the yeshiva massacre

The Yeshiva Massacre

By David Verveer

Killing is a crime, the killer is a monster and there is no excuse available for killing 8 innocent boys. Having stated this, please allow me to discuss some of the many facts which should be taken in to account for future historic classification of this horrible episode in our countries bloody story.

I realize that discussing the recent killings of Yeshiva students by an Israeli Palestinian living in the Eastern part of Jerusalem will trigger comments and angry responses from all sites of the Israeli society. Most of these reactions will be nurtured by pure primeval reasons, which we all possess, but try to subdue with the help of educated arguments.

First of all, even though, we don't admit, there are numerous sore aspects to the affair, besides the most obvious ones such as the murder of eight innocent peoples (young boys), blameless idealists, there will never be any acceptable excuse for killing, especially massacres that are carried out, based on religious fanatic beliefs to avenge apparent wrong doings by the other side.

My second point is, that we (Jews, Palestinians, Israelis, Leftists Rightists, Settlers, Politicians and bystanders) are all involved, and in some way to blame, as we are not capable to understand the way the other side thinks, due to brainwashing that occurs on all sides of all participants in this conflict. It is difficult to comprehend that the enemy has also ideals, and pre-opinioned conclusions, based on years of propaganda, education and suffering. It is shortsighted to claim, that we are innocent and they are fighting back, or claiming that occupation of Arab land is following direct orders from God, as this is the Promised Land, not to mention the discrimination the local Arabs suffer daily from righteous citizens like you and me.

The cry "death to Arabs" at a "friendly" football game, or on the other side, throwing bricks at Jewish cars (and I know, these deeds are not comparable), do not help improving the difficult interchange between the two population groups. The argument, that these are only kids, is of course irrelevant, as kids react to political visions taught at home and in school, and excuses such as "my best friends are Jews / Arabs seem to become somehow cliché. We should know that with our so called patriotic teachings, we create youths who when visiting the death camps in Poland, say that killing Arabs is the only solution to the Israel / Arab solution, on the other hand, showing children television with Walt Disney type puppets dying a Jihad death, by killing those horrible Jews.

The "Mercaz ha Rav yeshiva" has always been the center for Militaristic Settlers, the core for leaders of the irrational settler community, and choosing this college in order to trigger Jews to take irresponsible vengeance, demonstrates that the Palestinian terrorists knew what they are doing. How they persuaded this Jerusalemite to commit the crime is still unknown. But let us be fair, is this crime worse than any other terrorist crime, from the massacre in the bus to Sefar Am, several years ago, by an Israeli Jew indiscriminately killing Arabs on a bus, or the killings by Baruch Goldsmith in Hebron, or the hundreds of terror killings by Arabs in the last years?

Destroying the house belonging to the father of the terrorist is of course wrong, and based on primitive thoughts of vendetta and clan fights. How, in heavens name destroying the house can be explained rational, besides giving power to the cavemen still hiding inside somewhere. The same goes for those demanding that we bomb Gaza, as response to their missiles. I thought that the biblical phrase "Eye for Eye and Tooth for Tooth" had been replaced with rational humanism, but daily, we proof otherwise.

Friends tell me now that we have to punish (revenge) them, showing they can not remain unpunished for their terrorist crimes. The revenge has to be in some way more hurting than their actions, in order to teach them that we are not weaklings. They say, we should change immediately our Government with hardliners such as Netanyahu and Lieberman, but I fail to see, how this will bring us peace.

Their answer on this is: What peace, peace is an illusion, we can never reach peace with Arabs, and the only answer is destroying them; ("them" should be translated in Palestinian / Arab / Muslim, based on the level of primitive anger by the speaker). But we should realize that without peace, we will eventually be drowned in the Arab sea, or saved, depending on the Good Lord, who is needed to assist us in striking the enemy a mortal blow.

But based on the mistaken murmurs by our forefathers after the Exodus in Sinai, remembering the fleshpots of Egypt, we have nothing to fall back on, Israel is our country, in peace or war, with or without the Arabs, we are staying put.