OTHER VIEWS

`Acceptable' Terror

n April 27, a group of
Palestinian Arab terrorists
disguised as Israeli soldiers
infiltrated the Jewish com-
munity of Adora near Hebron and
murdered four people, including a 5-
year-old girl.
This cold-blooded killing did not,
however, bring down upon the
Palestinians a cry of outrage from a
shocked world. Instead, the crime
was reported around the world as
merely the "shooting of settlers."
Not the murder of Israelis or Jews,
or even people, just "settlers."
Settler is the shorthand term for
those Jews who live in the part of the
country whose ultimate sovereignty is
yet to be determined by peace negoti-
ations. Though their presence is
decried as "illegal," in point of fact,
the right of Jews to live in these
places is sanctioned by international
law under the terms of the original
League of Nations Mandate that set
up governance for the country after
World War I.
It is true that the people of Israel
are and have been divided about the
wisdom of the settlements, although

0

Jonathan S. Tobin is executive editor
of the Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia.
He can be reached via e-mail at
jtobin @jewishexponent. corn

a clear majority support the retention
of many, if not most of them. And,
just as these settlements were put in
place by democratically elected Israeli
governments of both major parties, it
may well be that a future Israeli gov-
ernment will someday relinquish
places like Adora in exchange for
what they hope will be true peace.
But whether .or not that happens,
the Jews who live in the settlements
should not be considered fair game
for terror.
The problem is, vituperation
against the settlements — both by
Israel's foreign critics and a portion of
the Jewish left — has led to many
people viewing the Jews living there
as having the status of "outlaws"
whose deaths are, if not sanctioned,
at least not worthy of mourning.
Indeed, some "moderate" elements of
the Palestinian terror groups have said
they will only continue killing Jews
living in settlements and refrain from
slaying those who live elsewhere.
Notwithstanding the fact that such
pledges not to attack certain Jewish
targets have always been violated, the
civilized world needs to send the
Palestinians the message that such
distinctions are invalid. The people
who pumped bullets into the small
body of Daniella Shefi were not "free-
dom fighters," or making a state-

Never Prouder

for the barbarity they inflicted on the
Jewish people. Holocaust.
Concentration Camps. Mass Murder.
Nazis. And now, they think they can
somehow wipe off their guilt by throw-
ing those terms at the survivors of their
brutality and their children.
Walking down the street, I thought
about the Church of the Nativity and
the old priest who was holding the sheet
painted in red with the words "Help
Us" on it. And about the way our sol-
diers took him out and put their arms
around him. And the way this old priest
faced the cameras and said, with tears in
his eyes, "Thank you. They've stolen
everything. Our crosses. Everything.
Thank you for helping me." We saw it
Naomi Ragen is the author ofiephte's
on Israeli television.
I thought about the 50 children who
Daughter, Sotah, The Sacrifice of Tamar,
The Ghost of Hannah Mendes and Chains are being held hostage in the Church of
the Nativity and about the silence of the
Around the Grass. The New York City
pope, busy dealing with pedophiles, too
native made aliyah in 1972. Her e-mail
busy to worry about condemning
address is Naomi@naomiRagen.com

Jerusalem
was walking down the street in
Jerusalem the other day when it
suddenly occurred to me — in the
way those obvious thoughts just
pop into one's head out of nowhere —
that never, in all my life, have I felt more
proud to be an Israeli and to be a Jew.
This might sound ironic coming at
such a time: A time when the world is
frothing at the mouth, flinging every
vile name at the Jewish people and the
land of Israel, accusing us of crimes they
perfected 60 years ago, and terminology
that they — those wise, cultured
Europeans — invented, because no
terms existed in the history of mankind

I

5/10
2002

30

there is no difference
ment against the "occupa-
between an attack on the
tion." They were murderers,
World
Trade Center in New
plain and simple.
York City and a downtown
But these killers are, like
cafe in Tel Aviv, or even on
the suicide bombers, lauded
the people of places like
in Arab and Muslim publica-
Adora,
there will be no
tions around the world.
peace.
Indeed,
if the
Their crimes are rationalized
Palestinians
are
to have any
as "resistance" because much JONAT HAN
hope
of
convincing
Israelis
of the world has come to see
S. TO BIN
that
their
ultimate
purpose
is
the very existence of Jews in
Spec ial
not the destruction of the
some places as an intolerable
Comm entary Jewish state, such murders
affront to the dignity of
must cease.
Palestinian Arabs.
Even more importantly,
What those who excuse or
those
"peace activists" —
minimize the enormity of
Jewish
and
non-Jewish
—who have
this crime forget is that to these
trashed
the
settlers
should
think
Palestinian killers there really is no
about
whether
their
rhetoric
has
difference between the 5-year-old
encouraged violence or led
Jewish girl they killed in Adora and
Palestinian terror groups to believe
the Jewish children who have been
that killing these Jews will not cost
slaughtered in various terrorist
them much in terms of condemna-
attacks on Haifa, Tel Aviv and
tions. And given the attitude of
Jerusalem. To the Arabs who claim
much of-the world towards such acts
that the whole country is "their
land," and to the Palestinian refugees of terror, it is hard to escape the
conclusion that this is exactly what
who believe they will throw the Jews
has happened.
out one day, all Jewish communities,
If, as many Jews take as an article
including those on the right side of
of faith, hateful speech once led to
the "green line," are settlements.
the tragic assassination of an Israeli
Once again, this incident proves
prime minister, then words that dele-
that it is not the settlements that are
gitiMize the Jews living in the territo-
the "obstacle to peace," but the
ries must also be considered an
Palestinian campaign of terror. Until
incitement to murder.
the Palestinians understand that

❑

them as wives to old men. And
Muslim terrorists who invade
I thought about Muslims in
Christianity's holiest shrine and
Saudi Arabia holding telethons
hold priests and children
to raise money in the billions for
hostage. And about the Israeli
suicide bombers who will go on
soldier critically wounded by a
an indiscriminate murder spree
terrorist hiding in the church,
all over the world.
hiding behind those children,
I also thought about the
who have no food and little
Israel Defense Forces spokes-
N A OMI
water. A soldier, who didn't
woman who described the
RA GEN
want to "tear gas" the place or
army's efforts to get food and
Sp ecial
shoot back.
I thought about other Israeli
Corn mentary medicine to the refugee camps.
They can get the food inside,
soldiers, who insisted on going
but the Palestinian Authority
from booby-trapped house to
isn't
making
any effort to distribute it,
booby-trapped house in the terrorist
being
still
engaged
in planning terror
stronghold Jenin, jokingly called a
attacks from P.A. leader Yasser Arafat's
"refugee camp," but home to suicide
compound. Europeans in well-cut suits.
bombers and bomb-belt factories. The
arrive by the busload daily to pay their
soldiers wouldn't bomb those houses,
respects to the mass murderer and war
and we lost 23 precious sons. Because .
criminal. I suppose, given Europe's his-
we didn't want to kill innocent people
tory, they feel right at home there.
— if there were any in such a place.
Jews don't burn mosques or churches.
Hard to imagine.
We don't target children or old women.
I thought about the Muslims in Sudan
We, despite all that was done to us and
who kidnap Christian little girls (New
all the hatred we receive, continue to be
April
23,
2002)
and
enslave
York Times,
compassionate, to value justice and
them, beating and raping and selling