• threatened a "new" intifada within 6 months (what's new about it, one can only guess; the last accomplished little more than revealing the Palestinians' true colors) if Israel does not "negotiate" (read: capitulate);

• spurned an Israeli millionaire's offer of $1 billion in exchange for laying down Palestinian suicide bomber belts and entering serious negotiations for peace with Israel; and

• declared that they will never recognize the legitimacy of the Zionist state, then reversed themselves yet again; their latest meaningless gesture now consists of the promise of "a 20-year 'truce' with Israel in exchange for Palestinian statehood" - yet with no sign whatsoever of the three Israeli soldiers kidnapped from Israel and now held hostage by Hizbollah and Hamas. 

All this as Ahmadinejad - a leader who repeatedly threatens (there is no other intelligent interpretation) that Israel will "soon" be wiped off the face of the planet - having just hosted a "conference" of Holocaust deniers in Tehran, now announces that Iran will offer its nuclear technological work to any nation in the Middle East that wants it. Meanwhile, Muslim youths in Belgium are sentenced to 30 hours of community service for attacking Orthodox Jewish students during a school field trip. Lovely.

What's wrong with this picture? Only that so little in the world has changed following the lessons that Germany imparted on mankind during World War II. The February 2006 kidnapping, three-week-long torture by lit cigarettes in the basement of a French apartment building (ignored by building residents) and death of Ilan Halimi, a 23-year-old Jewish cell phone salesman at the hands of Muslim gang members "who wanted to get a Jew" was rejected as a hate crime by French law enforcement authorities and a citizenry too afraid of rioting Muslim extremists to call  it what it was. Almost no one - from President Bush (who warned following the attacks on September 11, 2001, that "you're either with us, or against us") to the newly-elected Congressional Democrats (who proudly boast that because they're now running the show in Congress, the voters have authorized them to do whatever is necessary to end - not win - the war in Iraq) - seems to have the stomach for a fight anymore. 

The evidence was demonstrated early on by fearful voters in Spain, who responded to a series of train bombings in Madrid in March, 2004 by opting for a change in leadership and an evacuation of Spanish troops from Iraq. Most recently, it was reflected in the findings of the Iraq Study Group, which offered almost nothing new other than a remark about the Palestinian "right of return" (to a state they remain dedicated to destroying) and hints about "negotiating" with Iran and Syria, nations that no intelligent person believes are serious about negotiating anything. In sum, the world can see the hate, but no one in a position of power has the courage to call it what it is or do what is necessary to defeat it. Far easier to turn a blind eye, nervously look the other way, and hope against hope that the latest act of "appeasement" will be enough to calm the nerves of an increasingly confrontational populace. 

As for "the Jews," as usual, no one seems to care about them - except them (or, rather, "us"). It's one thing to hear Ahmadinejad rant about Israel's "illegitimacy," and quite another to hear such sentiment echoed in what would otherwise pass as a respectable circle of power; you have merely to look as far as a diplomatic cocktail party to hear the French ambassador to Great Britain dismiss the state of Israel as "a shitty little country." What's especially troubling is that there's no longer any outrage - no line that's too far to cross. Consider:

• In Phoenix, a Jewish comedian, masquerading as a journalist from Kazakhstan, can pump up a country-and-western crowd in a saloon to sing along with him as he strums a few bars of "Throw the Jew Down the Well," and the crowd literally cheers at what they consider great entertainment. 

• The latest trend among stand-up comedians in Great Britain is to rip "the Jews," and crowds eat it up, as though such remarks somehow merit respectability.  Meanwhile, Iran hosts a "conference" committed to denying the Holocaust, yet there's no Simon Weisenthal to speak out against it, and those who are willing to speak do so in remarkably hushed, even muted, tones.

• Olmert masquerades as a world leader, yet he somehow justified handicapping an Israeli military plan that would likely have ended the war in Lebanon in just a few days, had he followed the advice of Israeli military planners; instead, he insisted on a politically correct battle plan that (much like the U.S.' current lackluster efforts in Iraq) ultimately accomplished little more than rearming a stronger enemy. 

