Even in the twisted world of security services, it is unlikely that Israel has kept this information quiet for years. Probably we received the info only recently from Turkey’s ousted intelligence chiefs, who wanted to pay back Erdogan.

A proper move for Israel would have been to strike at Bin Laden immediately and claim immense PR credit in the United States. Our failure to do so testifies how obscenely weak Israeli political leaders have become.

The Pakistani made several errors. He did not erase the vehicle identification number from the engine. He used a traceable phone number to purchase the car. He did not escape the United States immediately after placing the bomb. And he attempted to leave through JFK airport rather than through the porous land or sea borders.

Oddly, the Taliban claimed the attack was a revenge for the assassination of Al Qaeda commanders in Iraq, though Pakistani Taliban could have cited plenty of local grievances, such as CIA drone raids against their strongholds.

If the car bomb was planted by Muslims, that might be a harbinger of Pearl Harbor proportions. A 9/11-type hijacking is a relatively sophisticated affair, but Muslim saboteurs can easily plant any number of car bombs anywhere in America. Unless the American national spirit has changed drastically in the last seven decades, such ubiquitous attacks would push US public opinion toward an all-out war against terrorist-supporting Muslim regimes.

Quantity is the real test. If car bombs start popping up in US cities, we can assume the Times Square bombing attempt was for real. Some details are immediately suspect. Why would the terrorists use a false license plate instead of renting a legitimate car? How did they get hold of a license plate which the owner had sent for scrapping? Why use an SUV instead of a roomy mini-van, which is standard car for bombings, and less conspicuous for parking? Not the least, technical failures are extremely uncommon in car bombs, which are carefully assembled in suitable conditions.

Two cops were killed by a Muslim suicide bomber in Russia.

41 people were killed by suicide bombing in Pakistan during a political demonstration.

Arabs attacked Jews near their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem.

Nation states were built on the promise of wide-scale security for their citizens, but it is clear now that the world has returned to the historical norm—every man must watch his own back.

But we see no basis for the conclusion that Al Qaeda was involved. Al Qaeda had no good reason to bomb a plane carrying Nasrallah and other Hezbollah leaders. They changed their tickets at the last minute.

It is also unlikely that Al Qaeda tipped Hezbollah’s people to change planes. They would rather call off the bombing than risk leaking their plans. Hezbollah would have informed the Ethiopians about the plan, since the terrorist group depends on Ethiopia for arms trafficking. Al Qaeda had no incentive at all to blow up an Ethiopian jet.

The bombing plot against Nasrallah might suggest Israeli involvement, but it is our long-standing policy to avoid huge collateral damage.

And the precautions are hopeless, as we have long argued. Explosives can be hidden in checked luggage; terrorists have plenty of unprotected targets besides planes. Terrorists have already transported bombs in their bodies: will passengers soon face a check by a proctologist? The Christmas terrorist hid liquid detonators in his underpants: will all passengers be strip-searched now?

The story of the US State Department not revoking the terrorist’s visa six months after his father notified them of his son’s Islamist affiliation will undoubtedly feed conspiracy theories.

Intercepting such body bombs would require completely refurbishing airport security with ultra-sensitive metal detectors capable of detecting the small amounts of metal used for detonators. But then, terrorists can use liquid detonators, which have no metal parts.

Unable to refuse protection to an honored guest, the Taliban would love to see Bin Laden gone. His popularity in Pakistan threatened local radical leaders. Though Osama could have died of illnesses, too many local parties had a keen interest in quietly assassinating him.

Other nations, America included, negotiate ransoms for their ships.

Israel fully cooperates with Al Jazeera, even to the extent of granting it permission to enter Gaza and attend the Israeli government’s press conferences.

Though commercially available plague strains are treatable, the Russians (and reportedly the Iranians) have developed military-grade strains totally resistant to treatment.

It’s hard to recall a single instance when Palestinian terrorists have spared a baby. The Israeli government recently released an Arab star terrorist, Samir Kuntar, one of many Arabs who have murdered an entire Jewish family.