Ken Berwitz
Today\’s paragraphs come to us from Mideast scholar -very brave Mideast scholar – Bassam Tawil. Hislatest piece for the Gatestone Institute, published just yesterday,starts this way:
Wecontaminate our mosques with our own hands and feet, and then blame Jews fordesecrating Islamic holy sites. If anyone is desecrating Islamic holy sites, itis those who bring explosives, stones and firebombs into Al-Aqsa Mosque. TheJews who visit the Temple Mount do not bring with them stones, bombs or clubs.It is young Muslim men who are desecrating our holy sites with their”filthy feet.”
Theseleaders, including Abbas himself, are not willing to send their own childrenand grandchildren to participate in the “popular struggle.” They arefully responsible for sending the children of others to throw stones andfirebombs at Jews. Sitting in their luxurious offices and villas in Ramallah,they demand that Israel be held responsible for cracking down on”innocent” Palestinians. Their main goal is to embarrass Israel anddepict it as a state that takes tough measures against Palestinian teenagers.
Theseyouths are not taking to the streets to fight “occupation.” Theirmain goal is to kill or cause grievous bodily harm to Jews. When someone tossesa firebomb at a house or a car, his intention is to burn civilians alive.
Itis as if our leaders are saying that throwing stones and firebombs at Jews intheir cars and homes is a basic right of Palestinians. Our leaders believeIsrael has no right to defend itself against those who seek to burn Jewsdriving in their vehicles or sleeping inside their homes.
Mr. Tawil\’s poignant j\’accuse comes on the heels of aseries of murderous actions by Palestinian Arabs in Jerusalem (see here, and here), which have left several dead, including the parentsof four young children whose “crime” was driving home – and whichhave, understandably, caused the Netanyahu government to crack down hard.
How many of the same Palestinian Arabs who cheeredthose murders will now cry out at the hardship such a crackdown will cause?
How many members of the Palestinian Authority – whichsigned a “unity agreement” with hamas, a terrorist group whosecharter demands the vaporizing of Israel and death of all Jews everywhere, notjust in Israel – will join in the crying?
Mr.Tawil wins the “Paragraphs Of The Day” award for his combination ofperception, logic and courage. How I wish other Muslims of good faith -and I am 100% sure there are a great many – would be as outward in joining him.