Back in the 1970s, when the spectre of political correctness wasn't strangling American speech, one who wasn't afraid to speak out was my brother, Craig. He cut down in print an el-Shawaf who "thought" a certain U.S. General Brown's remark that  "...[Jews] control, you know, the banks..." made sense. As it happens, there's no longer anyone left to rally behind in the fight against hate, but I take inspiration from my brother's effort to tell the world exactly what was necessary, when it needed to be said.  To those who "blame Israel first"  based solely on what they get from the news, and those who aren't sure what to make of what's currently playing on the world stage, the question is not "the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," and never was, regardless whatever nonsense Mahmoud Ahamadinejad told Mike Wallace or anyone else. If Palestinian statehood was the issue, the Palestinians would have accepted a two-state solution at Oslo, wouldn't have just turned down $1 billion simply for agreeing to live side-by-side in peace with Israelis; and wouldn't talk of a "new" intifada, of "never" recognizing Israel, or of only a "20 year truce in exchange for Palestinian statehood." The late Leon Klinghoffer would likely still be alive, Palestinian imams would no longer call upon Palestinians to "murder Jews and Americans whenever and wherever you may find them, in any nation" on Palestinian television, and Saudi rulers would not warn that the Arab nation is about to "explode."  

The issue is, in fact, our Western freedoms and our way of life, and how they're viewed by those who hate us (and who, not surprisingly, espouse Marxism, Islamic fundamentalist theocracy and sharia law, but not Democracy). The "blame Israel and Jews" crowd has learned nothing from history, and Jewish leaders (such as they are) are inexplicably missing in action when it comes to speaking out, or doing something - anything - to try to combat it. As my brother once proudly wrote, "I am a Jew, an American Jew..." - and this American Jew has had enough of politicians of every stripe who are unwilling to say or do what is necessary at a time when it's way overdue. The difficult answers, despite what they tell you, are not found with either Republicans (who had no concept of how to lead effectively) or the newly-elected Democrats (who, despite their campaign promises, suddenly backed down from implementing all the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission the moment the votes were counted). The answers can be found in the hearts and minds of men and women who are made of far stronger stuff than your average politician.

Perhaps the last person I ever thought I'd draw inspiration from is David Lee Roth, original lead singer for rock's Van Halen. In contrast with the average rock star, Dave comes across as a remarkably intelligent guy underneath all the showbiz flash; as it happens, he's also a Member of the Tribe (and has seen and heard plenty, if an interview with a German media outlet that begins with, "So, you are a Jew...?"  is any gauge). When Roth was onstage, Van Halen concerts were always full of action, movement, and electricity. He brought martial arts, gymnastics moves and raw energy into his work, and it made for an entertaining program for the fans. Some time after Roth and the band parted company, he described exactly what made him tick, and what made the original Van Halen so successful. For the Haniyehs and the Ahmadinejads, for the Olmerts, Bushes and Congressmen who don't know the first thing about how to lead, for the good ol' boys and girls at The Country Bar in Phoenix, and for everyone else who still doesn't get it, those words may be instructive:

"Every step I took on [...] stage was smashing some Jew-hating, lousy punk ever deeper into the deck. Every step. I jumped higher 'cause I knew there was going to be more impact when I hit those boards. And if you were even vaguely anti-Semitic, you were under my wheels [...]. What you get from repression and what you get from hatred is fury, and fury was one of the main trigger points for the great Van Halen. What you see now is a bunch of buffoons [...]. What's missing is the testosterone. What's missing is the fury. What's missing is the passionate, convicted commitment. And I got a lot of mine from my religious background. So y'all best stop imagining the way Dr. Zorba looked, or some defenseless Hasidic Jew with a little yarmulke on his head, 'cause that ain't here for you."*

Showbiz references aside, that's pretty much where I'm at. The Arab nation is about to "explode"? Wonderful. Haniyeh offers another empty promise of a "20 year truce" in exchange for Palestinian statehood? Why only a 'truce,' and why only 20 years? Why not a permanent peace as part of a two-state solution? The answer is because Palestinian leaders have never wanted - and will never want - peace with Israel. They had it in the palms of their hands - and threw Barak's last, best offer away in exchange for intifada. Terrific - and I have had enough of it. Hopefully, if I've guessed right, so have you. Are you fed up yet? Have you had enough hate? Are you mad as hell yet? If not, what will it take? It is high past time for men and women of goodwill to take a stand, to do the right thing, to stop complaining, and to not be afraid to fight back when it's necessary. This is one American Jew who is not backing down from the fight.  

(*Excerpted from Crazy from the Heat - David Lee Roth, Copyright 1997 Hyperion New York ISBN 0-7868-6339-0)