Anyone going to another country that is at war, and particularly into territory under military rule, ought to steer clear of giving aid and comfort to that country’s enemies. Numerous Arab-Americans visit Israel every year and manage to stay out of trouble; if the two Chicagoans now being detained did things they shouldn’t, they can hardly expect our government to pressure Israel to grant them immunity for aiding the Hamas terrorists.
Anyone with common sense would expect a nation at war, which Israel is, to put security considerations ahead of other things. We did just that during World War II and during much of the Cold War.
Why did we then set aside our traditional concepts of fair play toward an accused faced with the loss of reputation and career? Because we then perceived a mortal threat to our way of life that justified overriding the individual rights of our own citizens.
I would therefore have expected the Tribune to show more understanding of Israel’s actions toward the two Chicagoans than was reflected in your editorial (“Time for Israel to fish or cut bait,” Feb. 12). What the Israelis know about the detainees was almost certainly learned through informers whom they don’t want to compromise.
Given the fact that Hamas is promoting terrorism and murder, detaining the suspects while the affair is investigated would not seem to be out of line. After all, our own laws permit suspension of habeas corpus when martial law is declared. If the Tribune’s offices were in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, with its writers and their families a possible target for Hamas, it might see the matter very differently.
