GREEN EGGS AND HAMAS

In the war-torn Gaza Strip and West Bank, Palestinian children are taught from infancy to hate the Israeli occupation and consider the role of suicide bomber one of the noblest callings in life. Is it any wonder that radical terrorist group Hamas, which rejects the two-state solution and denies Israel's right to exist, has superceded the fumbling, awkward Palestinian Authority in popularity among the people?

A recent survey revealed that 71 percent of Palestinians would welcome Osama bin Laden's leadership. This is a gut check to the liberal lobbyists who paint Palestinian terror in a more favorable light than al-Qaida. Furthermore, Time magazine revealed May 26 that Hamas operatives had joined an al-Qaida cell in Africa and the two groups may be pooling resources to carry out attacks on American targets overseas.

If the U.S. continues to tolerate Palestinian terrorism, President Bush's words on Sept. 12, 2001 warning nations that they can choose to be either "with us or against us" in the war on terror will be rendered false, a slick sales pitch made to a grieving nation that wasn't honored at a pivotal time when integrity mattered most.

Bush's words are only as valuable as the force behind them. With no bite behind its bark, the U.S. condemnation of Mideast terror isn't worth a shekel.