General Petraeus Surveys the Scene

Diana West parses the words of General Petraeus, another American military commander who seems to have banished the word "jihad" from his vocabulary (his words are in italics):

He said in his prepared statement:

Insufficient progress toward a comprehensive Middle East peace. The enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges to our ability to advance our interests in the AOR.

Does he mean by "enduring hostilities" the fact that the Islamic world wants to eradicate Israel?

Israeli-Palestinian tensions often flare into violence and large-scale armed confrontations.

Isn't it amazing that the Israelis don't just let the "neighbors'" rockets just keep falling?

The conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of U.S. favoritism for Israel.

Funny, last time I looked the US was allies with Israel ...

Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of U.S. partnerships with governments and peoples in the AOR and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world.

As in: Darn it, Uncle Sam, that country is still there! Can't you do something about that? The umma is restive. Thought outside the box: Maybe those "partners" just aren't on our side.

Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support.

Anger, anger -- has this man never, ever heard of jihad -- and specifically, the jihad against Israel, a once dhimmi nation subjugated by Muslim invaders that has since been restored to sovreignty?

I'm sure he's heard of it. But like General McCrystal he's obviously decided that it has next to no bearing on current events.