The great Jewish poet, Chaim Nahman Bialik, wrote in his epic poem, The City of Slaughter, about the 1903 Kishinev pogroms: “revenge for the blood of a little child — has yet to be devised by Satan.”
Last week, Israel experienced two deadly Jihadi-style terrorist attacks: In the first a terrorist murdered a 16-year-old girl in a vicious knife attack that also injured five others.
In the second, terrorists set fire to a home in the West Bank village of Duma, burning to death a beautiful 18-month-old and leaving his parents and 4-year-old brother fighting for their lives.
In both attacks the terrorists were orthodox Jews. Both attacks were motivated by fanaticism.
The first happened last Thursday, during the annual Gay Rights Parade in Jerusalem. This event has always drawn large crowds of gay and non-gay supporters and marchers, as well as vocal and sometimes violent anti-gay protesters. It is always protected by large numbers of police.
Twelve years ago an orthodox Jewish man named Yishai Shlissel attacked the marchers with a butcher knife, injuring several. Arrested, tried and convicted, he was released from prison just four weeks ago, after serving 10 years of his 12-year sentence.
Despite the police knowing of his release and probable presence in Jerusalem, Shlissel (in full orthodox dress including a long, black coat on a blistering hot day) was able to rush into the parade brandishing a butcher knife and stab six of the participants, killing Shira Banki, an honors student at the prestigious Hebrew University High School in Jerusalem, before he was overcome and arrested.
In the second attack, members of an underground organization known as the “Revolt” or the “Price Tag” group (after the messages they spray on structures they deface or damage) threw gasoline and Molotov cocktails into two homes in the Palestinian village of Duma in the West Bank. One house was empty. The other house was occupied by the Dawabshe family.
The youngest child, 18-month-old Ali Dawabshe, was burned alive.
These Jewish terrorist groups may be random “wild weeds” in Israel’s religious ideological society, but they are brainwashed and encouraged by a small number of extremist rabbis who claim that the victory of Israel against Jordan in the Six-Day War was, in fact, God returning the “Promised Land” to Abraham’s descendants, and therefore cannot be negotiated away.
They follow religiously the anti-Arab racist teachings of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane. It was no surprise that Monday, the Israeli Shin Bet arrested far-right activist Meir Ettinger, the firebrand grandson of Rabbi Kahane and one of the leaders of the “Revolt.” According to his worldview, violence must be committed in order to light the flames of conflict and cause the Israeli government to collapse. Anarchy would follow, and then a new (orthodox) order could be created.
Israel must stop ignoring these “wild weeds” and deal with them with force and determination at every level. They and those who inspire and encourage them must be regarded as full-blown terrorists, incarcerated for long periods of time (either judicially or administratively), and not allowed to be glorified or praised.
Netanyahu has tough decisions to make and execute, since the Shlissels of Israel, the Ettingers of Israel and the rabid, fanatical rabbis that goad them on have at least the tacit support and sympathy of some of the parties in his very narrow coalition.
This Jewish “holy” terrorism must be eradicated.
Agree or disagree, that’s my opinion.
Lt. Col. (IDF res) Gil Elan is president and CEO of the Southwest Jewish Congress, and a Middle East analyst. Email: gil@swjc.org
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