Most of what the Western public knows about terrorism comes from one of two sources: 1.) Pundits and analysts who purport to be experts but have probably never spoken to a terrorist; and 2.) Official statements and videos from terrorists that are as insightful as press releases from the mayor’s office.
Aaron Klein, the Jerusalem bureau chief for WorldNetDaily, a conservative news website, decided to speak to various leaders of Palestinian terrorist groups himself. More importantly, he interviewed them in informal settings – an environment in which people are more prone to speaking the truth. Most importantly, he risked his life in doing so.
Although WND is very biased and usually mixes opinion into its news reports, Klein’s new book, “Schmoozing With Terrorists,” is extremely illuminating — and worrisome. Klein, an Orthodox Jew from Philadelphia, is a good reporter when he does not insert his own political opinions into his writing. His questions, the ones that no one seems to ask, elicit direct and honest responses.
Two parts of Klein’s book were most intriguing. The Palestinian terrorists who are interviewed in Klein’s book state that they are not targeting Israelis simply out of anti-Semitism or opposition to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. The Islamic extremists are reportedly waging one battle there in a worldwide war — from Israel to America to Europe – to establish Islamic supremacy. The Jewish state is simply what happens to be in their way in the Middle East. In addition, suicide bombers and their recruiters state that they are killing Israeli civilians in that manner not as a result of a demeaning occupation and a lack of conventional military might, but merely because so-called martyrdom is the best way to gain God’s favor in heaven.
Klein’s interviews were fascinating, but I have one qualm with the book. I wish Klein had cut the parts in which he used the terrorists to bash liberal Hollywood celebrities. Actors are nowhere near as influential as conservatives think (or fear). It would have been more useful to cut that chapter and expand the ones that are actually relevant and important. The focus on Hollywood celebrities, even for one chapter, merely causes the reader to take Klein less seriously. I also wish that Klein had interviewed Islamic terrorists in other parts of the world — Europe, Pakistan, southeastern Asia, and elsewhere — to see if their motivations match those of the Palestinian terrorists. But that could be fodder for a second book.
Overall, I highly recommend Klein’s book (an excerpt is here). Four out of five stars. Just ignore the parts where he bashes Hollywood and gives his own political opinions. Focus on the interviews with the terrorists themselves. Those facts speak for themselves.
Note: This post replaces an earlier one that was, in part, factually incorrect. I regret the errors.
