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Friday, July 31, 2015

07/31 Links Pt1: Don’t let the dark side win; Alleged Jewish terrorists help the Islamists succeed

From Ian:

Don’t let the dark side win
Can it be that this is taking place in the same country?
On a balmy Thursday, a small group of Jerusalem-area Palestinians and Israelis sat around a large table at a café near the Almog Junction on the way to the Dead Sea. The topic of this installment in their congenial monthly interfaith encounter between Muslims and Jews was the concept of heaven and hell in each religion.
A couple hours later, around 1,000 mostly Anglo music lovers of all ages gathered at Jerusalem’s Kraft Stadium for the annual Jerusalem Woodstock Revival featuring the good vibes and sounds of the 1960s. Both events symbolized the country aiming for its ideals – tolerance, understanding and freedom.
However at the same time as kippa-clad, tie-dye t-shirt wearers were grooving to the music of Cream and The Grateful Dead, three kilometers away a crazed Jewish extremist was stabbing six people who had gathered to support or participate in the Jerusalem Pride parade.
A few hours after that, two masked men – believed to be Jewish settlers, reached the Dawabsha home in the Palestinian village of Duma, broke windows, and hurled Molotov cocktails inside. The fire that resulted killed the family’s toddler, Ali Saad Dawabsha and seriously injured three members of his family.
Those incidents capped a week of unrest that can only be considered insurgence against the state of Israel – from within. Settlers hurled rocks at security forces in Beit El, after the troops began demolishing two illegal buildings. Bayit Yehudi MK Moti Yogev called to “bulldoze the Supreme Court” in response to an earlier High Court of Justice rejection of an appeal seeking to prevent their demolition.
Thursday night’s anti-gay stabbing, the Duma terror atrocity, the attacks by right-wing extremists on security forces and threats made by legislators against Israeli institutions all point to the fact that there are Jews in Israel who aren’t prepared to accept its democratic nature.
Alleged Jewish terrorists help the Islamists achieve their goals
Earlier this week, Hamas called for a “Day of Rage” on Friday to protest against what it claimed were efforts “to harm al-Aqsa Mosque” in Jerusalem. It is unlikely anybody in Israel’s security establishment was unduly bothered. Hamas has been trying for some time to heat up the West Bank, without much success. But what happened overnight in Duma, south of Nablus, entirely changes the picture.
The despicable murder of 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha, in an attack that also leaves his mother, father and brother fighting for their lives, is likely to shatter the Palestinians’ indifference. The Day of Rage that seemed unlikely to bring thousands into the streets may now become a day of violent confrontation and the start of the escalation Hamas has long been seeking.
Sickeningly, the Jewish terrorists allegedly responsible for the Duma attack are helping an Islamist terror group achieve its goals.
There is, it should be stressed, no guarantee that a widespread Palestinian protest will erupt and be sustained. For years, the Palestinian masses have refrained from joining the Islamists’ efforts at escalation against Israel, for several reasons: a lack of motivation given the scars of the Second Intifada; the desire to find employment and a better quality of life; and deep disappointment in both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.
Israelly Cool: Thou Shall Not Murder
Less than 24 hours. 2 shocking acts of murder and attempted murder.
Seemingly perpetrated by fellow Jews.
The first: Stabbing of participants at yesterday’s Jerusalem gay pride parade, by a so-called “Orthodox” Jew.
The second: The murder of a toddler in an arson attack perpetrated against a palestinian family, in an apparent “price tag attack.”
I cannot not address these acts.
Both attacks had a religious element. As a religiously observant Jew, I feel compelled to speak out loudly and clearly against this desecration of G-d’s name and corruption of the ideals of the Torah from where we are taught “Thou shall not murder.”
There is no way it is G-d’s will to have His name desecrated in commission of crimes going against one of His Ten Commandments.
There are no ifs and buts about it. These are deplorable, evil acts and we need to speak out promptly and clearly against them, just like we do against palestinian terrorism.
And yes, I do consider them also to be terrorism, rather than simply “hate crimes.” True, these are not the acts of terror organizations, but rather individuals. However, this is not a prerequisite for terrorism, which can be defined as “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”



PM condemns ‘horrific, heinous terror attack’ on Palestinians
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday forcefully condemned the arson attack on a Palestinian family — in which an infant was burned to death — as a “horrific, heinous” crime that is “a terror attack in every respect.”
