We Palestinians have failed to educate our people on the principles of tolerance and peace. Instead, we condone and applaud terrorism, especially when it is directed against Jews. We want the world to condemn terrorism only when it claims the lives of Palestinians.
Abbas's ambiguous, half-hearted condemnations of attacks by Palestinians against Israelis are only intended for public consumption and are primarily aimed at appeasing Western donors so that they will continue channeling funds to the Palestinian Authority. In addition, his condemnations seek to blame Israel for Palestinian terror attacks.
Netanyahu's strong and clear condemnation left me and other Palestinians wondering when was the last time we heard similar statements from our leaders. I cannot remember Abbas or any other Palestinian leader ever expressing shock and outrage over the killing of a Jew in a Palestinian terror attack, nor the last time a Palestinian official visited the Israeli victims of a Palestinian terror attack.
Each time Abbas reluctantly condemns a Palestinian terror attack, he faces a wave of criticism from many Palestinians. Unlike the Israeli public, many Palestinians often rush to justify, and even welcome, terror attacks against Jews. Has there ever been a Palestinian activist who dared to hold a rally in a Palestinian city to condemn suicide bombings or the murder of an entire Jewish family? The Israeli president has good reason to feel ashamed for the murder of the baby. But when will we Palestinians ever have a sense of shame over the way we react to the murder of Jews?
In accusing Israel of murdering terrorist Ahmad Manasra,
Abu Mazen was caught red-handed • This was one lie too many, and even the international
media could not remain indifferent • In an age of security cameras and videos
shot on mobile devices, the Palestinian Authority has been left behind, and its
famous propaganda machine has suffered a heavy blow
The PLO version of the Walking Dead: The "dead"
terrorist in an Israeli hospital. Photo: GPO, Flash90
It was a pretty embarrassing moment for MSNBC. It isn’t
every day that a journalist reporting from the field is reproached by a news
anchor during a live broadcast for distorting reality. But that’s exactly what
happened last week in connection with a stabbing attempt at Damascus Gate.
In case you haven’t seen the viral video, here is what
happened: Ayman Mohyeldin, an MSNBC reporter on the far left of the political
spectrum who formerly worked for Al Jazeera, was reporting from the field on an
incident unfolding before his very eyes. Mohyeldin described how Israeli police
shot a young unarmed Arab who was fleeing for no apparent reason. What he did
not know was that several seconds before his report a video of the incident,
shot on a mobile device, was shown on the broadcast, and it was clear from the video
that the Arab was holding a knife. Thus an anti-Israel libel, which would
certainly have been widely used for propaganda purposes, was immediately
refuted.
This incident, which may result in another reporter entering
the job market, clearly demonstrates how the current media battle is different
from previous rounds of Palestinian terror: This time, everything is happening
here, in our backyard, under the watchful eyes of a network of police and
mobile cameras. The Palestinians are suddenly discovering that cameras and
social networks make it very difficult for them to sell their narrative. Since
the sympathy they garner is largely a result of their well-oiled and effective
propaganda machine, the current violence may be an error with much greater significance
than at first appears.
Below are links to videos showing the events of the past few
days. We recommend that readers who prefer not to watch these difficult scenes
avoid clicking on the links.
The Walking Dead, the Violent Moderates, and the Innocent
Murderers
Abu Mazen, the Palestinian Authority president, discovered
the new situation the hard way. In a speech he gave several days ago, he
attempted to make Ahmad Manasra a new symbol of Palestinian resistance,
emphatically accusing Israel of the “execution of our children in cold blood.”
At the same time, Manasra was being depicted on Arab social networks as the new
Muhammad al-Dura, a boy Palestinians claim was shot by the IDF during the
second intifada in a gun battle with armed Palestinians.
But what you can do in Ramallah you can’t do in Jerusalem.
