Here is just one more example of how people jump on Israel. Here we find
the United States arresting a terror ring, but there are those who use
this as another opportunity to attack U.S. support for Israel. Wouldn't
the moral thing to do be to applaud the U.S. for stopping a cell that
supports the killing and maiming of innocent civilians whether they be
Americans or not?

This is from today's news:

Today's breaking news includes the arrest of Sami
Al-Arian, whose involvement in raising funds for Islamic
Jihad terrorists was first exposed by Steve Emerson in
1994.    [For a detailed look at Emerson's investigation
of Al-Arian, see Emerson's statement before the Senate
Subcommittee on Terrorism:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/6453/emerson.html  ]

As reported by Fox News, Attorney General John
Ashcroft announced today that Al-Arian "and seven
other men were charged Thursday in a 50-count
indictment with operating a criminal racketeering
enterprise since 1984 that supported Palestinian
Islamic Jihad. They are also charged with conspiracy
to kill and maim people abroad; conspiracy to provide
material support to the group; extortion; perjury; mail
and wire fraud; obstruction of justice; and attempt to
procure citizenship or naturalization unlawfully to help
terrorists.  All eight could get life in prison if convicted.
'Our message to them and others like them is clear,'
Ashcroft said. 'We make no distinction between those who
carry out terror attacks and those who finance and
manage [them].' "

While several Fox News reports and commentaries today
provided information about Islamic Jihad, many other news
organizations are reporting the arrest of Al-Arian with little context. 

Some reporters at the Ashcroft press
conference asked questions
that appeared to suggest that since Palestinian Islamic
Jihad focuses its attacks on Israelis, the United States should
not get involved in dismantling its operations here.  A reporter
asked if the arrests would simply encourage Palestinian Islamic
Jihad to spread its terrorism from Israel to the United States. 
Another asked if there was any connection between Al Qaeda and Islamic
Jihad,
as if that link was necessary to
make Islamic Jihad a concern to the U.S.

MSNBC's Pat Buchanan used news of the arrests
to launch an anti-Israel tirade. On today's "Buchanan and Press"
show, Buchanan accused Ashcroft and a number of
Bush's advisers of simply doing Israel's bidding, and not
working for America's interests.