The time has come to consider drastic action
Like most Israelis, I am proud that we remain one of the most democratic countries in the world, despite being surrounded by a sea of barbarism and facing continuous threats to our existence by hostile neighbours…writes Isi Leibler.
Isi Leibler
But the nation today is facing a serious threat, not from external adversaries but from elements of Arab-Israeli society that have been incited by their kinsmen in the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to engage in frenzied attacks against their Jewish neighbors. The levels of incitement and calls to become martyrs “for Allah” have reached such a feverish pitch that in addition to rock throwing, impressionable Arab-Israeli youngsters are now engaged in indiscriminate stabbings and acts of mayhem against Jews.
Significantly, the ongoing attacks are not restricted to communities over the Green Line and have occurred in Jerusalem, Jaffa, Petach Tikva, Afula, Kiryat Gat and Raanana. PA anti-Israeli incitement makes no distinction between Israelis living behind or beyond the Green Line.
The demonic level of the incitement is reflected in the spontaneous street parties and public celebrations that erupt whenever an innocent civilian has been murdered. Pictures of murdered Israelis are shared on social media and proud parents of “shaheeds” bless their children for their martyrdom initiatives on official PA-sponsored TV.
A key source of this vicious hysteria emanates from our “peace partner,” Mahmoud Abbas, who denies that a Jewish Temple ever existed in Jerusalem and accuses Israelis of “contaminating” and “defiling” Al-Aqsa mosque with their “filthy feet” as well as plotting to demolish it. Abbas has refused to condemn the attacks, his military factions claim credit for the murders, and the PA media boasts stabbings and murders as heroic acts and a prelude to eliminating Jewish sovereignty in the region. In fact, Abbas himself publicly sanctified the murderers, stating, “We bless you. We welcome every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem. This is pure blood, clean blood, blood on its way to Allah. With the help of Allah every shaheed will be in heaven and every wounded will get his reward.”
After the stabbing of the 13-year-old boy in Pisgat Zeev, the official PA spokesman accused Israelis of executing his assailant – who was hailed as a hero. In a deliberate and successful attempt to incite further terrorism, pictures were posted on PA sponsored media comparing the terrorist to Muhammad Al Dura, the young boy falsely claimed to have been shot by Israeli forces, images of which laid the groundwork for the second intifada.
However, speaking with a forked tongue, Abbas persists in telling the Western media that he seeks peace. Despite threats to the contrary, he has not disbanded the PA security forces – knowing that were he to do so and were the IDF to withdraw, Hamas would immediately take over the region.
With the eruption of this wave of violence and the death of innocent Israeli civilians, the response – or lack thereof – from world leaders is deplorable. The U.S., claiming to be an ally of Israel, was especially disappointing as President Barack Obama arranged that Secretary of State John Kerry and U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power absent themselves when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the U.N. General Assembly – a calculated insult to Israel. Secretary of State John Kerry declined to apportion blame but attributed Palestinian “frustration” to Israel’s ongoing settlement construction and the White House spokesman expressed condemnation of violence directed against “Israeli and Palestinian civilians,” disgustingly implying a moral equivalence between terrorists and innocent Israeli victims.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon had the chutzpa of calling on Israel to review the “excessive force” he alleged it was employing against terrorists. Likewise, the Quartet “called upon all parties to exercise restraint, refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric, and preserve unchanged the status quo at the holy sites in both word and practice.” The British foreign secretary called for an end to the occupation. His French counterpart announced his intention to pursue a resolution at the next meeting of the U.N. Security Council demanding a freeze on all “settlement” construction, including in Jerusalem and the settlement blocs that even Abbas had initially conceded Israel would retain. All of this obviously encourages the Palestinians to intensify terrorism.
These attacks do not constitute an existential threat to Israel and we have overcome far greater threats of terrorism.
But now we face a dangerous new phenomenon with the emergence of extremist Arab-Israeli elements supporting enemies of the state. In the past, hostile Arab-Israeli proclamations and demonstrations were basically ignored. But that has now changed with the violence and killings by crazed Arab-Israelis aspiring to become martyrs and it has raised profoundly greater tensions within society which can no longer be dismissed.
In light of this, the government and Zionist parties in opposition must temporarily set aside conventional political differences and achieve a consensus on measures required to stem the new threat of mushrooming Arab-Israeli terrorism.
In this context, restrictions and compromises relating to unfettered freedom of speech and activity will be required to prevent incitement and enable Israeli citizens to live in security.
To achieve this rationally and to minimize the inevitable hysterical attacks from the international community and anti-Israeli agencies such as the United Nations, a broad consensus of the Knesset must be achieved to demonstrate that this reflects a national determination to live in security and cannot be construed as a right-wing scheme.
