West must protect its values

The horror stories that have been coming from Syria and Iraq were somewhat forgotten this weekend as news broke of the terrible massacre in Orlando in which 50 people were killed by Omar Mateen at the Pulse gay nightclub.

This massacre came just three days after the terrible deadly attack at Tel Aviv's Sarona Market, carried out by two Palestinian terrorists who murdered four Israelis as part of yet another terror wave, which we will overcome -- again.

Over the past year, France and Belgium -- important Western countries -- have experienced horrendous terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of hundreds of people. Western countries have been receiving terror threats on a daily basis and the Euro 2016 soccer tournament in France is now the main target.

There is a direct link between the events that have taken place in the Middle East and those happening in Europe and the U.S. Western values are under threat.

From a historical perspective, the West is in experiencing one of its finest hours, as values of freedom, democracy and acceptance of the other are deemed to be superior and worthy of fighting for and protecting at all costs. On the other hand, safeguarding these values has been one of the most challenging tasks the Western world has faced since World War II.

No, I do not intend to compare the power and massive resources of the Nazi and fascist regimes to those of ISIS, Palestinian terrorist groups and other dark forces. Rather, I want to highlight the fact that to preserve that which was so painstakingly achieved, the West must find a way to prevail.

Barack Obama's presidential election victory in 2008 was one of the most prominent symbols of the triumph of those Western values. Obama sought to change the Bush administration's policies and open dialogues with forces hostile to Western values. But reality stepped in and proved this to be difficult.

The terrible massacre in Orlando, which was motivated by pure hatred for the personal choice of free people, represents the Gordian knot between those promoting human values and murderous forces sowing violence and destruction.

The West is facing an intrinsic paradox as it seeks to protect the safety of its people and values. To do so, it will have no choice but to use means that are not necessarily democratic, which will be opposed by domestic political forces.

During World War II, leaders of the Allied powers were almost completely united fighting Hitler and his associates. We are far from such unity today. Moreover, if World War II saw clear front lines, now, with the mass migration from the Middle East to Western countries, the lines have been blurred and enemies of the West include those it has given refuge to. The new rules of terrorism require a new strategy. And history has shown it to be feasible.

Eli Hazan is Likud's director of communications and international relations.