Two homes in the Palestinian village of Duma, south of Nablus, were set alight, and the Hebrew words “Revenge” and “Long live the king messiah” were spray-painted on their walls, alongside a Star of David, overnight Thursday-Friday, apparently by Jewish extremists.
The child killed in the attack, Ali Saad Dawabsha, was 18 months old. The infant’s parents, as well as his 4-year-old brother, were all injured and evacuated to the hospital. The mother and toddler were in critical condition.
“I am shocked by this horrific, heinous act,” said Netanyahu in a statement. “This is a terror attack in every respect. The State of Israel deals forcefully with terror, regardless of who the perpetrators are.”
Ya'alon: We will not allow Jewish terrorists to harm Palestinians
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon referred to the incident and the death of baby Ali Dawabsha as "a most severe terrorist act that we cannot tolerate, and we condemn in every way."
He noted that all security forces including the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the IDF and police are carrying out a "supreme effort" to find those responsible, saying "we will pursue them until we get our hands on them."
"We will not allow Jewish terrorists to harm the lives of Palestinians across Judea and Samaria. We will fight them in every way, with every tool at our disposal."
He sent out his condolences to the Dawabsha family and requested restraint from the public "to allowing security forces to carry out their mission of capturing the murderers."
Opposition leader MK Herzog echoed a similar sentiment, calling the attack "a disaster--the worst kind of terrorism."
On his Facebook page, he added that this incident "requires national mourning." He also advised security officials to "increase vigilance and to investigate the incident with all the power available to them, including arrests and investigations to bring those responsible to justice as quickly as possible."
Bayit Yehudi leader, MK Naftali Bennett's response referred to the incident as "shocking" and flat out murder, "not a hate crime, and not a price tag attack."
He, too, called on security services to "act with determination to reach the murderers to be punished to the full extent of the law."
Invoking Holocaust, minister urges soul-searching after arson attack
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) on Friday said that Israelis must do some serious “soul-searching” after a Palestinian toddler was killed in an arson attack, likely by Jewish extremists.
“We have a lot of lessons to learn as a society as a result of the incidents of last night,” said Erdan. “The signs point to this attack being carried out by Jews. A nation whose children were burned in the Holocaust needs to do a lot of soul-searching if it bred people who burn other human beings.”
The minister urged “restraint, calm and coexistence,” in the aftermath of the attack in the village of Duma.
Two homes in the Palestinian village south of Nablus, were set alight, and the Hebrew words “Revenge” and “Long live the king messiah” were spray-painted on their walls, alongside a Star of David, overnight Thursday-Friday. The child killed in the attack, Ali Saad Dawabsha, was 18 months old. The infant’s parents, as well as his 4-year-old brother, were all injured and evacuated to the hospital. The mother and toddler were reported to be in critical condition.
Israel hasn't done enough to combat Jewish terrorism, Rivlin says
Israel's leadership joined their European colleagues on Friday in denouncing the deadly arson attack that claimed the life of a Palestinian toddler in the West Bank before dawn.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu phoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Friday afternoon in the wake of the terror attack in Duma and said that Israel was shocked by the act of “heinous terror.”
“We must fight together against terror, regardless of the side it comes from,” he said. He told Abbas that he directed the security services to use all means at its disposal to locate the murderers of the Palestinian baby, Ali Dawabsha.
IDF and Police Bracing for Arab Revenge after Murder of Baby near Shechem
The presumed Jewish terrorists whose arson attack killed a baby and left the other and a brother in critical condition may have set fire to the entire country.
Hamas and other Palestinian Authority groups already had planned another “day of rage” Friday because of the recent deaths of three Arab rioters who clashed with Israeli police and soldiers.
This morning’s arson attack literally poured oil on the flames.
Thousands of soldiers have been deployed to the Temple Mount, where authorities are restricting entrance for Muslim prayers Friday morning because of fears of violence. All leaves of absence for soldiers have been postponed at lest until Friday afternoon.
Doctors at Tel HaShomer Hospital in Tel Aviv are desperately trying to save the lives of the baby’s mother and a brother, who were severely burned in the pre-dawn attack.
