Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Elder of Ziyon
A few years ago, some Israeli leftists from a group called "We do not obey" decided that these signs were racist because they depict Palestinians as dangerous terrorists. So they covered some of these signs telling Israeli civilians that they are welcome to visit the friendly Palestinian population:
As +972 reported at the time:
“We got really good reactions from Palestinians wherever we went, and people told us they feel like the original signs portray them as would-be murderers to be careful of,” Rivka Sum, one of the activists in the group, told +972. “One person said that every day when he comes home from work and drives by that sign, he is immediately depressed by the thought that Israelis reading it might think of him as a blood-thirsty cannibal or something.”
In a Haaretz column (Hebrew) author, translator and one of the founders of the group, Ilana Hammerman, stated that putting up the signs was also for the benefit of Israeli drivers. “Fewer and fewer are those Israelis today who dare to acquaint themselves with this reality, with which their state’s fate is intertwined,” she writes. “We want people to know that these roads lead to the residences of human beings … to know that really it is the roads of military (enforced) segregation that lead to doom.” In their official statement the group added: “This is our way to express our protest against this method of threats and intimidation. The signposts that are supposedly for our ‘security’ violate the surrounding environment and their only purpose is to scare and to cause conflict between Jews and Arabs.”
Last night, a group of religious Hasidic Jews - not particularly known for their Zionism - attempted to test the theory espoused by "We do not obey." They violated Israeli law to visit Joseph's Tomb in Nablus.
Here's what happened:
An IDF force was rushed to Joseph's Tomb in Shechem yesterday, after an Israeli bus that entered the area of the Tomb without advance coordination was violently attacked by rioting Arabs.This incident shows, yet again, that the Palestinians aren't protesting the presence of Israeli security forces, as they like to portray themselves. They attacked a bus-full of Jews for no other reason than because they are Jewish.
The Arabs threw rocks at the bus, containing 60 Jews of the Breslov hassidic sect, as IDF forces quickly evacuated passengers from the scene.
A number of the passengers were injured from the rock-throwing and were treated at the scene. 32 of the Israelis were detained for investigation after they were successfully extricated from the scene. It is being checked whether the bus entered the premises with Palestinian license plates.
An Israeli medic on the scene noted that a 17-year-old Israeli youth was evacuated to Schneider Hospital with head injuries. His condition is defined as "light."
An IDF spokesman said, following the incident, "the IDF emphasizes that civilian entrance into 'Area A' [so-called 'Palestinian areas' of Judea and Samaria] is dangerous and constitutes a transgression of law."
Police also condemned the incident: "We see the incident tonight as very severe, uncoordinated entry [into the Tomb complex] without security is dangerous for both civilians and security forces coming to rescue them. Entry in to Area A without permission is a criminal offense."
They weren't greeted with coffee and snacks, as anti-Israel Westerners love to pretend is the norm when they visit Palestinians.
They were greeted with rocks and rioting and threats to their lives.
The "We Do Not Obey" theory was tested. Everyone can see the results.
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