The recent news that al Qaida and its affiliates were planning Mumbai-style attacks on European cities has caused many to once again consider the root-causes of terrorism. In an editorial titled "Why Do Radical Muslims Want to Kill Europeans," Khaled Abu Toameh evaluates one of the most frequently cited triggers of terrorism—the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Evaluating how the new threat fits into the historical danger posed by international terrorist organizations, Toameh explains:

"If the Americans deserve to be murdered because of Washington's 'bias' in favor of Israel, why are countries such as France, Britain, and Germany—which have, generally speaking, been very supportive of the Palestinians—now on the black list of radical Islamic groups?"

We asked similar questions recently, concluding that attempts to portray the destruction of the State of Israel as a panacea for world peace was at best, "academically dishonest, ignoring a laundry list of grievances used to justify terrorism." And while we hinted at ongoing threats posed to other Western countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, Australia, Canada, Toameh shows how the recent plot indicates that "al Qaida was established with one goal in mind: to defeat all the non-believers, including the US and its Arab, Muslim, and Western allies."

Recognizing the threat, we concluded that whether or not Israel exists as a nation-state, terrorism will remain a threat. That's because, as Toameh explains, the problem isn't our support or refusal to support other countries, but our beliefs and democratic government:

"the Europeans are being targeted for the same reason the Americans are: for being 'infidels' and enemies of Islam and for the Western values they represent. They are being targeted because of their failure to transform into Islamic countries."