From J-Wire’s correspondent in Gush Etzion
The murder of the three Israeli teenage students has sent shock waves throughout Israel and the Jewish world and especially in the communities of Gush Etzion where the kidnappings and murders took place.
Michael Kuttner
Every day and night for the last 18 days the communities of the Gush have been hosting hundreds of soldiers who were searching day and night for the boys. There was no waking moment when all concerned did not stop praying and thinking about the situation. The anger at an international community and United Nations which virtually ignored, downplayed or even questioned the veracity of the crime is palpable.
Now that the bodies have been recovered and it is clear that our so called peace partners are implicated the demand for some sort of action is growing rapidly. However the first priority is to comfort the bereaved families and shower them with love and solidarity.
Unfortunately we have faced similar situations even before the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty and the number of Jewish families who have lost dear ones to terror numbers in the thousands. If the terrorists and those who support them believe that this hateful and barbaric behavior will succeed they are sadly mistaken. Every Jewish man, woman and child whose life is snuffed out by the followers of perverted ideologies will only strengthen the determination to settle and establish flourishing communities in the very places which have been part of our historical heritage since Biblical times.
That is the prevailing attitude at this difficult time. The necessity to settle accounts will come and in the meantime a spirit of solidarity permeates most sectors of Israel’s diverse population.
Michael Kuttner is a Jewish New Zealander who for many years was actively involved with various communal organisations connected to Judaism and Israel. He now lives in Israel and is J-Wire’s correspondent in the region.