It wasn’t long before video clips were posted online showing 13-year-old
Palestinian terrorist Manasra with his 15-year-old cousin on a killing spree in
the streets of Jerusalem, attacking Israeli civilians with a knife, including a
Jewish youth who was hospitalized in critical condition. Furthermore, Israel
released photographs proving that Manasra was alive and receiving good
treatment at an Israeli hospital. An embarrassed Abu Mazen attempted to limit the
damage, and an English-language press release issued by his office referred to
“the shooting of our children in cold blood.” But even this allegation was
quickly exposed when the head of the hospital where Manasra is being treated
announced that there were no signs he had been shot.
Abu Mazen was caught red-handed, which did not escape the
international media’s notice. Even newspapers that are generally far from being
pro-Israel, such as theNew York Timesand theWashington Post, criticized
Abu Mazen for the lie of the “living dead.” TheWashington
Postwent even further, with itseditorialgently
hinting that Abu Mazen is not being truthful (“Mahmoud Abbas has adopted an
ambivalent position”) and calling him “irrelevant” in terms of control over the
Palestinian “street.” Even prominent Jewish journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, who is
firmly on the left, wrote harsh criticism inThe Atlanticof the
Palestinians’ murderous anti-Semitism, identifying it as the source of the
violence.
Jibril Rajoub, a member of the Fatah leadership and chairman
of the Palestinian Football Association, hadthisto say about the terrorists:
“These are their heroic deeds, the lone-wolf attacks are heroic acts. I am
proud of those who carry them out and I congratulate them.” Rajoub added that
since “the international community does not accept buses blowing up in Tel
Aviv,” it is better not to get dragged into this, but to continue with
individual attacks. He believes that the “will for the martyr,” posted on
Facebook by one of the terrorists, “should be studied in schools.” Other
officials on the PLO Central Committee, such as Azzam al-Ahmed, called for “an
expansion of the cycle of popular resistance,” and Abbas Zaki went so far as to
suggest that a “war room” be established to coordinate all terrorist activity.
Muhammad Dahlan, former head of the Preventive Security Force in Gaza, wrote
similar things on his Facebook page, while PLO Executive Committee member
Mahmoud Ismailcalledthe
murder of Eitam and Naama Henkin in front of their four small children “a
national duty.”
The Evidence Speaks for Itself
Saeb Erekat, like his boss, accused Israelat a press conference of
murdering children. When Erekat, who is head of the Palestinian negotiating
team, a member of the PLO Central Committee, and one of the most prominent
“partners” of the various peace initiatives, called on the UNto
immediately come to investigate the “kangaroo courts,” he was referring
specifically toFadi Alun, who stabbed a 15-year-old Jewish
boy and caused him moderate wounds, andMustafa al-Khatib, who attempted to stab a police
officer at the Lions’ Gate and was shot on the spot. In keeping with the
accepted practice in Palestinian diplomacy, Erekat added that the Palestinians
had begun to gather evidence in order to file a complaint at the Hague against
Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, and
the head of the Shin Bet.
But it appears that even in the Hague they would give
greater credence to concrete evidence in the form of bleeding, wounded Jews in
hospitals, many Israeli police officers, and civilians present at events while
they were taking place. This may be whyAl-Hayat
Al-Jadida, official newspaper of the
Palestinian Authority, was quickto claimthat
police planted the knife on al-Khatib to justify shooting (the police claimed
there were two knives). After all, it is common knowledge that Israeli police
are in the habit of shooting random Palestinians and carrying kitchen
knives—part of their official equipment—in order to incriminate them.
Violence for the Sake of Violence
Yhe profiles of some of the attackers, which
are revealed immediately on social media, show that reasons such as poverty,
discrimination, the occupation, or backwardness do not explain their violence.
The attackers themselves, in their authentic public statements, leave no room
for doubt that theirs is a murderous ideology and hatred that is essentially
religious and nationalist and is directed against Jews as Jews.
Who’s Really Violating the Status Quo?
