Tragedies and Miracles

The Arab terrorists who planted that bomb at a popular bathing spot clearly intended to take many more Jewish lives on Friday. It is a miracle that the father and brother of tragic Rina Schnerb z’l survived this explosion.

As is always the case, the security services will very quickly find the perpetrators and it is my sincere hope that they will resist arrest and be cut down in a hail of IDF firepower to avenge the death of this sweet and innocent teenager, who had only just passed her 17th birthday.

There can be no doubt that, after a weekend of dignified silence, the Israeli airwaves will soon resound with political punditry over the government’s lack of force against Hamas and the PLO and that only Netanyahu stands in the way of the total destruction of them both.

The loss of even one Jewish life – especially one so young – is one too many. But it’s worth taking stock of just how quiet things have actually been over the past three to five years. Yes, there have been isolated terror attacks like this one and bursts of rocket fire from Gaza, but the actual death and casualty numbers among soldiers and civilians seem to be at an all-time low.

It is almost as though there is a lid being clamped down on the Middle East pressure-cooker. And while this relative quiet is maintained, two things are happening. One is the inexorable withering of the Palestinian narrative and its sources of funding. The other is booming tourism and economic investment in Israel.

When you look at Israel, surrounded by mortal enemies, with its Jewish citizens living tooth-to-jowl with tens of thousands of viscerally incited Arabs, it is an open miracle that it sees less terror attacks than there are fatal stabbings in London or shootings in Chicago.

We must all mourn for what happened.
But we must also give thanks for what did not happen.

Fuld – The Day After

We now learn that Ari Fuld’s 17-year-old killer had ordered a falafel which he was eating seconds before he launched his attack. Ascribed to an older person, one would call it a cold calculated killing. But for a 17-year-old it shows us that this generation of Palestinian has simply lost all fear of Jews and the IDF and punishment.

And why not? Most Jews in the territories are not allowed to bear arms and, when they have permits but dare to discharge their weapon, they are subject to the most crushing legal proceedings. As for the IDF, Palestinian kids are routinely sent to border and guard posts to taunt and spit at soldiers with impunity, as long as leftist groups are filming them.

As for punishment – well, you only have to look at the videos from Israeli jails where security prisoners enjoy sports, pizzas and all the time they need for their prayers and creature comforts. The biggest lifer in jail is Marwan Barghouti, who has the freedom to run for Palestinian leadership elections from his cell and cellphone. And, of course these young martyrs know they could be freed at any moment in a swap for dead Israeli soldiers or just to buy some peace and quiet from Hamas on the Gaza border. And, for as long as they are in jail, their families are receiving wages from Abbas, paid with European Aid funds. America to its credit has now cut back this gravy train.

In short, these kids don’t do it for the 72 virgins – now they do it for the money.

If there is one vital lesson from this attack and the spate of random stabbings in this silent Intifada, it is that the Jewish state needs to restore deterrence and take the gloves of human rights and political correctness off its soldiers and those volunteers who guard our towns and settlements. We need to restore the balance of terror and the devil may care about world opinion.

Also in the day after this massive tragedy we have heard from the mayor of this Arab killer’s city of Yatta in the West Bank. He says this happened because "Many things can cause a person to reach a state of abject humiliation. People here are hungry and they have no money to buy food. Their self-respect has been trampled."

Let me tell you something Mr Mayor. If your people are penniless and hungry it is because your Mr Abbas uses your European aid money to pay the wages of Jew-killers like your boy. Last year he paid out $350 million – this year it will be $403 million. That’s where your bread and potatoes, your fuel and your jobs are going.

The definition of Chutzpah used to be the kid who killed his parents and asked for the court’s mercy because he was an orphan. The new definition is blaming murder on poverty when the murderer causes the poverty which supposedly incited the murder.

How Israel needs to respond to de-legitimisation

Another outspoken interview by Melanie Phillips.

Middle East conflict explained in 6 minutes

Bibi at 28

A 28-year old Benyamin Netanyahu, calling himself Ben Nitay, debates on the 1978 US TV show "The Advocate" against Palestinian self-determination and intriguingly suggests West Bank and Gaza Palestinians could have Israeli citizenship.





He is debated (or rather questioned) by Fouad Ajami, now professor at Johns Hopkins University's SAIS. Note that Bibi says that while he opposes a Palestinian state, he thinks Palestinians could vote and have full rights in either Jordan or Israel - essentially endorsing a one-state solution.