Ideally, this should be achieved with a national unity government. But if political leaders refuse to act in the national interest, the government would be well advised to consider creating a subcommittee comprising representatives from across the Zionist political spectrum to consensually determine security policies. There is no doubt that the vast majority of Israelis would welcome such a situation.
This must include legislation banning incitement, with harsh penalties for any Israelis who endorse or engage in such acts. The major Arab centers in East Jerusalem and Arab towns in the Galil such as Umm al-Fahm have virtually been ignored by law enforcement authorities, who in many cases were instructed not to enter these areas. This has encouraged the festering of anti-Israeli agitation and terror. Now is the time for authorities to take action in these areas – including lockdowns, if necessary – to ensure that Israeli law is enforced and that incitement against the state or Jewish citizens is proscribed.
Steps must be taken to curb the incitement and hysteria fanned by elements of the Arab-Israeli political party, the Joint Arab List. The behavior of some, endorsing the disgusting calls by Abbas to save Al-Aqsa from defilement by Jewish infidels or the calls by MK Hanin Zoabi for Arab masses to engage in a new intifada, unquestionably amount to treason.
Arab-Israeli organizations that engage in agitation, such as the extremist Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, should have been proscribed a long time ago. Demonstrations that either incite or employ placards or flags supporting Israel’s enemies should be outlawed.
Further drastic steps must be implemented to deter “martyrs.” Destroying the family homes of perpetrators is only one step. Under specified circumstances, national insurance and other state privileges should be suspended or canceled. Arab-Israelis who find this unacceptable and identify with seeking our destruction can freely relocate themselves to Palestinian-populated areas over the Green Line. This, of course, would be in conformity with a commitment to separation and the ultimate creation of a demilitarized peaceful Palestinian state.
This may appear draconian to the international community, which fails to comprehend the fanatical Islamic culture of death and hatred perpetuated by the PA and Hamas. But the vast majority of the Jewish Israeli public would endorse such measures, which would enable them to live peacefully within Israel without facing attacks from inflamed Arab-Israelis brainwashed into killing machines by extremist mullahs and pathological anti-Semites.
There is little doubt that any Western democracy facing similar threats from an extremist minority in its own society would take similar action. Indeed, both the British and Australian governments are now considering legislation to withdraw citizenship from those convicted of engaging in terrorism. Besides, even after enacting such restrictions, Israel would still remain one of the most buoyant democracies in the world.
Of course, it would be incumbent on us to assure peace-loving Arabs in our midst that they are entitled to all the privileges and rights of any Israeli citizens and we should be making greater efforts to elevate their socio-economic status. The reality is that even hostile Arab-Israelis have no desire to relocate or live under the corrupt and despotic PA administration. Nothing illustrates this more than polls in east Jerusalem showing that the majority of Arabs are opposed to a division of the city.
We are at a crossroads. We should now do what is necessary even if it is, to some, politically incorrect, and stop ignoring the obvious. The vast majority of Israelis say enough is enough. If we must curtail unlimited freedom of expression and irritate our global bleeding hearts to save Israeli lives — so be it.
Isi Leibler lives in Jerusalem. He is a former president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
Mr. Leibler’s “drastic steps” would more likely “curtail” the Knesset and the government than achieve anything else.
He stated that “the government would be well advised to consider creating a subcommittee comprising representatives from across the Zionist political spectrum to consensually determine security policies.”
A subcommittee to “determine security policies” would usurp the legislature’s sovereign authority to legislate on security matters, and the government’s power to execute and enforce the instructions of the legislature accordingly.
All such commissions and committees in Israel end up being leftwing, with the appointment and removal of their members vested outside the control of the Knesset and the government. They also often force their will on elected leaders.
His subcommittee would be just another means through which the leftwing elites dominate Israel. It would invariably determine “security policies” from a leftwing perspective, which would be all about policies; achieving nothing on security.
Isi, you say: “If we must curtail unlimited freedom of expression and irritate our global bleeding hearts to save Israeli lives — so be it.”
I’m glad that as a professional correspondent you are finally coming around, if not to my viewpoint, then to something in the direction of what I have been saying for years. However, the word “curtail” means nothing and unless you expand on what you mean by this term, you’re just blowing in the wind with diplomatic niceties that will get the country nowhere, just more endless chatter.
I have been saying for years that the so called “Israeli” Arab population is a fifth column ready to stab the nation (that foolishly showered them with citizenship without even an oath of allegiance in return) in the back at the opportune moment. Well that moment has arrived. Vast numbers of these people need to lose citizenship, face incarceration or deportation to Gaza or elsewhere, I really couldn’t give a damn.