While it’s true that the number of Jews ascending the Temple Mount hasincreasedin recent
years, the status quo restricts the behavior of Jews on the Temple Mount, not
their numbers. In any case, it’s worth noting that the numbers are small: While
there have been some 3.5 million Muslim visitors to the Temple Mount in recent
years and another 80,000 Christians, only 12,000 of the visitors have been
Jews—or in other words, only about 0.3 percent.
Anyone who has been on the Temple Mount in recent years
recognizes the phenomenon. When Jews approach the center of the Temple Mount
plaza, a regular commotion begins: dozens of activists, mainly female, gather
around the Jewish visitors, screaming loudly and threatening them. “Al-Aqsa is
in danger, Allahu Akbar,” they call out, loudly andrhythmically, in
order to interrupt the tour and the tour guide, and in some cases, as the
following video clips show, they have spit at the visitors and attempted to
attack them.
These violent groups, the Murabitun and Murabitat, are
funded by Hamas and the Islamic movement, and their function is to keep Jews
away from the Temple Mount. In an interview withChannel 2, one
of the activists said: “I am prepared to die for al-Aqsa and to commit suicide
and become a martyr for it.” Only last month, before the Jewish holidays, it
wasreportedthat
activists from these organizations stay overnight on the Temple Mount complex
in order to ”prevent the Jews from entering.”
Thus, the Jews enter the complex frightened, in small
groups, and with heavy police security. All of them are accompanied by waqf
officials, who monitor every movement by Jewish visitors and report to each
other using walkie talkies. Recently, the government decided to ban these
organizations and to work to dismantle their financial infrastructure. This
does not violate the status quo; it defends it.
This is a story never reported in any media. That of the ones being attacked. The attackers, however, have no problem getting their story into the media,
Imagine what it is like….
to be stabbed. Most of you probably can’t.
I can. Because I have. 13 times. With a machete.
Firstly, the word
“stabbed” does not do the experience justice. In Hebrew it is even worse,
because “stabbed” is the same word לדקור that one uses when being “pricked” by a
needle.
Let’s start with what it
feels like. In my case, it felt like a hot poker being bored into my flesh and
each time he tugged out the serrated knife, I had the sensation that my bare
skin was being raked over with razors. Maybe it would be easier for you to
understand if I said it was a pain that felt like my finger nails were being
ripped off, over and over again.
Then there is the
adrenalin. This makes a body tremble, yet conversely it makes it heavy. It’s
rather like the moment when we only just escape being in a car wreck or the
sensation you feel when you are looking down from the edge of a cliff. It’s
like that. Your stomach turns and your blood drains from your head. It feels
like this is happening, over and over again.
When the “stabbing” is
over, there is the cold, the biting cold – due to shock. I remember even the
warm December sun felt like ice on my flesh. Every “stabbing” survivor will
have felt the cold of death.
Then there is the
beating. He was hitting, smashing, pummeling, thumping me so hard. He broke
over 30 bones. Many “stabbing” survivors have broken bones because of the force
with which the attacker plunges the knife into their prey.
Then there are the
visuals. In my case, I watched for half an hour two sadistic men, (who were
once little boys) waving their machetes in the air, teasing us by putting it
across their own throats. I remember the sun glinting off the knife, sparkling,
flashing in the forest. I remember his dark eyes, dead eyes, indifferent with
the sheer boredom of the up-and-coming execution of two innocent, defenseless
women. Most of the recent victims did not face their attackers for half and
hour, but even a second is enough – seeing that madness on their face, seeing
that knife coming towards them – it’s enough; believe me, it’s enough. And
watching someone being murdered, is a “sacred” experience, in the sense that
you are seeing something that we were not born to see. This is the hardest
emotion to even begin to describe. It will take me the rest of my life to
articulate what it does to a person.
Then there is the taste.
A dry mouth: an instant reaction that comes with shock. In my case when he
knocked me to the ground, I landed on my face so there was blood in my mouth.
There was also bile – one often throws up under extreme fear. I can guarantee
that the “stabbing” survivors all had a dry mouth and some may have tasted
bile.
