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Shayna Abramson

The Need for Critique, Even in a Moment of Sadness

Like all Israelis, I am horrified by the Palestinian terrorist attack against an Israeli couple last night in the West Bank as they were en route to the delivery room. As I sit here writing, the woman is in critical condition, and the status of her baby is unclear.
Unfortunately, the heating up of things in the West Bank is not surprising, because  there has been a major security risk going unchecked by the IDF:
For weeks, nearly every day, Jewish terrorists have engaged in attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. Sometimes it’s graffiti or vandalism, sometimes it’s beating people up.
The IDF has been mostly ignoring or sometimes even aiding these attacks.
Such attacks are deemed a security threat by the Shin Bet. There is already plenty of Palestinian hatred towards Israelis and propensity to violence towards Israelis; Jewish attacks against Palestinians serve to increase both of these trends.
When a right wing activist writes that a terror attack against Jews is a result of Israel not dealing harshly enough with terror attacks or with Palestinians in the West Bank, or not allowing enough settlement growth or annexation, this is treated as normal.
When a left wing activist critiques Israeli policy as endangering Israeli security, this is labelled as victim blaming.
But the fact is, that Israeli policy impacts Israeli security and if we care about preventing the next attack we need to ask ourselves what the best way is to do so.
This means that it is both legitimate and necessary for people across the political spectrum to critique Israeli policy if they feel that said policy endangers Israeli lives.
Nothing justifies Palestinian terror attacks against Israelis. Terrorists and terror organizations must be held accountable for their actions. However, nothing takes place in a vacuum. To think that Israeli policy has no impact on Palestinian action is to put ourselves in a position of powerlessness. It means that we have no ability to affect outcomes
 This attitude of powerlessness is un-Zionist, because Zionism is in many ways a movement of Jewish empowerment.
Palestinian terror attacks against us certainly impact our attitudes towards Palestinians and our policies and actions towards them. Why would the opposite not be true?
As I write these words, I find myself constantly refreshing the news looking for updates on the woman’s medical condition and that of her baby. I pray for their complete recovery, and for the peace and safety of our nation.
About the Author
Rabbi Shayna Abramson is a graduate of Beit Midrash Har'el in Jerusalem. She holds M.A.s in Jewish Education and Political Science from Hebrew University, and is currently pursuing a PHD in Gender Studies at Bar Ilan University, with a focus on gender and halacha. A native Manhattanite, she currently resides in Jerusalem with her family.