In 1987, my mother and father went to Israel together for the first time. My mom had cousins in Tel Aviv, so they took my parents sightseeing. They drove around, taking in the breathtaking beauty of the Jewish homeland. Eventually, they were forced to pass through an Arab corner of the city to get to their next destination. As they made their way, my dad noticed some Arab children playing with sticks, pointing them as if they were guns, and screaming things in Arabic. He decided to ask Tibi, my mother’s cousin, what they were saying.
“They’re shouting ‘kill the Jews, kill the Jews,’” he answered.
My father was incredulous. “Come on, Tibi, that’s nothing but Israeli propaganda. Stop bullshitting.” Tibi doubled down.
“They’re raised to believe this. From a young age, these poor kids are brainwashed. They’re programmed to hate us.”
That was in 1987. Fast forward to today, and the situation hasn’t changed. In the last month, seven Israelis have been killed in a string of stabbings by Palestinian terrorists. The spree of violence, which has been referred to by some as the Third Intifada, began in late September, when Alexander Levlovitz’s car was attacked and he fatally lost control of the wheel. Two weeks ago, Eitam and Na’ama Henkin were murdered by terrorists as they were driving their four young children. A few days later, two Israeli men, one of whom was holding his two-year-old son at the time, were murdered by terrorists near the Kotel. The toddler was slashed, but thankfully survived.
What scares me the most isn’t that over the last two days, there have been over 150 terror attacks perpetrated against Jews and Israelis. It’s that most of them were perpetrated by lone-wolves, mostly teenagers and young men. Why is it that so many people, unaffiliated with any terror group, feel compelled to risk their lives to go kill Jews?
Unfortunately, Tibi was right. From cradle to grave, Palestinians and Arabs in the region are taught that Jews are the sworn enemy. They are taught to hate Jews and led to believe lies about Jews. It’s no wonder that young people, brought up in this culture, are willing to take up arms, shout “Allahu Akhbar,” and kill Jews indiscriminately in the street. A young adult doesn’t just wake up one day, look out the window, and say, “it’s a beautiful day for killing Jews.” Such hate has been passed down in Palestinian society from generation to generation, and as a result, Palestinians have been confined to a crippling and tragic cycle. Unfortunately, if the last several years are any indication, it doesn’t seem like the cycle will end anytime soon.
I don’t blame the Palestinians or the Arabs. It isn’t their fault that they are continually subject to anti-Semitic and anti-Israel sentiment. I blame their leaders. On September 16, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, addressed the Palestinian people in a televised speech. He explicitly glorified the violence, proudly saying, “we bless every drop of blood spilled for Jerusalem. With the help of Allah, every shaheed (martyr) will be in heaven.” He continued, “Al-Aqsa is ours and so is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. They [Jews] have no right to desecrate them with their filthy feet.” Does that sound like someone committed to peace? Two weeks later, Abbas addressed the UN General Assembly. In his speech, he declared the Oslo Accords null and void, and compared Israel to the Nazis.
Clearly, Abbas and the Palestinians are unwilling to talk peace, only violence. How can you make peace with people who fundamentally want you dead? It’s impossible. All we can do is pray that the violence stops, and eventually, work toward a more mutually amicable relationship. It will happen, God-willing, but hopefully it’ll happen sooner than later.
