OK. I know Israel is a democracy. And that gives its citizens the right to march in protest peacefully anywhere they wish. I have no clue why these right wing Israelis decided to do that in Umm al-Fahm, the largest Arab city in Israel. The article in Ha’artez doesn’t say. But the fact that Kach leader Baruch Marzel (pictured - above) was invloved leads me to believe that it was for no other reason than to assert Jewish Sovereignty in the land of Israel and incite the anger of Arab residents.Because Israel is a democracy - the ‘evil anti religious – anti settler’ Israeli Supreme Court gave them permission to do so – probably knowing full well this could lead to serious violence. But that does not make what those extremists did right. If there were fears of violence - they were indeed warranted because that’s what happened. Arab Israeli citizens of Umm al-Fahm reacted violently. I believe this is exactly the reaction these right wing extremists were hoping for.
I cannot condemn strongly enough the actions of these Jews. Unless they were protesting some specific and ongoing wrongdoing by citizens of Umm al-Fahm they accomplished only one thing. They exacerbated the hatred of all Israeli Arabs against the Jewish people. Not that that hatred needed any enhancement. Why must they incite Arabs to violence?! What is gained? Do the Jewish people need a group of rabble-rousers to assert what we know is our God given right to the land?
I’m sorry but I have no respect for those who would incite anger and violence on the part of our enemies. Who knows what kind of retaliation this will bring? How many Palestinians that were close to the edge will be pushed over the edge by this action and be motivated to hit back with some kind of terrorist attack? They probably saw this protest as threatening their very existence as Arab citizens in Israel. Who can blame then for being angry and lashing out? Of course they did. If I were one of them I would have been just as angry.
I know these protesters are idealists. They want a Jewish State free of Arabs. And they will use any means available to achieve that. The problem is they are doing just the opposite – and in the process actions like this can cause more Jews to be killed and maimed by some suicide bomber pushed toward retaliation by this event.
If any of these protesters are religious in any way, they should be condemned at the highest level of religious rabbinic leadership – especially those in the religious Zionist camp. They must not be tolerated. They are inciters of violence against us by our enemies. And for that - they ought to be condemned and ostracized.
