Israel is undergoing intense soul searching, as a nation, for the actions of what are believed to be 6 Israeli Jews in murdering an Israeli Arab teen, Mohammed Abu Khedair, in retaliation for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens, Gil-ad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach and Naftali Fraenkel.
Much of that criticism is internal. Members of Israel’s Knesset unanimously condemned the murder, as has every prominent Israeli leader.
The Editor in Chief of The Times of Israel writes that ” the killing of Muhammed Abu Khdeir must rid us of the illusion that we enjoy a distinctive moral superiority over our neighbors.” An Israeli Jewish group is organizing a visit to the family of the murdered teen.
Israeli President Shimon Peres termed the murder a crisis of morality:
President Shimon Peres says Israel is in a deep crisis of morality following the arrest of six people in the killing of Palestinian teen Muhammed Abu Khdeir last week.“We did not believe that such a heinous crime could take place among our people. We mustn’t be such a people,” Peres says.“Today ‘out of Zion shall go forth the shame,’” he says, paraphrasing a famous Bible quote.“There is no justification for death and no crime is more acceptable than another,” the president adds. “My heart aches with the grieving Abu Khdeir family and with the grieving Shaar, Yifrach and Fraenkel families.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau personally called the family to express his disgust and to promise that the full force of the justice system will be brought to bear.
This reaction from Israeli society is not a sign of weakness, but of strength.
Where was there a similar Palestinian societal soul searching over the murders of the kidnapped teens? Where was the international hand wringing that Palestinian society has gone morally astray?
There will be no such soul searching not just over the murder of the kidnapped Israeli teens, but over the murder of Shelly Dadon (Featured Image).
Dadon, an Israeli Jew, was stabbed to death on May 1 on her way to a job interview in northern Israel. Yesterday the police announced the arrest of an Israeli Arab taxi driver in the crime, which the police believe was driven by “nationalistic” motives, i.e., terrorism.
Yet there is almost no press coverage. As of this writing, a Google News search does not reveal any major non-Israeli newspaper coverage of the arrest in Dadon’s murder.
The murder victims are morally equivalent. None of the five were engaged in criminal conduct, and each was murdered out of religious hate. Their families grieve equally.
But just because the murder victims are morally equivalent, does not mean that the societies are equivalent in how they treat their murderers.
If the past is prologue, the murderers of Dadon and the three kidnapped Israeli teens will find an exalted place in anti-Israel lore, and attempts will be made to trade their freedom for the release of Israelis kidnapped as a means of obtaining the release of other murderers of Israeli Jews.
When the most brutal Palestinian butchers are released from Israeli prison in swaps, the butchers are greeted as heroes at huge rallies attended by leading politicians, and offered large financial compensation.
Eugene Kontorovich notes the contrast at Commentary, Will the Jewish Terrorists Be Released for Peace?:
Several points should be borne in mind in considering Israel’s treatment of the accursed murders. To be clear, the accused deserve, and are receiving, broad and unconditional condemnation–not because they do not help Israel, but because they are evil.1) Prisoner swaps. We know Israel will never ask for these Jewish killers to be released as part of a peace deal. This is because Israel recoils with revulsion from their act. They are no one’s heroes….2) Pensions. Israel will never pay pensions to the killers. The prime minister will not take photos with them, or do anything other than condemn them….
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made these and other points yesterday in condemning, without reservation, the murder of the Palestinian teenager:
That is the reality of the Middle East. It’s a reality Israel haters in the U.S. cannot accept because it exposes the moral bankruptcy of their demonization of Israel:
In 2013, when Israel released Palestinian murderers under pressure from John Kerry, Netanyahu stated:
The best answer we can give to those same base murderers that sought to defeat us through terrorism is that in the decades that they sat in prison, we built a glorious country and turned it into one of the most prosperous, advanced and strongest countries in the world.
That building must and will continue.
Every society has its murderers. How the societies react is the true test of morality.
Recent events prove that Israel is capable of meeting that test. When Palestinian society shows a similar strength, peace will be possible.
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