Today’s Brisbane Courier Mail newspaper had a piece in it that was written by Joseph Wakim who describes himself as a freelance writer and founder of the Australian Arabic Council. This Arab has the audacity to try to get some mileage out of the APEC security measures in Sydney to whinge about Israel’s security fence for which the Palestinian terrorists are entirely responsible.

He bleats about the inconvenience to his people which is not in dispute. Yep, it may be making it hard for the ordinary, peaceful folk to conduct their lives, BUT it is also making it harder for the suicide bombers to blow up Israelis. Wakim should be annoyed with the suicide bombers who are making it hard for the nice Palestinians, but instead, he prefers to blame the Israelis who are simply trying to protect the lives of their own people.

It’s a no brainer to realise that it if it weren’t for the constant attacks by suicide bombers who don’t care whom they kill, women, babies, old folk, young students, there would be no need for a security fence. Even Wakim concedes that the fence was built after the Intifada began.

What really gets my goat is that Wakim says that the excuse for building the security fence was facilitated “by defining those on the other side of the fence as violent.” No kidding. How else can one describe a suicide bomber? Wakim says this is name-calling. Calling a suicide bomber a violent murderer seems pretty appropriate to me.

Whereas the security fence in Sydney is a temporary inconvenience, he says, imagine how the Palestinians are suffering. Well, the fence will come down when the Palestinians and their pals stop trying to blow up everyone on the other side of the fence.

What do these Arabs expect? A welcome mat? No way! In my opinion, one should take every measure to protect oneself and if it takes a fence then so be it.

Wakim makes a point of revelling in this week’s Israeli Supreme Court judgement which will allow some Palestinians to reclaim some of their land. The Palestinians used litigation instead of dynamite to win their case. Well, isn’t that what Israel has always wanted? A bit of peaceful negotiation?

When I read about this decision I marvelled at the admirable ethics of the Israeli judiciary and I couldn’t help but think that no Israeli would be treated that way if the shoe were on the other foot and he was dealing with a Palestinian court.

The most stupid comment made by Wakim is that the temporary security fence in Sydney will not stop any missiles. Well, he ought to know.

As for his sarcastic remark that he hopes the $169 million spent on security for the APEC meeting “will indeed protect us” this makes me laugh. Oh come now. Surely the founder of the Australian Arabic Council is aware that he is probably under surveillance right now and is unlikely to be in danger from people like him. Besides, the protection is for our eminent visitors and not for Dinky Di Aussies like Joseph Wakim.