Then there are the
sounds: I heard my bones crunch. I heard my flesh rip. I heard him grunt and
pant as he tried to beat me to death and hack me up with his meat cleaver. I
heard them scream Allah HuAkbar, I heard myself say “Shema Israel,” and I heard
my Christian friend whimper “Jesus help me.” It is terrible to be so helpless
and hear someone you love, pray, scream and beg for their lives. It is a
terrible thing to hear yourself do the same. Many of the latest “stabbing”
survivors have also had the horror of helplessly watching those that they love
be murdered in front of their eyes. Many have experienced the loss of
self-dignity that comes with begging for your life.
There is more to being
“stabbed” than meets the eye. I am sharing what it is like, not to invoke
sympathy for myself, but rather arouse compassion and a desire to help the
growing, daily number of Jewish people who are experiencing to some degree what
I did. These are people whose lives will never be the same again, no matter how
lightly, moderately or seriously wounded they are.
This is terrorism.
And this, for the
survivor, is only the beginning…..
With continuing incitement by the Palestinian hierarchy, it should be no surprise that attacks on Israeli citizens are happening. Here are just some examples of what is circulating in the Palestinian areas:-
Further, the video below makes it clear the depths of depravity in creating a culture of hate.
Picture of murdered young couple is “most significant”
and the attack brings “expressions of joy” to Palestinians
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Palestinians have been celebrating the murder of Israelis by distributing the pictures of the killed Israelis and the terror scenes on Twitter and Facebook, according to the official PA daily. The “most significant” picture is that of the dead young Israeli couple Naama and Eitam Henkin who were murdered in front of their four children last week. According to the PA daily, the killing of the couple brings “joy” to Palestinians who see the killing as “heroic”.
“Palestinian users of the social networks Facebook and Twitter posted pictures from the scene of the settlement Itamar operation (i.e., terror attack murder of Naama and Eitam Henkin in front of their four children) south of Nablus, the most significant being the picture of the killed woman settler and her husband, alongside expressions of joy over the operation which they described as “heroic.” [Palestinian] citizens expressed their joy over this event.”
The recent series of attacks against Israelis is the direct result of incitement by radical Islamist and terrorist elements, calling Palestinian youth to murder Jews. The culture of hate in the Palestinian media, schools and social networks, together with the statements of Palestinian leaders, has reached new and gruesome heights.
Main Messages
·The recent series of attacks against
Israelis is the direct result of incitement by radical Islamist and terrorist
elements, calling Palestinian youth to murder Jews. The incitement includes the
propagation of false claims against Israel, in particular about the status quo
on the Temple Mount. The culture of hate in the Palestinian media, schools and social
networks, together with the statements of Palestinian leaders, has reached new and
gruesome heights.
·The Palestinian Authority, including its
chairman Mahmoud Abbas, are using inflammatory Islamic rhetoric to spread false
and malicious claims against Israel, and treat those who engage in the murder
of Israelis as heroes. These statements amount to official incitement to
violence and can only serve to exacerbate the situation.
·Radical Islamists are bringing explosive
devices, Molotov cocktails and other weaponry onto the Temple Mount, thus deliberately
desecrating, damaging and endangering the holy site and turning it into a
battle field. The militarization of a site revered by all should be universally
condemned. The aim of these elements is to change the status quo and to prevent
visits by non-Muslims on the Mount.
·Israel is
making every effort to restore calm.
·Israel guarantees
freedom of worship in Jerusalem for members of all faiths and is strongly committed
to maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount. Israel has never made any
attempt to change the status quo, and any claim to the contrary is a lie.
·The status quo protects the right of
Muslims to pray on the Temple Mount, as well as the freedom of all people,
whether Muslims, Christians, Jews or others, to visit the Mount. Visits to the
Temple Mount over the past year included nearly 4,000,000 entries by Muslims,
about 200,000 entries by Christians, and about 12,000 entries by Jews.
·Israel
remains committed to dialogue with the Palestinian leadership and would like to
see the renewal of direct peace talks as soon as possible.
