The Blogs: Why stand with terrorists?

On, March 11, 1978, 39 year old Gail Rubin was photographing birds at the Maagan Michael kibbutz in northern Israel. She was approached by a group of men who killed her and stole her car. The New York Times and other sources reported the act as part of a raid by Palestinian terrorists.^[7] She was the first of 33 people to die in the attack.^[8]^[9] Her death is attributed to Dalal Mughrabi.^[10]^{[11] (Wikipedia)}

^{She was a former student at the University of Michigan, the only child of American businessman Jonathan Rubin and psychologist Estelle Rubin. She was also the niece of former U.S. Senator Abraham Ribicoff.}

^{Johara Baker of MIFTAH later wrote in support of pensions given to her killer, Dalal Mughrabi, and of a public square in named in the killer’s}^honor.

^{“Claims of incitement are not limited to schoolbooks, unfortunately. When Palestinians named a square after Dalal Al Mughrabi, a Palestinian fighter who was killed during a military operation against Israel in 1978, Israel was up in arms, claiming the Palestinians should not be allowed to name streets or squares after “terrorists.” Israeli watchdog groups and the Israeli government play on the fact that Palestinians have named streets after Abu Jihad (Khalil Al Wazir) and Yehya Ayash. The prisoner stipends are just the latest episode in the drama”}

Algemeiner notes

So, the murderer of a US senator’s niece is “a Palestinian fighter” and a “hero.”
Baker’s use of quotation marks around the term “terrorist” makes it clear that she rejects that description. Baker writes that the murders Mughrabi carried out were “a military operation.”
Shooting an American Jewish nature photographer in the head was a “military operation,” and the shooter was a “hero.”

Recently, the MIFTAH organization has appeared in media reports. That’s because the trip to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which American Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib tried to take, was to have been organized and sponsored by MIFTAH.

President Donald Trump was appalled that two members of Congress would have participated with such a group. Here is what he said:

“I can’t even believe we’re having this conversation. Five years ago, the concept of cutting off aid to Israel because of two people that hate Israel and hate Jewish people…
“Where has the Democratic Party gone? Where have they gone that they’re defending these two people over the State of Israel?
“I think that any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it either shows a total lack of knowledge, or great disloyalty.”

Ruthie Blum, writing in the Jerusalem Post, noted

“Through tears, at three o’clock in the morning,” Rashida Tlaib said, “we all decided as a family that I could not go until I was a free, American, United States congresswoman, coming there not only to see my grandmother, but to talk to Palestinian and Israeli organizations that believed that my grandmother deserved human dignity as much as anyone else does.”

So, the Michigan Congresswoman refused to visit her grandmother unless able to confer and cooperate with people who see nothing wrong with the slaughter of Jews.

Reform Judaism, and other liberal groups stood with the two Congresswomen. “Israel’s decision to bar U.S. Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from entering the country is wrong, full stop. Democracies do not hide; they can protect their security and well-being and also celebrate robust debate and engagement in the public square.” (Israel’s decision to bar U.S. Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from entering the country is wrong, full stop. Democracies do not hide; they can protect their security and well-being and also celebrate robust debate and engagement in the public square.) https://urj.org/blog/2019/08/15/urj-president-rabbi-rick-jacobs-israels-decision-bar-us-representatives-wrong

Another Jewish woman was cut down this week by Palestinian terrorism. The Times of Israel reported

Rina Shnerb, 17, of Lod, was critically wounded in the attack and received treatment at the scene from civilian and military medics before being pronounced dead of her injuries. Her father Eitan, a rabbi in Lod, and brother Dvir, 19, were taken by military helicopter to a Jerusalem hospital in serious condition, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.

Her killer and/or family will likely get a pension and a town square named after him or her.

It’s easy to hate the President. But it’s wrong to stand with terrorists, as the two Congresswomen do.