opinion
It’s Time to Turn the Palestinian
Mindset Against Terrorism
BY DAN SCHUEFTAN
P alestinian terrorism, both among Israeli Arabs
and from the West Bank Palestinians, derives
to a large extent from the erosion of deterrence
since the Second Intifada. A new generation of
Palestinians has arisen that did not experience
for themselves what happens when the Jews
understand the gravity of the danger that faces
them and decide to use force in order to break the
will of Palestinian society to dispatch and support
murderers. The terrorist who tried to enter the community
of Tekoa and carry out an attack — just like the
murders in Beersheba, Hadera, Bnei Brak, and
Tel Aviv; the rioters in Lod and Acre; the thugs
on the roads of the Negev; and the hooligans
at Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk are young people who
didn’t experience Operation Defensive Shield,
which extinguished the Second Intifada, and the
forceful repression of the violent rampage by Arab
Israelis at the time.

A section of Arab society is not familiar with
the concept whereby cultured people “live and
let live.” What they are familiar with is that if
they cease to fear the state and the majority,
they derive a sick satisfaction from the ability to
impose fear and terror.

These factors can be repressed and deterred
only through forceful means. “Searing of con-
sciousness,” as former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe
Ya’aon put it at the time of the Second Intifada,
was a concept that at the time was received
with typical hypocritical criticism by the talking
heads in the studios and the press. But thanks
to that searing of consciousness, for close to two
decades any major outbreak of violence in the ter-
ritories was prevented and there was coordination
with the Palestinian security apparatuses.

Israel’s firm response to the October 2000
mass riots by Arab citizens in support of the war
of terror launched against the state prevented
wider and more organized violence. In addition to
Correction the hunt for and elimination of the terrorists them-
selves, what is now required is an escalation and
wider operations to hit the environment that sup-
ports terrorism. The elimination of Hamas leaders
Yahya Sinwar and Salah Arouri and their gangs is
desirable at the appropriate operational oppor-
tunity, but targeted killings do not in themselves
ensure strategic gains.

The change must be perceptual: Hamas in Gaza
cannot be renumerated with protection money
while it instigates terrorism from the West Bank,
Lebanon and the Israeli Arab community. The
A new generation of
Palestinians has arisen
that did not experience
for themselves what
happens when the
Jews understand the
gravity of the danger
that faces them.

town of Jenin cannot receive economic bene-
fits — entry permits for Israeli Arabs — when it
dispatches terrorists from its midst and operates
as an extraterritorial jurisdiction run by terrorists.

The main thing is to prevent anarchy from leaking
into Israel.

A message must be sent that will resonate
among young Arabs in Israel and cut short a
trend that is gathering pace in front of our very
eyes. Alongside the barbarity of the pogroms
in Acre and Lod, which have received patriotic
legitimization from the Arab leadership in Israel,
Arab youngsters have now begun to impose fear
on Jews for their perverse pleasure and to attack
representatives of the state, its infrastructure, its
The May 5 food column “Beef Stroganoff Revisited” inadvertently called for the use of top sirloin
in its preparation. While sirloin in Israel usually is considered kosher because of more-stringent
butchering methods, that is not typically the case in the United States. The recipe should instead
be prepared with ribeye steak or, more economically, with flank or skirt steak. The Exponent
regrets the error.

18 MAY 12, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
institutions and its symbols. They do this while
they document their rampages, because they feel
immune from the law. They behave in this way
because on social networks a large part of the
Arab community sees them as heroes and their
deeds as emotional compensation for their sense
of inferiority.

If the Israeli law enforcement system fails to
punish and humiliate these hooligans, and if it
does not show the Arab community the grave and
ongoing damage that will be caused to them for
many years, the state of Israel will find itself facing
an internal threat of dimensions that will require
it to employ far more serious means against far
greater numbers.

Video posted by the hooligans themselves
shows how they broke into Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk,
directed their gutter language at its residents,
and showed open contempt for an armed security
guard. The videos document, for example, how
they provoked the police by driving wildly in front
of a patrol vehicle, rode their horses into a café
and other such provocations. They dare to behave
in so barbaric a manner because they are aware
of the pitiful state of Israeli law enforcement, from
the police through to the state prosecutor’s office
and the judges themselves.

