Is it really peace they want?Palestinian banner. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock
Days after the bodies of three Israeli teenagers were discovered murdered by Palestinian kidnappers, a terror group said that Israeli settlers—civilians who live in areas claimed by the Palestinians—are “legitimate targets.” The statement from the Islamic Jihad group, quoted by the Ma’an News Agency, blamed the Israeli authorities and military for violence against Palestinians.
That libel came after a lengthy Israeli military search for the kidnapped teens that included a number of arrests as part of a crackdown on the Hamas terror group’s infrastructure. Of course, Israel would have no need to do such activities if groups like Islamic Jihad weren’t targeting their civilians.
It also was a stark contrast to the sentiments expressed by the Israeli government after a Palestinian teenager was murdered—a crime which as of Wednesday evening had no main suspects and may not be related to the deaths of the three Israeli teens.
Netanyahu called the murder “reprehensible” and urged Israeli investigators to work quickly to determine who was behind it and what the motive was.
In a statement released by his office, Netanyahu called “on all sides not to take the law into their own hands and noted that Israel is a nation of laws and everyone must act according to the law.”
By way of contrast, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas took longer to condemn the Israeli teen kidnapping—not to mention the stunning difference between Netanyahu and the violent intentions of Islamic Jihad.
That Palestinian assault on civilians continued from Gaza on Wednesday, as at least nine mortars were launched since midnight according to the IDF Twitter page. In addition, the Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted a rocket over the coastal city of Ashkelon.
In response to the attacks, the Israeli military likely prevented more by hitting the launching site that had earlier fired off four mortar rounds.
Netanyahu, in his eulogy of the murdered Israeli teens that was also posted to his office’s website, contrasted the Palestinian terror groups with Israel.
“The light you radiate shines even brighter in contrast to the horrific darkness of those who seek our destruction—despicable kidnappers of children, heinous murderers whose brothers rejoice at the spilling of innocent blood,” said Netanyahu.
“A deep and wide moral abyss separates us from our enemies. They sanctify death while we sanctify life. They sanctify cruelty while we sanctify compassion. This is the secret of our strength; it is the foundation of our unity.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, July 2, 2014)