IDF Helicopter Flew Arson Victims to Tel Aviv Hospital [video]
The IDF has released a video showing Palestinian Authority medics and Israeli soldiers working together to carry a victim of the arson-murder Friday morning to a military helicopter.
The aircraft flew to Tel HaShomer Hospital.
An 18-month-old baby dies in the “price-tag” arson, and the mother and another child are un critical condition.
The Jewish terrorists threw a Molotov cocktail into the window of the victims’ small home in the village of Duma, near Shechem. Four Jews fled the scene, according to eyewitnesses.
The IDF and police are combing Judea and Samaria to search and arrest the attackers.
IDF Forces Airlift Palestinian Victim to Israeli Hospital


Netanyahu orders PA be updated on Israeli efforts to find arsonists
The prime minister urged the swift capture of the perpetrators, apparently Jewish extremists.
The PA said earlier that it holds the Israeli government responsible for the attack in the West Bank village of Duma, in which a Palestinian baby was burned to death. Netanyahu has condemned the attack as a “horrific, heinous” crime that is “a terror attack in every respect.”
Netanyahu spoke with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, and IDF Civil Administration head Yoav Mordechai, a statement from his office said.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu was updated that extensive searches are being carried out in the area, backed by vigorous intelligence efforts,” it said. “Prime Minister Netanyahu asked that the PA be updated on these efforts.”
EU Calls for 'Zero Tolerance' After Arson Attack
The EU urged Israel Friday to show "zero tolerance" after an arson attack in the Palestinian Authority (PA) village of Duma killed a baby and injured four others. The attack was blamed on "settlers" in Judea and Samaria, although no suspects have been arrested yet.
"The Israeli authorities should...take resolute measures to protect the local population. We call for full accountability, effective law enforcement and zero tolerance for settler violence," a spokesperson for EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogeherini said, according to AFP.
Earlier Friday, EU Ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen also condemned the attack.
Jordan pans ‘ugly’ arson attack, holds Israel responsible
Jordan on Friday condemned as an “ugly crime” an arson attack by suspected Jewish extremists that killed a Palestinian toddler in the West Bank and wounded three family members.
“This ugly crime could have been avoided if the Israeli government had not ignored the rights of the Palestinian people and turned its back on peace… in the region,” government spokesman Mohammed Momani said.
Momani, who is also minister of state for media affairs, said Jordan holds Israel “responsible” for the death of 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha and for all attacks on the Palestinian people.
PA: Israel responsible for baby’s death, will take to ICC
PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said the Israeli government’s support for settlements drove the attack, and urged the international community to respond. Israel’s Channel 2 said Abbas termed the attack “a war crime.”
“This is a heinous crime that wouldn’t have happened if the government didn’t defend the settlers, and insisted on building in the settlements,” he said, according to Israel Radio. Rudeineh’s comments came two days after the government approved 300 housing units in the settlement of Beit El, following an uproar over the demolition of two illegal buildings there.
Rudeineh likened the attack to the killing of East Jerusalem teenager Muhammed Abu Khdeir last summer by Jewish extremists. He urged the international community to respond not merely with words, but with actions.
The killing of 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha will be one of the leading issues brought to the International Criminal Court against Israel, said Rudeineh.
Palestinian official Saeb Erekat also maintained Israel was “fully responsible.
Hamas: 'Every Israeli is now a legitimate target' following Duma terror attack
Hamas said Friday that every Israeli is now a legitimate target following the deadly terror attack in the village of Duma in which a Palestinian toddler was killed, Israel Radio reported. In an official message to the public, Hamas also called for a "day of rage" to protest the deadly terror attack and "in order to protect al-Aksa mosque."
Palestinian toddler Ali Dawabsha was killed and three members of his family injured after a molotov cocktail was thrown at their home by suspected far-right extremists, in the village of Duma, in the northern area of the West Bank, outside the city of Nablus.
Israeli and Palestinian security forces in Jerusalem and the West Bank were placed on high alert following the attack.
Increased IDF forces were called into the area to help maintain security on the main roads throughout the West Bank to prevent any attempts to attack Israeli vehicles in retaliation.
Six stabbed at J'lem pride parade by same assailant who attacked parade in 2005
Six people were stabbed at the Jerusalem pride parade on Thursday evening, police said. The suspected attacker had carried out a similar attack on the parade 10 years ago.
