Jerusalem and West Bank “Wave of Violence”: No Wave at All

The mainstream media’s description of the recent horrific events in Israel as a “wave a violence” is inaccurate and misleading. While it is true, as many news sources reported in the last few days, that “six people died in Jerusalem and the West Bank,” the deaths of Palestinian rioters and the murder of a Jewish family sitting in their home are not morally equivalent and it is offensive to report them as comparable.

Recently, Palestinian terrorists smuggled weapons into the Temple Mount and murdered two Israeli policemen at the compound. (Notably, Hamas praised these murders as “a heroic operation in Jerusalem.”) Police searches of the area turned up many weapons, including knives and munitions.  In response, for security purposes, metal detectors were installed at the entrance to the Temple Mount.  Cue the call by Palestinian leaders for “resistance” i.e., violent riots.  Excuse me?  Almost every airport, stadium, and public arena, and areas near mosques, temples, and churches all over the world, utilize metal detectors or other security measures to prevent terrorist attacks such as the one perpetrated on the Temple Mount.  As Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli officials state unequivocally over and over again, the status quo at the Temple Mount is not changing.  It seems hard to argue that Palestinian leadership calling for “protests” at the Temple Mount is nothing more than an excuse for incitement.

In the course of these violent riots, Palestinian protestors threw rocks, fireworks and Molotov cocktails at security forces.  This was not your parents’ 70s protest- look at the footage.  The protestors were aiming to wound and kill.  Israeli security attempted to quell the violence and disperse the protestors.  Five Israeli police officers were injured.  Palestinians said three protestors were killed by Israeli responses to the riots (though some reports said a Palestinian died when his firebomb exploded) and Israeli police are investigating these deaths.

Some 20 miles away, a Palestinian terrorist planned to murder Jews on Friday night, and he posted a facebook farewell as he set out to kill the “sons of pigs and monkeys.” As a Jewish family sat down to Sabbath dinner in Halamish, the terrorist burst into their home and slaughtered three family members and wounded a fourth, in front of their respective wives, children and grandchildren.   (Once again, Hamas called the attack “heroic” and said the assailant “lifted the heads of the nation high.”)  Moreover, this depraved murder cannot be excused, explained or justified. Terror cannot ever be legitimized as resulting from metal detectors or security checkpoints or cartoons.  Terror cannot be attached to possible logic in the way that Secretary Kerry could “understand” the slaughtering of the journalists at Charlie Hebdo because the terrorists were “provoked”.  Terror must be unequivocally condemned by leaders around the world. Period.  And the slaughter of a family in their home is terror plain and simple. The deaths of violent Palestinian rioters, the circumstances of which are being investigated, is not comparable.  Let’s make sure the civilized world always knows the difference.