In the aftermath of the Dubai assassination, Barry Rubin offers this timely reminder:
As long as Western states do nothing to help bring Hamas or Hizballah terrorists to justice, and since Israel has no way of getting these people before a court, it has no option other than the extra-judicial one. Remember that an Israeli cabinet minister is more likely to face prosecution in the United Kingdom nowadays than a terrorist who has murdered Israeli civilians.
Some European countries—France and Italy have admitted as much regarding past deals—have secret agreements with terrorist groups to allow them to operate freely as long as they don’t do attacks within the country. Other terrorists—like the Palestinians who hijacked the Achille Lauro cruise ship and murdered an American citizen or one of the Libyan masterminds of the Lockerbie plane bombing that killed scores of passengers, mainly Americans—have been released from prison without completing their terms.