One of the victims, a 17-year-old girl, was in very serious condition after surgery for stab wounds to the chest, though doctors said they hoped her condition would stabilize in the coming hours. A man aged 26, also stabbed in the chest, was in stable condition after surgery, according to Dr. Ofer Merin at Shaare Zedek hospital.
The suspect in the attack, an ultra-Orthodox man who was protesting against the parade, was wrestled to the ground by police and arrested.
He was named as Yishai Schlissel. Police confirmed that Schlissel is the same man who stabbed three marchers in Jerusalem’s Gay Pride parade in 2005. He was released from jail three weeks ago.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the “despicable hate crime” and vowed to protect the gay and lesbian community.
After attack on pride parade, PM condemns ‘despicable hate crime’
The prime minister led a chorus of condemnation from across the political spectrum as all parties, right, left, and ultra-Orthodox, spoke out against the attack.
“The State of Israel respects the private freedom of individuals which is a fundamental principle exercised in this country,” Netanyahu said. “We must ensure that every man and every woman can live in full security in any way that they choose. This is how we have acted in the past and this is how we will continue to act. I wish all the wounded a speedy recovery.”
“We came together today for a festive event, but the joy was shattered when a terrible hate crime occurred here in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel,” he said.
“People celebrating their freedom and expressing their identity were viciously stabbed. We must not be deluded — a lack of tolerance will lead us to disaster. We cannot allow such crimes, and we must condemn those who commit and support them. I wish the injured a full and speedy recovery.”
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat vowed that freedom of expression would not by defeated by violence in the capital.
Police blasted for letting gay pride assailant strike again
Schlissel had made a series of statements following his release from prison three weeks ago, indicating that he was planning another attack on the gay pride rally.
As the chaos of the attack began to subside, a number of marchers were seen angrily confronting Edri.
“You knew he was just released from jail, and yet you did nothing to keep him away from here! Shame on the police!” one of the marchers shouted.
Pressing Edri on the issue, Channel 2 news asked why no preemptive police action had been taken, given that Schlissel had been publicly vocal about continuing his efforts to harm Israel’s LGBT community.
Following his release, Schlissel distributed a handwritten, anti-gay manifesto in which he called the pride march “shameful” and “blasphemous,” and alluded to plans to perpetrate another attack.
“It is incumbent upon every Jew to risk beatings or imprisonment and together to stop the desecration for the sanctity of His name. If we refrain from declaring war, they’ll feel free to spread this shame all over the world,” he said.
Side by side pictures showing the a suspect in a stabbing attack on July 30, 2015 and Yishai
Ten days ago, he gave an interview to an ultra-Orthodox media channel in which he said his 2005 attack was “an act of extremism… but this march has to be stopped.” The gay community wants to “despoil the people of Israel,” he said.
Bennett to ‘dramatically’ boost funding for LGBT group
Hours after a stabbing attack at Jerusalem’s Gay Pride Parade wounded six people, Education Minister Naftali Bennett said he plans to “dramatically” increase state funding for a group that helps LGBT minors.
Bennett, a member of the national-religious Jewish Home party, announced on Thursday night that more money would go to Israel Gay Youth, Ynet reported. He did not specify the amount of funding.
He also instructed ministry officials to draw up an educational plan to prevent incitement and violence against the gay community.
“I will not agree to have youth in the State of Israel afraid to go out into the street due to their way of life. We will respond to this attack with actions, not just words, in order to strengthen and provide tools to teenagers suffering from… homophobia at schools.”
Jerusalem chief rabbi visits victims of gay pride parade stabbing spree
Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem Aryeh Stern visited on Friday the victims of Thursday's stabbing attack who were taking part in the Jerusalem pride march.
He spoke with those injured and denounced the attack as "totally contrary to the Torah" during his visit to the Hadassah Ein Karem hospital where the victims are being treated
"This is a day for prayer for the injured and for unity," said Stern
"The person that committed this sinful act is a criminal in every way, and his intention to kill Jews is something which is terrifying.
"Differences of opinion and dispute are legitimate and will continue but raising ones hand against ones fellow is forbidden"
Stern added that the religious community "does not and will not tolerate such acts," and continued saying "people who believe in the fear of Heaven are very distant from these deeds.
