Not in my name!

In private conversations... and occasionally here on treppenwitz... I have spoken out against the so-called 'moderate Arab majority' for not publicly condemning acts of violence committed by terrorists against Israeli civilians.  My position has always been that to remain silent in the face of barbaric attacks against innocent men, women and children is morally equivalent to supporting those acts.

However, a recent article in the Jerusalem Post gave me a sobering reminder that I often fail to do what I demand of others.  It made me realize that whenever I hear about attacks against Arab civilians by Jews (however infrequently such attacks may occur), I tend to quickly create rationales and scenarios within which I can sort of excuse them.  Well, 'excuse' might be too strong a word.  Maybe what I do is more like 'let's wait until the full story comes out and then make a moral judgment'.

The problem with such a 'wait and see' approach to passing judgment on bad people and bad acts is that the investigation and criminal proceedings are often  pushed out of the spotlight by more current news stories... and the much needed scream of moral outrage is delayed until it is nothing but a soft whimper... if that.

Every few months I hear a news story about 'armed religious settlers' from places like Itamar or Bat Ayin, being arrested for allegedly shooting at an Arab car... suspicion of plotting a bomb attack against a local Arab institution... or some random act of thuggery against an Arab target of opportunity. 

My first reaction to such reports is to cringe.  After all, I too am considered a settler.  Whether or not the incident turns out to be true, the news report provides fuel to the convictions already held by people around the world (and by many Israelis) that all settlers are extreme right-wing messianic fanatics who support a Jewish version of Jihad.

My second reaction is caution, because accusations made by Arab plaintiffs and witnesses have a better-than-even chance of turning out to be complete fabrications.  In this respect the Arabs have become their own worst enemy, having 'cried wolf' so many times that even their staunchest supporters sometimes take a 'wait and see' approach to legal proceedings. 

The problem here is that Arab culture is unencumbered by the Western Judeo-Christian guilt associated with telling lies.  In fact, in Arab culture, one is considered a bit of an idiot for not weaving the most expedient story to completely outrage the listener's sensibilities.  If all Arab accusations were true, the Dome of the Rock would have been blown up countless times, every well in every Arab village would be awash in poison, and there would be nothing left of the Palestinian population but mass graves and empty villages. 

You can't argue with success though.  As a tactic, the lies seem to be far more effective than the truth!  A recent poll in Germany showed that "51 % of respondents said that there is not much of a difference between what Israel is doing to the Palestinians today and what the Nazis did to the Jews during the Holocaust."  Also that "68 % of Germans believe that Israel is waging a 'war of extermination' against the Palestinians." 

This is the root of what makes supporters of Israel scream at their televisions and radios day after day.  When CNN or BBC interviewers give equal time (and credence) to Benjamin Natanyahu and Saeb Erikat, they are completely ignoring the former's obligation to presenting the truth, and the latter's long association with what turn out to be outrageous lies.  They also willfully ignore the fact that such lies usually make much better news than the truth.  This is why the term 'even-handed' has become a dirty code-word in places where Israel's supporters gather. 

But getting back to my own reactions to hearing about real or alleged Jewish acts of violence... my third and fourth and fifth reaction are a series of frustrating justifications and fruitless searches for accurate information.  By the time I feel I have the full story (or as full a story as a private citizen is likely to get), my rage is largely spent... and in its place is a silent shame at having to to share the same label as these criminals who, by an accident of birth, happen to be Jewish.

The end result is that I rarely speak out.  My liberal democratic upbringing screams for justice, but the correct time and forum to express my outrage never seem to present themselves.

So why not now... and why not here?

Yes, I am a settler (by the broadest of interpretation of the term) and I am armed... and I am also religious.  If one were to use this check-list in the manner of the proverbial group of blind men, who after each has touched a portion of an elephant come to wildly inaccurate conclusions about what they have discovered, then one could assume this small minority of right wing Jewish extremists speaks and acts in my name, too.

I can't stop ignorant people from painting me with the same broad brush as these criminals.  However, what I can do is speak out for myself and condemn these misguided people who feel they have the right to take the law, and in effect the present war with the Arabs, into their own hands.

By saying this I don't excuse the Arabs who dance in the street when I bomb goes off in a crowded mall or bus, or when a pregnant woman and her children are shot like fish in a barrel inside the family minivan.  I don't even excuse the so-called moderates who give tacit approval to Arab terrorism by remaining silent. 

The polls that come from within the Palestinian community consistently show majority support for all acts of violence against Israeli civilians.  The only glimmer of humanity revealed by these polls is a small murmur of resentment at the various terrorist groups for recruiting such young 'martyrs'. 

These polls also consistently show that a majority of respondents reject the two state solution.  Clearly, the elimination of Israel, at any cost, remains a viable option in the mind of our enemies.

But I refuse be lowered to their level.

Israel has a legally elected central government, a defense force with a clearly defined moral code and chain of command, and the rule of law is firmly on its side.  I will not tolerate or condone the existence of armed militias or self-appointed free-lance Jewish Jihadists who do nothing more than provide the world (and sometimes even ourselves) with confirmation of the most deeply held prejudices. 

Israel is not the country the anti-Semites accuse us of being... and I am not the instrument of their blood libels. 

Anyone who is convicted of committing illegal acts of violence should be locked up along with their Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade blood-brothers! 

These people don't act in my name, in the name of my country or according to the tenets of my religion.