July 25, 2017
Palestinians commit murder, then complain when Israel cracks down with
increased security measures
Dear Friend of FLAME:
Another week, another Palestinian terrorist kills innocent Israelis. Then
Israel cracks down, then Palestinians riot, then Palestinians are killed.
It's what the New York Times will call a cycle of violence. It's
what they should call the Palestinian cycle of self-destruction.
This time the Salomon family of 10 in the West Bank is sitting down to
Shabbat dinner. A 19-year-old Arab man knocks at their door, and they open
it, thinking he has come to celebrate their newborn grandson. The man
rushes in and begins stabbing the family. He doesn't stop until he has killed the father, grandfather and grandmother and critically wounded the aunt
. The Arab was shot and captured and told authorities he murdered because
he feared the "desecration" of Jerusalem's al Aqsa Mosque.
The desecration the man was referring to is the placement of metal
detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount, where al Aqsa is located,
and the increasingly violent reaction of Palestinians to this
"indignity."
The metal detectors, of course, are the result of Palestinians smuggling
automatic weapons into the al Aqsa compound last week, then using them to
commit an even greater indignity—killing two Israeli Druze policemen
in cold blood.
Meanwhile, as a reward for jobs well done, all of these murderers have
qualified for the same level of income from the Palestinian
Authority (PA) as a senior officer in the Palestinian security forces.
While President Mahmoud Abbas officially condemned the murder of the
police, his Palestinian Authority has been inciting its people about non-existent threats to the "status quo" at al-Aqsa for years, and
especially in the last 12 months, which has led to scores of stabbing, car
and automatic weapon terror attacks.
Abbas has promised his people to prevent Jews from defiling the mount with
"their filthy feet." A teacher at the al Aqsa mosque school said
Jews who visit the Temple Mount are "monkeys and pigs." A preacher
outside Aqsa urged worshipers to "slaughter Jews."
Is it any wonder that thousands of Arabs are rioting and refusing to pray
on the Mount? Is it any wonder that three Palestinians have already been killed in clashes with Israeli
peacekeepers?
To top it off, Mahmoud Abbas now says he is freezing contacts with Israel
at all levels until the Jewish state reverses all new security measures.
This is absurd, of course—not just because heightened security is to protect
all visitors to the holy site—but more importantly because Abbas's rule would collapse within days if Israel didn't cooperate
with him to keep rival Hamas in check.
To appreciate the supreme irony of the current situation in Israel, I
commend you to this week's FLAME Hotline featured article, below, by
Middle East-based Arab commentator Bassam Tawil. Tawil, chides the
Palestinians, who refuse to condemn any form of terrorism, then
complain violently when Israel responds with due force.
In the end, Tawil exposes the Palestinian motives for what they really
are—to turn al Aqsa into an arms depot, with the hope it will someday be blown up, so the blame can be
cast on you-know-who.
Above all, I hope this week's brief, but hard-hitting FLAME Hotline helps you and your friends to understand the sad contradictions
inherent in the Palestinians' logic and behavior—and why Israel has
little choice but to respond to terrorism with firm, definitive
measures. Sooner or later, we can only hope the Palestinians will learn
that every single act of terrorism sets their cause back
—delaying it and increasingly restricting their daily lives in the
meantime.
While we're on the subject of terrorists—and the PA's despicable
"pay-for-slay" policy—I hope you'll also quickly review the P.S.
immediately below, which describes FLAME's long-running hasbarah campaign to stop the U.S. Congress from funding Palestinian
terrorism.
Best regards,
Jim Sinkinson
President, Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME)
P.S. |
Did you know: By subsidizing the corrupt Palestinian Authority (P.A.)
with aid of some $400 million taxpayer dollars a year, the U.S. is also
funding the P.A.'s program of paying salaries to Palestinian terrorists who
have killed innocent Americans and Israelis? In order to make
Americans—especially college and university students—aware of this
Palestinian practice of rewarding jihadi assailants and murderers with U.S.
funds, FLAME has recently been publishing a new position paper: "
U.S. Funds Palestinian Terrorism
" This paid editorial has appeared in magazines and newspapers, including
college newspapers, with a combined readership of some 10 million people.
In addition, it is being sent to every member of the U.S. Congress and
President Trump. If you agree that this kind of public relations effort on
Israel's behalf is critical, I urge you to support us. Remember: FLAME's
powerful ability to influence public opinion-and U.S. support of
Israel—comes from individuals like you, one by one. I hope you'll consider
giving a donation now, as you're able—with $500, $250, $100, or even $18.
(Remember, your donation to FLAME is tax deductible.) To donate online,
just go to
donate now
. Now more than ever we need your support to ensure that the American
people and the U.S. Congress end our support of blatantly anti-Semitic,
global jihadist organizations.
As of today, more than 15,000 Israel supporters receive the FLAME Hotline at no charge every week. If you’re not yet a subscriber, won’t you join us in receiving these timely updates, so you can more effectively tell the truth about Israel? Just go to free subscription. |
Metal Detectors and Palestinian Lies
By Bassam Tawil, Gatestone Institute, July 22, 2017
The controversy surrounding the Israeli authorities' decision to place metal detectors at the gates of the Temple Mount calls to mind the
famous Arab saying, "he beat me and cried then came to me to complain."
This inversion of reality is a common among perpetrators who pretend to be
victims.
The decision to install the metal detectors came after Arab terrorists
murdered two Israeli police officers at the Temple Mount on July 14. The
three terrorists—Israeli Arab citizens from the city of Umm al-Fahm—used a
submachine gun and knives to carry out their attack. The weapons were
easily smuggled into the Temple Mount thanks to Muslim worshippers not
having been required to pass through metal detectors or undergo body
searches by policemen stationed at the gates.
