Page 53 - HaMizrachi Tisha B'Av AUS 2021

If a youth from East Jerusalem can make said “You are in the neighbor’s living room; Where is the situation
vulgar gestures at police officers and get respect their rules.” Islam sees itself as
away with it; if they burn police cars in morally and culturally superior to other in Israel headed?
Lod but the response is that both Muslims nations. But, as Al-Sisi said, they do know Toward a crossroad. Each side is testing the
and Jews perpetrate terror and the media how to respect the laws of the host.
blames the violence on Jewish right-wing But the host cannot earn respect for its other. The continued attacks in Lod showed
groups – the Arabs and Islam view this as laws, traditions, or even life if they don’t do that there was not enough of a response.
These kinds of events may reoccur because
a huge success. I was not surprised regard- so with strict enforcement. The West has
ing the riots – I suspected it would happen an aversion to the use of force. But coexis- Israel did not respond with enough force.
sooner or later, since our control and deter- tence is possible only under very clear con- Nothing changed. The Arabs will continue
rence, whether within Israeli cities or out- ditions. We need to break off of our Western to be a part of society as if nothing hap-
side, declined. thinking and connect to Middle Eastern pened. But they are testing us; it’s a test for
Israel and Israel needs to know how to act.
Is poverty part of the thinking, to view the Middle East as it Unfortunately, it will continue until Israel
views itself. There are many ways to live
reason for the next to Muslim neighbors who are citizens accepts the fact that there is a strategic
violence and crime? in peaceful communities when there is no problem.
amassment of arms and there is no vio- An important part of dealing with any
The West always assigns a reason for every- lent energy that is not dealt with and then problem is to recognize the problem.
thing. According to Western thinking, a comes out against you. What is the story? Is this an appropriate
terrorist commits a suicide attack because story, what the media is telling, what
his father was stopped at a checkpoint Is there a difference Israel tells itself – according to the prob-
and the occupation denied him his rights. between religious lem? No. Our lack of recognition in terms
When a brother murders his sister for of what is happening is one of the biggest
dating a non-Muslim in what the Muslims and secular Muslims? problems. The protests all have the same
call an “honor killing,” we call it a domestic There is no such thing as “secular” Mus- message: you are a Jew. It does not matter
or romantic homicide. We say thievery of lims. An Arab teenager in Lod told me: “I if you are left or right or religious or not –
Bedouins in the Negev has a criminal basis drink alcohol [prohibited in Islam] and you are a Jew and we will pelt you with
and breaking into houses in Lod is called have never been to Al Aksa in my life. But stones. I think the Jews in Europe are
property theft. I would give my life for it.” Why? Because starting to understand the same thing.
But really, these are not separate issues. there is a concept of the nation, one tribe. A Jew is a Jew; Jews need to take respon-
There is one element – the tribe. The tribe We think, “They’re secular, they’re enlight-
has clear rules. Violence institutes the rule ened and advanced, they wear Western sibility and recognize that what is hap-
pening to them happened to their grand-
of the tribe, and if you allow me to steal clothing and symbols.” We must differen-
from you, I steal. Bedouin thievery in the tiate between Western symbols and Arabic parents. My grandfather lived in Iraq in
Negev, agricultural terror, attacks on Jews, thinking. complete coexistence with the Arabs. On
stealing cars, even unlawful driving – none What about the Shavuot eve, 1941, the Arabs rose and killed
of these are separate issues. It’s a way of 200 Jews, maiming many others. We can’t
testing the weak spots of the enemy, of Christian Arabs search for acceptance from other nations.
testing Israel. The solution: to wake up. – here do they stand? We have to just be Jews. To be who we are,
who we are meant to be.
By the way, “honor killings” are also vio- The Arab Christians understand the lan-
lence – violence is violence. Israel is begin- guage of the Muslims; they can understand Can you give us any
ning to understand that domestic violence the underlying messages of the Muslim parting words?
turns into violence in the streets. community. They fear for their lives
Is coexistence because they are loyal to Israel, while the Am Yisrael has always gone through these
kinds of things. Ein ye’ush, there is no
loyalty of the Muslim community is doubt-
possible? ful. The Palestinians, many of the Israeli despair. We are still here, we are fighting.
Arabs and the surrounding Arabs such as Someone who thinks the war is over will
Of course. There are plenty of Islamic com- be taken by surprise. Someone who knows
munities that live under non-Islamic rule. Hezbollah have not truly accepted the exis- they are a warrior will be prepared even
tence of Israel. The Christians are another
The question is how much we clarify and story. They see the country as their own, if the war changes face and pace. The last
institute the laws.
but they know what will happen if Israel bracha of the Shemonah Esrei is for peace.
Addressing the refugees fleeing the Middle does not enforce the rule of law – they will One who wants peace knows that some-
East to Europe, Egyptian President Al-Sisi be the first to pay the price. times we must fight for it. n

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