If you’re serious about what you say on “curtailment”, then why don’t you spell it out for once. As you don’t appear capable of doing this, let me state what I would have liked you to have stated.
All foreign media need to be deported.
All leftist Israeli media (Ha’Aretz for example) need to be shut down.
The two state solution would be formally announced as dead and buried with Abbas, the PA and the Waqf unceremoniously repatriated to Gaza or Jordan.
The Temple Mount be returned to sole Jewish control.
The “Rules of Engagement” to be revised drastically and the insane “Purity of Arms” doctrine to be shredded.
In addition, in this scenario the Attorney General of Israel (Yehuda Weinstein) should be placed under house arrest for treason for his role in undermining every attempt to install strong figures in strategic positions and being the one who insists that media, both foreign and domestic, must accompany the IDF in all ground operations.
Israel at the moment is at the crossroads and deserves a leadership that needs to take decisive and ferocious action against all enemies within and without.
Finally, I know you are a man of some influence, no doubt with access to the Prime Minister. Kindly tell him to cease immediately using that pathetic mantra “Israel has a right to defend itself”. Of course every nation has this fundamental right, but by using such words it has a negative stereotype implying Israel is begging for the world to please understand and grant permission for this fundamental right and duty of self defence. No other country on this planet would posture itself on the world stage like this, when it comes to self defence. Can you imagine Putin babbling on like this?
Well said Gil. One point you leave out and so does Isi and various so-called peace activists: Israel is at war. The Arabs – mohammedan and Christian alike – have made war on Israel from before Israel was established. That no nation or organisation like the UN or EU gives Israel credit for its democratic processes despite the on-going war tell you all that needs to be known about the world’s attitude to Jews.
What you are proposing in response to Isi’s wishy-washy much belated comments is that Israel should impose war time measures which restrict certain rights. I think that you will agree with me that Israel does not need a military dictatorship. What it does need is what you suggest, plus closing down NGOs hostile to the nation, expelling EU and UN entities hostile to Israel, removing High Court justices who show bias against Jews and Israel, replacing police and military leaders who put their politics ahead of their duties and their nation, expel the PA and retake Gaza and expe hostile Arabs in the north of Israel but take in Christian and Yazidi refugees in Syria and Jordan.
You could get out of Gaza. Maybe rebuild what you destroyed. Might be a start.
Ted,
For your information,Israel left Gaza years ago hoping foolishly for peace with these people but got chaos in the form of terrorism, missiles and eventual war instead. Either you are naïve and have no clue about historical facts or you are propagandist telling lies at every opportunity. If as I assume, you are a naïve leftist, then it’s time to educate yourself to reality. How you will ever do that with your entrenched mind set, I have no idea.
And by the way, you talk about “destroyed”. In the recent war that was THRUST UPON IT a few years back Israel should have reacted harsher instead of ending it like it always does, that is prematurely and inconclusively. Rest assured that if it was up to me, there would have been nothing to “rebuild” as the entire enclave would have been reduced to rubble.
Thank you for setting me straight with your facts and your assumptions. I am heartened that you would have reduced Gaza and its people to rubble. The future is bright in hands such as yours. By the way, you forgot to call me a self hating jew. Very remiss, I feel slighted.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is .. one-eyed.
No Ted, you are not a self-hating Jew. You are a Jew – if you indeed are what you claim to be – who loves himself but hates all other Jews who do not swallow left wing antisemitic propaganda and lies in support of totalitarian fascist mohammedan Arabs. Like those Arabs you despise democracy. If you and those of your ilk were truly humanitarian you would be protesting against Hamas, the kleptocratic PA, ISIS, Saudia Arabia and Iran. You would be criticising Turkey for its treatment of a genuine people, the Kurds. You would speak up for the Yazidis and the Assyrians and all of the Christians persecuted by mohammedans. That you pick on the nation state of the Jewish people and blame it for wrongs it is not guilty of while ignoring real crimes against humanity and Western civilisation tell us all that we need to know to assess your credibility and binocular lack of perspicacity.
Thank you for your assessment of what I would be doing, based on no knowledge whatsoever of what I actually do. Is this some arcane magical talent you imagine you possess? I fear it’s merely more pass the parcel rhetoric. In being opposed to Zionism and its bloodthirsty proponents (“reduce Gaza and its occupants to rubble” etc) I am standing with all jews who are shamed by the conduct of these extremist Zionist fanatics. Not in our name. fyi I oppose vocally and in writing all of your fellows in oppression that you have listed. You, of course, demand a free pass for Zionism. So tell me how “well, look how bad these other guys are” is a defense for anything. And you might just examine the validity of employing personal abuse in lieu of argument.