The police take pride in large operations, but
they have abandoned public spaces. At the same
time, the state prosecutor’s office violates its role
by its agreement to inexplicable plea bargains
and judges hand out ridiculously light sentences.

It begins with the kind of violent rampages on
Israel’s roads that left the town of Arad isolated
and continues with pogroms in mixed towns, and
if it is not put down in a harsh manner, it will end
with the loss of security for Jews in their lands and
attempts to block IDF forces on their way to the
front at times of war. JE
Dan Schueftan is the director of the International
Graduate Program in National Security Studies at
the University of Haifa’s National Security Studies
Center. This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.

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nation / world
In Antwerp, Haredi Orthodox Jew Overpowers, Tackles Attacker
It began like countless other antisemitic incidents in Antwerp: A man shouted
insults and made threatening gestures at members of the Belgian city’s large
Orthodox Jewish community, JTA reported.

But the incident on May 1 took an unexpected turn.

After the alleged perpetrator appeared to swing his arm to hit a Jewish man
in haredi Orthodox garb, the would-be victim lunged back and overpowered his
attacker, holding him on the ground until police took the suspect into custody.

The attack, which the Shomrim Jewish community security unit said was
antisemitic in nature, was filmed from a nearby balcony by a group of men, one
of whom said excitedly: “They’re going to fight.”
The spokesperson, who declined to state his name, also declined to provide
information on the men shown in the video.

He did say that at least 20 antisemitic incidents have occurred this year, “and
this has made Antwerp’s Jewish community much more vigilant to these occur-
rences.” Antwerp has about 18,000 Jews, most of them haredi Orthodox.

Mexican Couple Hosted a Nazi-themed Wedding
Mexican Jewish and antiracism groups are raising alarm after a couple married
in a Nazi-themed wedding there, JTA reported.

The wedding of the couple, who have been identified only by their first names,
Fernando and Josefina, took place in Tlaxcala, Mexico, on April 29 — the 77th
anniversary of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun.

In photos, the groom is dressed as a Nazi SS officer, and the bride is sitting on
top of a Volkswagen Beetle painted in a camouflage pattern, draped in a Nazi flag
and given a fake license plate with SS bolts.

Fernando, whom Mexican media said is a public official, said the couple chose
the Nazi theme because they venerate Hitler.

“I understand that for many people, Hitler represents genocide, racism and
violence. People, on the other hand, make judgments without having all of the
facts,” the groom told Mexican news outlet Milenio. “Hitler was a vegetarian
who rescued his country from famine and returned to his people the lands lost
during World War I. His friends and family adored him. We were led to believe
that Hitler was a racist, but he came to greet Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics.”
The photos went viral on social media, prompting condemnation by local
authorities and Jewish community leaders.

Israeli Unemployment Hits 50-year Low
Israel’s unemployment rate dropped to 2.9% in the first two weeks of April, down from
3.7% in the latter part of March, Globes reported, citing Central Bureau of Statistics data.

That marks a 50-year low.

The report said there were 150,000 job vacancies and only 120,000 job seekers.

Under a broader definition — which includes employees put on unpaid leave at
the start of the pandemic who haven’t yet returned to work — unemployment fell
to 4.4% in the first half of April; that’s down from 5.3% in the latter part of March.

Workforce participation of the working age population declined to 61% in the
first part of April, compared to 61.3% in latter March.

The Bank of Israel Research Department projects 3.5% unemployment by year’s end.

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Food Recall by Israeli Company Applies to Products Sold Abroad
Strauss Group, which is one of Israel’s largest food manufacturers, announced a
recall for products sold worldwide, including in the United States, The Times of
Israel reported.

There are 101 items sold in the U.S., including chocolate, snack products, chew-
ing gum, energy bars and candies.

Strauss initially recalled multiple chocolate products made by subsidiary Elite
because of possible salmonella contamination.

The Elite products were distributed in the kosher market nationally, primarily
in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California and Florida. Products also
were sold directly to customers via Amazon.com, Fresh Direct, Passover.com and
other retail online sites. JE
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
Jewish Exponent
PHILADELPHIA JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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