'Gay Parade Stabber Desecrated G-d's Name'
Leading religious Zionist Rabbi Chaim Druckman, dean of the Or Etzion Yeshiva and chairman of the center of Bnei Akiva yeshiva and ulpana religious high schools, spoke on Friday morning about the morning's arson attack and the stabbing at the gay pride parade in Jerusalem the day before.
The stabbing was committed by a haredi man named Yishai Shlissel, who just weeks earlier was released after having been in jail for stabbing three people at the same controversial march in 2005.
"Yishai Shlissel is a lowly murderer and by his (religious) outward appearance he also adds an awful desecration of G-d's name," said Rabbi Druckman.
"Our rabbis teach us that everyone who has mercy for mankind is known to be of the seed of our forefather Avraham (Abraham), and everyone who does not have mercy for mankind is known not to be of Avraham's seed. The behavior of Yishai Shlissel is the complete opposite of Jewish behavior, and he must be treated severely likely every criminal."
Gay Pride Stabber 'Does Not Recognize' Israeli Gov't
The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court extended the detention of Yishai Shlissel, the attacker who stabbed six people during Jerusalem's Gay Pride parade Thursday, by another twelve days on Friday.
Shlissel stated at the beginning of the hearing that he does not "trust" the Israeli government, and blamed it for his actions.
"I don't recognize government institutions," he stated, according to Walla! News. "The court did not act according to Torah scholars."
Until three weeks ago, Shlissel was serving time in an Israeli prison for attempted murder after carrying out a similar attack on the Jerusalem Gay Pride parade in 2005.
After pride parade stabbing, Zionist Union MK comes out
MK Itzik Shmuli of the Zionist Union party came out of the closet on Friday, a day after a stabbing attack at the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade injured six people.
The lawmaker penned a column in the Hebrew language Yedioth Ahronoth daily, under the headline: “The knife is raised on my community.”
“We cannot be silent any longer,” wrote Shmuli. “We cannot be silent any longer because the knife is raised on the entire LGBT community — my community — and it won’t stop there.”
The column was Shmuli’s first public comment on his sexuality, which was the subject of some speculation last December when a prominent LGBT activist urged Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog to dismiss the closeted MK in his party.
In a column on the Mako news website, Gal Uchovsky had urged Herzog to wrestle with the “elephant in the room.”
MEMRI: Following Reports Of Death Of Lebanese Terrorist Samir Al-Quntar, MEMRI Presents Archival Statements By Him From Interviews And Addresses

In 1979, Samir Al-Quntar participated in a terror attack in the Israeli city of Nahariya, kidnapping a four-year-old girl and her father from their home and killing them on a nearby beach. He was arrested and sentenced to five life sentences plus 47 years for his role in the attack; on July 16, 2008, he was released along with four other prisoners as part of an Israel-Hizbullah deal, in return for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hizbullah two years earlier.
After his release, Al-Quntar was given a hero's welcome in Lebanon, and was decorated by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Al-Jazeera TV reported his release as news and held an on-air birthday party for him, complete with cake, fireworks, and orchestra.
Following are excerpts from statements made by Al-Quntar in interviews and addresses following his release in 2008.
Sadat's Assassination Was "A Most Wonderful Operation"

Al-Jazeera TV, July 26, 2008:
Samir Al-Quntar: "To be honest, our operation had both civilian and military targets. Today, tomorrow, and the next day – our targets are always... There are no civilian targets – it's 'civilian' in quotation marks. The Zionists themselves define the Israeli as a soldier who is on leave for 11 months every year." [...]
Interviewer: "How did you and your fellow prisoners view the Sadat assassination?"
Samir Al-Quntar: "That was a most wonderful operation – to the point that all the prisoners cheered together when Sadat was assassinated. This man symbolized treason and apostasy. Ever since Camp David... Look at the history – Camp David, the 1982 invasion, and then the strike against Iraq... All the catastrophes that befell the Arab world began with Camp David. It was a wonderful historical moment, which I hope will recur in similar cases." [...]
Terrorist fires at Israeli car in West Bank as clashes break out with IDF in Hebron
A suspected Palestinian terrorist carried out a drive-by shooting attack on an Israeli vehicle on Friday in the Binyamin region of the West Bank near Kochav Hashahar. The Israeli driver in the vehicle told the army he fired back at the gunman. There were no injuries in the incident. The army found three bullet holes in the Israeli vehicle that came under fire.
