Condemning The Evil In Our Midst

weddingAs you may have already read, video has emerged of Jewish extremists dancing at a wedding while cheering the murder of the Dawabsha family in Duma (including 18-month-old toddler Ali) and calling for more killings.

It is vile, deplorable and evil, and I condemn it with every ounce of my being. No ifs, whys or buts.

And I am not alone. The condemnation has been swift across Israel. Here is what one politician had to say about it:

“The shocking pictures that were broadcast this evening show the true face of a group that constitutes a danger to Israeli society and to the security of Israel. We are not prepared to accept people who deny the laws of the state and do not view themselves as subject to them. The pictures underscore how important a strong ISA is to the security of us all,”

That was Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, demonized by the Israel haters and some on the Left for being a “warmonger” and “murderer.”

Here is what another politician had to say:

“What we see here is terrorism. There are a few dozen people here whose purpose is not to kill (per sa), but to undertake means to undermine the foundations of the state. These people do not recognize Israel as a legitimate state, and really try to bring about Armageddon. We need to run the most harsh campaign against those people in order to catch the Duma murderers, and even more importantly – to prevent the next Duma, because if we do not act, Duma will happen again..We just have to find and catch the Duma murderers as soon as possible and take care of this thing”

This was Education Minister Naftali Bennett, also demonized.

And there’s plenty more from where that came from. Like Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud):

“The teens who danced at that wedding have lost their way. This is not our way. It is not the way of the people of Israel, not the Jewish way. The cold-blooded murder of innocent people is the most despicable thing, and dancing and praising the murder is equally despicable.”

And it does not stop with the politicians and man on the street. Our religious leaders have also been swift to condemn this. Take Chief Rabbi Lau:

“This is a rejection and repudiation of the values ​​of the Jewish people, the Torah and the uniqueness of the Jewish people. Parents and educators must take on the mission, together with the law enforcement agencies, to do everything they can to prevent identification with such acts of terrorism and gruesome murder.”

You get my point. The reactions to the murder and deplorable conduct by a fringe minority are instructive.

We are not naming streets and sports stadiums after the murderers.

We are not handing out candies in the streets.

Nor have we posited that “One man’s hero is another man’s terrorist.”

Nor do we explain it on our shoddy treatment at the hands of palestinians.

Nor have our religious figures proclaimed it everyone’s duty to commit such heinous acts.

So while we continue to be stabbed and run over – acts praised by our so-called peace partners – we will continue to do everything in our power to avoid ever being dragged down to their level.

And quite frankly, we are not even close.

21 thoughts on “Condemning The Evil In Our Midst”

  1. I agree with every word you said.

    I would only add: I hope all those concerned are punished to the full extent of the law – and also named and shamed within their communities.

  2. Great post, Dave. I only wish the Israeli Justice Minister would express such ideals rather than criticizing the public release of the video. She is part of the problem, not part of the solution coming from clear-thinking Israelis.

      1. I’m almost certain I read it at the Times of Israel today, but I just went back and can’t find the quote attributed to MK Shaked in the story. The only other source that might have reported the Justice Minister’s reaction to release of the video is Ynet. Sorry, wish I could be more specific, Walt.

        Update: I did find this quote on Newsweek online of Justice Minister Shaked: “I regret that the video was released. Something that in the end hurts the State of Israel.” The report noted that Ms. Shaked stopped short of criticising the actions of the participants in the wedding party video broadcast on Channel 10. Others can judge if her words meet the moral standards set by other Israeli office holders and religious leaders.

  3. As revolting as this story is, especially,since besides this being against all principles of religious life, they desecrated a Jewish wedding, I hope people do get some perspective. Most Israelis know perfectly well that these people have nothing to do with them, they are not just a minority, they are probably not part of any organised group, just a bunch of guys being incredibly stupid and disgusting. And, while it’s disgusting, it wasn’t these guys who were running around stabbing people. So, I hope that the politician who spoke about the sinister rabbis behind this, has some evidence for this claim. This is NOT our way, but this sort of thing is THEIR way. I suspect that rather than rabbis, the inspiration comes from the Palestinians. It should certainly be condemned, but I hope it doesn’t turn into this massive self flagellation, like with Duma, it seemed Israelis were condemning it more than anyone else. Not that they got any credit: Israelis were stll being labelled as baby killers, and PA officials kept publicly blaming Duma on the “occupation” and Netanyahu, as if he had personally ordered the attack.

    1. I have read accounts at Israel National News by some who claim they are familiar with this group, that this kind of behavior has happened in the past. After the older folks leave, the younger men hang around and engage in the type of activity captured on the video broadcast by Channel 10. I of course can’t vouch for the accuracy of this claim, but, if true, it shows that even within their own narrow community this kind of behavior is not acceptable to the elders.

      1. Thanks for that. If true, this highlights the difference – their own community leaders condemn this behaviour, not glorify it.

      2. ahad_ha_amoratsim

        The groom and his father both condemned this land expressed their disgust. According to alarums 7, the family said this was done by a handful of uninvited guests while the family was not watching, and the groom’s family would have put a stop to it if they had seen it while it was going on. I am posting from my phone, so I can’t add a link.

          1. ahad_ha_amoratsim

            I don’t know; I wasn’t there. But anyone who has been to — or hosted — a crowded chasuna knows that the host cannot keep track of everything going on at all times.

            1. I wasn’t there but I’ve seen the video. This was not a small handful of people. And they had control of the microphone. If the older generation knows this will happen when they leave, they shouldn’t leave. I’ve stayed till the very end of every simcha I hosted.

      3. Surely the elders know about it and could protest more vociferously. Who paid for this wedding? Why did they not stay until the end? Sorry, I’m not buying the excuse that the hosts were “not watching”.

        1. You make some good points. I don’t have the answers but am encouraged by the responses of so many Israelis in condemning their behavior. I have seen a surprising number of people complain that the video should not have been broadcast since it will be used to smear all Israelis by the anti-Israel crowd. I agree with those who say that light is a great disinfectant, and dealing with this matter openly will be of benefit to Israel and will assist those defending Israel around the world.

    1. Well, for one thing, Ben-Yosef didn’t actually kill anyone. The attack failed. At the time, the British had dealt more leniently with Arab terrorists who attempted but failed to carry out attacks, which explains the Jewish furor over his execution. Sort of like the argument for leniency for Pollard.

      On the other hand, the Palestinian Authority names public spaces after terrorist who actually killed innocent civillians.

      Many of the Jewish attacks which were called “terrorism” were actually aimed not at random civilians but at military or political targets.

      For another thing, both the Irgun and Lehi were criticized by the Jewish establishment in both Israel and abroad, and disbanded and outlawed once the State of Israel was established.

      I think the biggest distinction is in how the Israeli government treats Jewish terrorists today vs. how the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and sovereign Arab nations treat Palestinian terrorists.

        1. Yes, but that’s not the point. There are several essential differences between Jewish violence of the 30’s and 40’s versus Palestinian violence of 2015. I’ve enumerated some of them above. In my mind, the most important difference is that the Israeli attitude toward terror has matured and evolved, while the Palestinian approach hasn’t.

      1. ahad_ha_amoratsim

        For another, what does it say that they have to reach back nore than 70 years for their supposedly damning evidence?

  4. The other contrast is that apart from naming streets and tournaments after the murderers, the evident lack of condemnation anywhere in the Palestinian community or leadership.

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