President Bush has hardly put

President Bush has hardly put a wrong foot forward in prosecuting the war against terrorism. But Gary Bauer and Morton Klein, writing in the Washington TImes argue persuasively that he will do so if the administration pursues its so-called Middle East Road Map, which lays the groundwork for the creation of a Palestinian state. Bauer and Klein note that if a Palestinian Arab state is created, its borders will be just a few miles from Israel’s main airport. Thus, terrorists carrying shoulder-launched missiles will be able to shoot at any plane taking off from or landing at that airport. Bauer and Klein wonder whether the administration really believes that giving a sovereign state to the Palestinians will create a civilized democracy, rather than a new terrorist state along the lines of Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Libya. Perhaps the “Arabists” in the State Department believe this, but it’s hard to imagine that President Bush is that naive. I agree with the conclusion of Bauer and Klein: “Terrorists, whether led by Osama bin Laden or Yasser Arafat, should be fought and defeated, not appeased with offers of their own state. To offer the Palestinian Arabs a state after two years in which they have murdered nearly 700 Jews sends a message that terrorism pays. And that is the worst possible message to send at a time when terrorists are threatening America, Israel, and the entire Free World.”

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