A couple of hours later, Palestinian rioters clashed with IDF soldiers in Hebron. The incident occurred near the al-Rasoul Mosque, when Palestinians on a march hurled rocks and burning tires at security forces in the area.
Soldiers responded with riot dispersal means, and fired Roger low intensity rounds at the legs of a suspect, an army spokeswoman said. He sustained a light injury, the spokeswoman added.
22 Jews Injured in 60 Arab Attacks This Week
From last Friday to this this Friday, 22 Jews were injured in 60 recorded terror attacks (see list below).
The attacks include firebombs, targeted fireworks, stone-throwing, burned fields, firebomb attacks on Jewish homes and explosive devices.
The following is a list of the attacks, compiled by HaKol HaYehudi:
Arabs Destroy Holocaust Survivor Site in Land Grab Attempt
In a shocking land grab attempt at a site where Arab activists have long been trying to steal state land, Arab assailants from a village near Netzer in Judea's Gush Etzion on Thursday bulldozed a nearby memorial observation point with a tractor.
Women in Green (WIG) established the observation point with a pergola dedicated to the memory of Holocaust survivors, as well as a memorial to a Holocaust survivor. While the Arabs were still demolishing the site the heads of WIG Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar received a tip off and rushed to the scene.
The two were accompanied by members of the Committee for Netzer, Gush Etzion lands commissioner Moshe Frucht and the local security personnel, and together were able to stop the Arabs from wreaking further destruction to the memorial site.
In parallel, another Arab tractor entered a different section of Netzer and tried to seized large portions of land that recently was declared as state land, reports WIG.
There has been an ongoing Arab battle to grab state land in Netzer that has lasted many years, with WIG leading efforts to control and develop state land and thereby prevent illegal settlement on it by Arab squatters.
Red Cross Won't Give Hamas's Response on Captives
Jacques De Maio, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross's delegation in Israel and "the occupied territories," told the Hamas paper Al-Risalah Net that he had contacted Hamas about the fate of captured Israelis after receiving requests from their families.
According to De Maio, contact between the Red Cross and the families of missing Israelis currently held in Gaza has been completely covert.
The Red Cross relayed the request for details about the missing Israelis to Hamas, according to De Maio, but he refused to divulge the response given by the Hamas terrorist organization regarding their fate.
Aside from two Israelis - Avraham Mengistu and an unnamed Bedouin Israeli - who apparently entered Gaza months ago due to mental illness before being captured by Hamas, the terror group is holding the bodies of two IDF soldiers - Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin - who were killed in last summer's war.
The Red Cross representative stated that the issue of Israeli civilians being held in Gaza is not a matter for negotiations by his group according to international law.
PreOccupied Territory: Report: Oh, @&$#!, Not Again (barely satire)
In the day following a stabbing attack on the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade and a fatal arson attack on a Palestinian family, officials say evidence is mounting that Oh, @&$#! why is this happening again?
The stabbing yesterday, perpetrated by a man recently released after serving most of his sentence for a nearly identical attack ten years ago, and the arson last night, which killed a toddler and seriously injured other family members, strengthened the assessment among Israelis that the $#!t has seriously hit the goddamn fan.
Officials from across the political, religious, and ideological spectrum condemned each of the attacks, which many specifically called terrorism. Religious leaders were especially unequivocal in their denouncement of the stabbing, perpetrated by a Haredi man, stressing that the disgrace was made even greater by his claim that he was acting in the name of the faith, and that, Oh, mother%$#*ing hell, not this again. Additionally, the IDF vowed to apprehend those responsible for the so-called “price tag” attack on Palestinian civilians and to bring them to justice, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed his personal sorrow and that of the Israeli government, to the effect that &%$#ing mother*&%$ing $%@*, but this is *&^%$ing inhumane and must not be tolerated.
Some Israeli observers tried to find a silver lining in the *)&ing shameful episodes by noting that the across-the-board revulsion to the hate crimes offers a striking contrast to the way terrorists are ebmraced, feted, and treated as national heroes by Palestinians, but those voices were drowned out by the groundswell of holy God in Heaven, how did it come to this?