Don't Let Me Stop You: Terrorist Strike in Israel

The murderous attack on Israeli Arabs by an Israeli Defense Force defector was rightly condemened by Ariel Sharon and the vast majority of Israelis. Sharon immediately pledged that the victims and their families would receive the same "benefits" as the victims and families of Arab terrorism receive under Isreali law. If the Arabs, their governments and the Palestinian Authority were reacting the same way to all terrorist acts against Jews, the Arab-Israeli conflict would be well on the way to a true solution.

The striking thing about the attack, of course, is that Jewish terrorism against Arab civilians is so rare. The attack has stirred fears in the Arab population in Israel, as reported by the al-Reuters "news" agency in this article:

"But Israeli Arabs say the killings have heightened fears that they will bear the brunt of ultra-rightist Israeli anger over Israel's upcoming pullout from the Gaza Strip even though Arab citizens have generally avoided armed conflict with Israel. 'We are targeted by racists, by fundamentalists. We are worried especially if they withdraw from Gaza that these people might take revenge on us Arabs,' said Kamal Kaderiya, a Muslim in a white skullcap who attended Friday's funerals.

One can certainly understand this fear. However, considering how strongly the actions of a single extremist were condemned by all segments of Israeli society, the risk seems quite low. In a way the Israeli Arabs are getting a sense of what things are like for the rest of their countrymen:

'We live in Israel but are originally Palestinians. We have Israeli nationality. So they must provide security and take away weapons from people who would do this kind of barbaric act.' Arabs make up about a fifth of Israel's population and sympathize with a Palestinian revolt in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza. They also complain of rampant discrimination and say Israel is not doing enough to protect them. 'I think there is a majority of Arabs who thought wrongly that we were secure here,' said Khaled Daghash, director of the Haifa-based Center Against Racism, who protested in Shfaram. 'We think this terrorist is not alone. There are so many people who support him. Racism is the cause of these attacks and we are afraid this one will not be the last.'

They certainly have the right to expect protection from the Israeli authorities. Now imagine a Jewish community in the West Bank or Gaza areas under the "protection" of the PA. Where would you and your family feel safer? To ask the question is to answer it.

A palpable sense of rage permeated Shfaram after the shootings, although police refrained from entering the town during the funerals to minimize the risk of violence. Israeli-Arab activist Abed Anabtawy, quoted by Israel's Ynet news Web Site, said: 'A public that feels its security has been abandoned will do everything to defend itself and therefore all possibilities are open to us including an Intifada.'"

Yeah, that'll work.