The question Munich poses

The true story behind Steven Speilberg's Munich is quite disturbing. It makes you wonder why any country would allow Israeli citizens on their soil, especially any with links to Mossad (Israel's version of the CIA or KGB).

Consider:

"Mossad operative T remembers: 'We were given explosives and someone had to mount them in her car. I did it.'

Erika's car was parked on the side of the road beneath the apartment.

She had been trained to press a remote control and activate the explosion when she saw Salameh's convoy driving past her car.

The blast killed Salameh and eight other people.

This was the last Bayonet operation."

Granted the killing of Israeli athletes is appalling.

Nevertheless, ordering assasinations is a complete violation of International Law. Beyond that, being willing to accept operations that killed eight innocent people in a car-bomb blast and in another case saw an innocent man and his pregnant wife mistakenly gunnned down are a mirror image of terrorist callousness. Both parties believe they are acting in the interests of a vulnerable minority, both discount the humanity of their enemies and anyone nearby. It's ends justifying any means and that kind of thinking has never stood up to scrutiny.

It's not an isolated incident either. In 1986 Mossad abducted Mordechai Vanunu (baptised John Crossman) in Rome and took him to Israel where he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for revealing Israel's covert and illegal nuclear arms program to the world. He spent 11 of those years in solitary confinement and reports psycholgical torture, much of which he believes was punishment for converting to Christianity. Since release he's been under house arrest and refused contact with the outside world.

So my question is: If Israel has repeatedly and openly conducted assasinations and covert operations on foreign soil, why does the international community tolerate this? Why not impose sanctions and close borders?

The obvious answer is that Israel is backed by the US. But, even if we are unwilling to challenge the US concretely, the international community should be more open about the status of Israel as a rogue state and of the US as a backer of rogue states. If not, people will never see the monumental hypocrisy of things like the Iraq war and the 'War on Terror'.

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