In the last three weeks Israel has been suffering from another wave of terrorist attacks. The attacks have occurred in various cities throughout the country - Beersheba, Hadera, Bnei Brak and Tel Aviv. Fourteen have been killed. The Sunday New York Times had a half page article discussing the recent terror attacks. In the first paragraph of that lengthy article we learn that the Palestinians view the attacks as "a logical consequence of the entrenchment of Israel's 55-year occupation of the West Bank, of Israel's control over sensitive religious sites in Jerusalem, and of the dwindling commitment from some key Arab leaders to the creation of a Palestinian state."
For those familiar with the left-wing slant of the Times, it should be no surprise that the article starts out with false justifications for the latest terror attacks. The "dwindling commitment" from key Arab leaders is because they are tired of the Palestinians having rejected offer after offer to have their own state. These Arab leaders have greater concerns, such as the rise of the Iranian hegemony over the Middle East - a concern that they share with Israel. They now see Israel as an ally against Iran, and also want to benefit both from trade with Israel and from Israeli technology.
"Israel's control over sensitive religious sites in Jerusalem?" Is the Times ignoring the fact that, under Israeli control, all religions have access to their holy sites in Jerusalem? Which is unlike the period of time when Jordan controlled Jerusalem from 1949 to 1967, with Jews being denied access, and Jewish sites being destroyed and desecrated. This year, with the holidays of Passover, Easter and Ramadan falling contemporaneously, all religions will have access to their holy sites.
What about the "entrenchment of Israel's 55-year occupation of the West Bank?" I could argue that the land was promised by G-d to the Jewish people. But, I'll simply point out that the land was won in the 1967 "Six Day War," when Israel defeated multiple Arab countries that tried to destroy it. I'll point out that, after withdrawing from Gaza, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have used that territory to launch countless missiles and rockets against Israel. Should Israelis now give up the West Bank, in order to assist in their own annihilation? If the dispute was simply one over land, the Palestinians would have had their own state long ago - as early as 1947. But it has never been about land. It has been about the refusal to accept a Jewish state in the historic homeland of the Jewish people.
I noticed something else very interesting in the Times article. Although I should say, something that was absent from the article. In discussing "the deadliest wave of violence since 2016," the Times says that there were "five Arab assailants who have killed 14 people, including two Arab police officers and two Ukrainians." Yet, in this half page article, the Times did not mention the name of a single Israeli who was murdered. But I recall very well during Israel's last war with Hamas, the Times had no problem dedicating a two page spread with the photos and short bios of dozens of Palestinians who were killed during the fighting. But, as I have come to expect from the mainstream media, Jewish lives do not mean much. Also not surprising was that the Times failed to mention the celebrations in Gaza and the West Bank by Palestinians, upon hearing of the deaths of these innocent Israeli civilians.
I am not on Facebook or Instagram or other social media, with the exception of LinkedIn. Following the latest terrorist attack, in the heart of Jerusalem, I saw a post on LinkedIn by someone from WiX. The post described Eytan Magini as a "beloved member" of the WiX family, who was killed by the Tel Aviv terrorist. The post offered condolences to Eytan's family and to his fiancee. They had been engaged for only one month. Of course, there were many "likes," and also many comments.
What I found to be particularly disturbing was the Jew hatred and hatred of Israel expressed by many with Arab and/or Muslim names. Here is part of one comment, by a writer who accused falsely accused Israel of killing tens of thousands of Palestinians: "Crocodile tears won't serve you as long as you treat Palestinians in a filthy racist manner. You are colonialists who came from Europe and have no right in the land of Palestine. Palestinians are the original inhabitants and the ones who are entitled to the land."
I am confident that whoever posted that comment would deny the existence of the ancient Kingdoms of Israel, of King David, of King Solomon, and of the two Holy Temples. I suspect that their false beliefs are learned in their schools and in the media they are exposed to throughout much of the Arab and Islamic world. If the writers at the Times, and other like-minded people, want to know why there is no peace between Israel and the Palestinians, one need only read some of the comments I saw on LinkedIn.
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