In early November 2009, an Israeli Jew, Ya’acov Teitel, was arrested by Israeli police on suspicion of terrorism. His alleged victims were Arabs, and his motivation was political: violence as a strategy for political gain.
Here’s what the mainstream English-language Israeli press had to say:
Jerusalem Post: “Analysis: How many Jewish terrorists are still out there?”
“If the allegations against Ya’acov “Jack” Teitel are true, then the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) has succeeded in apprehending one of the most dangerous Jewish terrorists in recent years.”
Haaretz: Netanyahu: “Minority of violent far-rightists must be stopped”
“The Shin Bet revealed that it arrested Shvut Rachel resident Yaakov Teitel last month for allegedly killing two Palestinians.”
The paper goes on to say:
“Following the arrest of a West Bank settler suspected of multiple murders and bomb attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel must fight the terror posed by violent extreme rightists, whom he termed a ‘marginal minority’.”
PM Netanyahu continued:
“There is still among us a minority that is not prepared to accept democracy and are not prepared to accept the rule of law.” He then went on: “They do not represent the majority of the nation. They are a small and marginal group, but we have already seen the strength and damage of one murderer. We must continue to condemn the use of violence and to use all legal power against any attempt at violence.”
Israel’s Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz said that he “categorically condemned the actions of the Jewish terrorist. It is the insane behavior of a lone man, one that is foreign to the ways of Judaism.”
No doubt then about the response of the Israeli media and the political establishment. A terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist.
Now fast forward a few weeks. Israeli Jewish father of seven Meir Chai was gunned down by Arabs following the removal of multiple security roadblocks at the insistence of Barack Hussein Obama, who is comfortably ensconced in the safety of the White House a few thousand miles away.
Here’s what the Israeli press had to say:
“After months of quiet, a father of seven was shot dead in a drive-by shooting attack near the northern Samaria settlement of Shavei Shomron on Thursday.
The victim was identified as Meir Chai, a 45-year-old resident of the settlement and father of seven children ranging in age from two months to 18.
Chai was the fourth terror victim in the West Bank in 2009. In March, two policemen were shot dead in the Jordan Valley and in April, 13-year-old Shlomo Nativ was stabbed to death near his home in the Gush Etzion settlement of Bat Ayin.”
“Samaria Regional Council Head Gershon Mesika said following the terrorist murder of Rabbi Meir Chai from Samaria Thursday: “After a long period of security quiet, the main roadblock between Shavei Shomron and Tulkarm was recently opened, despite our warnings. The government of Israel preferred ‘the Palestinian fabric of life’ to its citizens’ rights.
“An unnamed IDF officer told Haaretz that the terrorists who murdered Rabbi Chai most likely escaped through the abandoned checkpoint, which was removed shortly before the murder.
“The IDF’s removal of roadblocks is widely perceived as a gesture toward US President Barack Obama, who has pressured Israel to make Arabs’ “fabric of life” as comfortable as possible.”
Here is the response of the Palestinian media:
This is the response of the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas:
And here is the response of the Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad:
Silence.
Israeli cartoonist Yaakov Kirschen sums it up neatly:
Visit Dry Bones and read Yaakov Kirschen’s incisive comments on the issue.
The only time Palestinian Arab media and politicians ever comment on Palestinian Arab terrorism is to commemorate their “heroic feats”.
Way to go, Barack Hussein Obama. Got any more experiments up your sleeve?
Useful links:
To find out more on the issue of the Palestinian Arabs’ insatiable appetite for concessions while bringing less than nothing to the table, read Professor Barry Rubin on the GLORIA website: “For Obama, 2010 in the Middle East Looks More Like the Precipice of Doom than Achievement”
To find out more about what the Palestinian Arabs want and who’s entitled to what, read the following on the Daniel Pipes website danielpipes.org: No Palestinian State – No Land Concessions R4.