The
Barkan Industrial Zone massacre, is just days old, and already the
moral watchdogs of the Peace Process are wringing their hands,
mourning it’s possible demise. “We shall not allow abominable
terrorists to harm coexistence,” is the rallying cry.
President Reuven Rivlin
addressing the attack said, “I’m appalled and distressed by the
horrible terror attack carried out in the Barkan industrial
area...This was an attack
against the idea of Israelis and Palestinians
coexisting, and living peacefully side by side. I call
upon the Palestinian leadership to condemn this despicable terror
attack...”
Against coexistence? I thought it was an attack against Jews?
Then
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, comparing the attack to the one at
the Gush Etzion junction last month, said, “its unfortunate and
disappointing to see a terrorist – for the second time in a short
period – do damage to
prosperous areas of coexistence such as the Barkan Industrial Zone
and the shopping mall in Gush Etzion where Ari Fuld
was murdered...The appropriate response to the murderous attack in
Barkan is to continue to strengthen the joint industrial zones. We
shall not allow abominable terrorists to harm coexistence.”
This is how Yedioth Ahronoth, one of Israel’s leading papers, reported, “Over 30,000 Palestinians from the West Bank have work permits for the different industrial zones in the territories or for the Israeli communities. To this day, only a few—less than ten—took advantage of the situation to carry out terror attacks (among them was the attack last month in Gush Etzion), so Israel's policy of differentiating between terrorists and the uninvolved population has proven itself, and that is also why the IDF did not impose a closure on the terrorist's village. Despite the grave attack, the IDF will seek to maintain this policy and the coexistence in the industrial zones, which aids both the Palestinian and Israeli economy.”
An
example of how Israeli media obfuscates the Israeli public. Five or
ten murderous attacks on Jews is five or ten too many...
While describing the IDF
search for the murderer, IDF Spokesperson Brigadier General Ronen
Manelis said that the terrorist had a work permit, yet he managed to
enter the factory with a rifle, and that needs to be investigated.
“The industrial area is a zone of coexistence where
Palestinians with work permits are employed alongside Israelis. We’ll
review this incident and decide how to proceed from here.
Nevertheless, preserving the
coexistence is one of the army’s missions,” the IDF
Spokesperson went on to say.Even settler leaders are on the “coexistence” bandwagon.
After
the attack, Yossi Dagan, head of the Samarian Regional Council said,
“This is a serious incident in an area which symbolizes a bridge
of coexistence in the West Bank.
More than 8,000 employees work in the Barkan industrial area,
with half of them being Jewish and half residents of the Palestinian
Authority.”
Notice the emphasis is on how “coexistence” is under threat, as endangered, as the Jews themselves...
Yet a poll conducted by the
Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), in September
2018, asked Palestinians to choose between the two-state solution,
the one-state solution, or any other third solution, 53% preferred
the two-state solution, 24% preferred the one-state solution, and
14% preferred some other solution.
By a 2 to 1 margin, Palestinians
want a separate state rather than live with Israelis.
When asked their preferred way out of
the current status quo, to “reaching a peace agreement with
Israel,” only a very small minority of 14% prefer to keep the
status quo.
Clearly smashing the myth of
Palestinian support for coexistence...And, a Jerusalem Media and Communication Center survey, at the end of June 2018, found that more than 61% of Palestinians said they opposed the Oslo Accords (up from 48.3% in March, 2013).
And, that opposition always translates into support for terrorism.
The
PSR
study
also found a large
majority, 54%
support “resistance”
(33% armed attacks
and 21% non-violent resistance), to only
39% who think
that negotiation is the most effective means of establishing a
Palestinian state next to the state of Israel.
Important
to note, a Pew poll (Sept. 2013) of global attitudes, surveying the
Muslim populations in 11 countries/territories, the only majority to support suicide bombings was found in the West Bank and Gaza. 62% of Palestinian Muslims believe that suicide bombings were often or sometimes justified (37% often, 25% sometimes). Almost double the next closest country, Lebanon with 33% support for suicide bombings.
And,
even a Feb. 2014, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Summary, wrote
themselves: “The demonization of Jews and Israelis, including by
the use of antisemitic motifs; the hatred generated by this
incitement is a precursor to violence and terrorism, which relies in
part on the dehumanization of the target. The denial of Israel's
existence and its delegitimization in any borders, in part by
denying the existence of a Jewish people
and its historic, religious and cultural ties to the land of
Israel...encourages violence and harms prospects for peace, as a true
resolution of the conflict is not possible until the Palestinians
are willing to recognize Israel as the national homeland of the
Jewish people.”
Nothing
has changed since then. We’re all familiar with
Palestinian Authority incitement,
and payments to terrorists or their families. So,
where exactly is the “coexistence”?
Sarah
Vettori, an employee
of the Alon factory, who was moderately wounded in the shooting
attack, said, “I’ve worked with Arabs for many years, and
I'm not afraid. Unfortunately this is not the first and not the
last time something like this happens...Obviously,
I'll go back to work as usual, I do not think everyone is bad…it’s
just the nature of the situation we have in our country. I
don’t think it will shake the coexistence we have there…We
will all work together and everything will be fine…This
is what I am hoping for,”
she concluded.
Hope
is not a strategy!Assaf, the manager of the Alon factory, said that he is in charge of 75 Palestinian workers, with whom, he claims, he has a good relationship. “I believe in coexistence, but one [attack] destroys everything.”
It seems many in Israel are mesmerized with the idea of “coexistence” even if it is only one-sided. Only Jews seem to dream of it. In contrast to the Jews fawning for coexistence:
The Hamas terror organization welcomed the terror attack, “The Barkan shooting is a new chapter in our resistance in the West Bank...The incident has proven that the attempts of the Palestinian Authority to normalize relations with the Zionist occupier are unsuccessful...The Palestinian youth want confrontation.”
Daoud Shehab, an Islamic Jihad spokesman, described the shooting attack as reply to “Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, Jerusalem, the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar and the damage Israel causes to the al-Aqsa mosque...We call on our people to rise up against the settlements terror until the West Bank is free from it.”
At least Hamas and Islamic Jihad are openly honest. Is anybody listening?
The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Ashraf Na’alwa, who
carried out the Barkan attack, will receive payments from the PA.
“The Palestinian terrorist who murdered Kim Levengrond Yehezkel &
Ziv Hajbi will be paid a monthly salary for life by the PA, thus
incentivizing more murderous terrorism against Israelis.”
So,
Fatah and the PA are obviously against “coexistence” too...
But
there are some sane voices out there. Education Minister Naftali
Bennett stated: “While Israel endures terrible sadness, Hamas is
handing out candies and Abbas is looking after salaries. We must stop
this celebration. The State of Israel is obliged to ensure the
security of its citizens. We must restore the deterrence.”
And,
Minister Yuval
Steinitz, responded to the
attack in Barkan by
saying, “This is
another deadly terrorist attack...the basic reason is clear: The
anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli education from kindergarten
[on] for
hatred against Jews, against Israelis
– from kindergarten
in the Palestinian Authority
– at the end of the
day, Abu Mazen is to be blamed, because these are the messages of his
education system for kids when they are 1, 2, 3 years old.”
When
one side dreams of peace and coexistence and the other side doesn’t,
that’s a prescription
for
Asymmetrical Warfare, that’s
a prescription for disaster.
It lulls the Israeli
public into a state of defenselessness.
Israel
needs a Reality Check.
Palestinian-Israeli Coexistence is a Big Lie!Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master's Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.
(c) 2018/5779 Pasko
