a 69 year old man in a wheelchair, executed him, and then threw him and his wheelchair overboard. They chose Leon Klinghoffer for two reasons:
1.) He was Jewish.
2.) He was American.
Maybe they did it because he was American first, Jewish second. Who cares? This was the symbolism- the execution of an American Jew to further the agenda of a Palestinian terror organization. There is, however, no symbolic victory in his capture- it is a victory, no matter how you look at it. His capture is merely our government fulfilling a promise made to every America- and a clear message that if you committ terrorist acts against America or Americans, there is no happy ending for you. We will catch you, whether it takes 6 months, 6 years, or 6 decades.
Others also will try to downplay capturing this terrorist as symbolic because he was not a member of Al Qaeda. Who cares? All of these terrorist groups have loose affiliations with each other. Members of Ansr al-Islam know members of Al Qaeda, and are intermingled with the PLF, they are intertwined with Hezbollah and Hamas. Taking any terrorist down is a step in the right direction in the war on terrorism. What is so hard to understand about that?
frank becktel
Its “symbolism over substance.” The Left has grown up on this doctrine and its how they view the world around them. They would be all over him if Abu Abbas was in the “Richest One Percent of Terrorists.”