RUSSIA'S HYPOCRISY

Russian FM: Chechen Muslim terror evil, but justifies support for PLO Terror State and help for Iranian Nukes.
The day before the Russian Foreign Minister came to Israel, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin, to express his shock at the seizure of the Russian school in Beslan. Sharon told Putin that, "We must concentrate political and intelligence efforts so as to destroy terror." The two agreed that cooperation in the security, intelligence, and humanitarian fields would continue. Putin in return, expressed his condolences for the recent bus bombings in Be'er Sheva, and said that the Russians value Israel's resolve in preventing terror attacks.

"Israel, which has suffered from terrorism for decades, stands beside the Russian people," Sharon said at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting. "The terrorist activities in Russia against innocent civilians prove anew that terror has no borders and a single goal: to destroy and sow ruin," Sharon continued, "Terror has no justification, and its time for the free, decent, humanistic world to unite and fight this terrible plague, which has no borders or fences."

An Israeli official close to Sharon said that Russia and Israel were natural allies in the battle against terror. Russia now has greater cause to listen to what Israel has to say, "They understand now that what they have is not a local terror problem but part of the global Islamic terror threat," the official said. "The Russians may listen to our suggestions this time. Russians now understand that there can be no distinction drawn between a good and a bad terrorist," he added. "One cannot on the one hand refuse to condemn the so-called liberation movements which have recourse to terrorism and only denounce the radical Islamic movements." Israeli officials quickly drew parallels between Moscow's conflict with Chechen rebels and their own battle against the Palestinians.

But when the Russian Foreign Minister later spoke in Israel about global terror, he differentiated between Palestinian terror against Israel, and Chechen terror against Russia.

That's right, while the Russian Foreign Minister spoke of the need for a global counter-terror alliance, he warned against seeing a similarity between the fight against international terror; drawing a line, saying, there is a clear difference between the Chechen conflict and what is between Israel and the Palestinians. Lavrov said the international community considers the West Bank and Gaza as occupied territory, but concerning Chechnya, the Russian Foreign Minister wondered aloud, "How can one be an occupier in his own country? Chechnya is part of Russia."

One could say the same for Israel vis-a-vis Judea, Samaria (the West Bank) and Gaza.
P.S. Czarist Russia conquered and occupied Chechnya in the 19th century, the Jewish people's homeland included Judea, Samaria, and Gaza for about 29 centuries longer...