Incredibly, the Palestinians have since been waging daily protests against
the new Israeli security measures, demanding that the metal detectors be
removed from the entrances to the Temple Mount. As part of the protests,
Palestinian leaders have urged Muslim worshippers not to enter the Temple
Mount through the metal detectors and instead to pray at the entrances to
the holy site.
The Palestinian Authority (PA), Jordan and other Arab and Islamic countries
are accusing Israel of violating the status quo at the Temple Mount by
installing the metal detectors.
One listens in vain for a denouncement of the terrorists
who murdered the two Israeli police officers—these are the people
responsible for defiling the sanctity of the holy site.
We also hear no condemnation of the murder of the officers, who belong to
the Druze community in Israel and who were entrusted with preserving law
and order at the Temple Mount. The slain officers were stationed there to
ensure the safety of Muslim worshippers.
On the contrary—many Palestinians and Arabs have applauded the terror
attack as a "heroic operation" against the "Zionist enemy." The three
terrorists, who were killed by Israeli policemen during the attack, are
being hailed as "martyrs" and "heroes" who sacrificed their lives in
defense of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Sadly, many Israeli Arab leaders have refused to condemn the terror attack
carried out by three of their fellow citizens.
The metal detectors have one goal: to prevent terrorists from smuggling
weapons into the Temple Mount. That is the act that should be viewed as a
desecration of a holy site.
Yet, rather than supporting the Israelis' attempt to thwart bloodshed
on this sacred soil, the Palestinians and other Arabs blame Israel for
seeking to safeguard the well-being of all people—not least of all Muslim
worshipers-through basic security measures.
The Palestinian spin doctors are attempting to divert attention from the
terror attack by making it look as if the crisis began when Israel
installed the metal detectors and not when two police officers were
murdered.
The Palestinians and other Arabs are now crying to the international
community that Israel is seeking to change the status quo at the Temple
Mount through a series of security measures. They are also trying to make
it look as if Israel is preventing Muslim worshippers from entering and
praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The facts, however, tell a rather different story.
First, the security measures, including the placement of the metal
detectors,
was not an Israeli initiative but came as a direct and necessary response
to a specific terror attack. The Israeli government did not convene and
take a decision to install the metal detectors in order to alter the status
quo or stop Muslims from praying.
Second, it was the Palestinians who took the decision not to enter into the
Temple Mount unless the metal detectors are removed. Palestinian leaders
and officials the Waqf (a religious trust that manages the Temple
Mount compound) were the ones who urged Muslim worshippers to stay away
from the Temple Mount and hold prayers in the streets and public squares in
protest against the metal detectors. The Muslim worshippers prefer to pray
in the streets and public squares rather than enter the Temple Mount
through metal detectors. But now the Palestinians and the Waqf are
lying to the world by telling it that Israel is denying Muslims access to
their holy sites.
The Palestinian propaganda machine is working overtime to market the false
impression that the metal detectors are part of an Israeli scheme to spark
a religious war with Muslims and destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It appears,
however, that quite the opposite is true. The incitement of Palestinian and Waqf officials suggests that it is they who are hell-bent on
triggering a religious war with Israel and Jews.
This incitement began more than two years ago, when Palestinian
and Waqf leaders started telling their people and the rest of the
world that Israel was planning to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and that Jews
visiting the Temple Mount were "defiling with their filthy feet" an Islamic
holy site. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was the first to
pronounce this blood libel, which triggered a wave of knife and car—ramming
attacks against Israelis that continues to this day.
The three terrorists who carried out the July 14 attack were acting
precisely in accordance with the instructions of Abbas and other
Palestinian and Muslim leaders: that it is the duty of Muslims to defend
the Al-Aqsa Mosque from Jews. In that sense, this attack should be seen in
the context of the ongoing wave of terror attacks against Israel that began
in late 2015 and which is known as the "Knife Intifada."
Since then, the Palestinians have been using visits by Jews to the Temple
Mount as an excuse to launch terror attacks against Israel. Palestinian
officials and media outlets continue to depict these peaceful visits as
"violent raids by Jewish settler gangs into the Al-Aqsa Mosque." The truth,
however, is that no Jew has set foot inside the mosque. The visits are
restricted to tours of the Temple Mount compound—something that non-Muslim
tourists have been doing since 1968.
In reality, it is the Palestinians themselves who are desecrating the
sanctity
of the Temple Mount, using the site to launch violent attacks against Jews
by hurling stones at Jews praying at the nearby Western Wall.
They have also been smuggling various types of weapons into the Temple
Mount in order to throw firebombs and stones at Jewish visitors and
policemen. The Palestinian leadership and Waqf officials have also
encouraged Muslims to harass Jewish visitors and police officers by hurling
insults at them.
Last year, the Palestinians thwarted a plan by Jordan to install dozens of
security cameras at the Temple Mount. The cameras were supposed to refute
or confirm Palestinian allegations that Israel was plotting to destroy the
Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Jordanians backed off from their plan after Palestinian
intimidation, including the threat to destroy the cameras.
Why protest the plan? The Palestinians were afraid that their violence,
harassment and amassing of weapons to attack Jewish visitors and police
officers would be captured on camera.
Redux
: Palestinian are twisting reality again, only this time with metal
detectors.
They are worried that the metal detectors will stop them from smuggling
knives and firearms into the Temple Mount.
One wonders—if the draw of the Al-Aqsa Mosque is prayer, why worry about
metal detectors? Thousands of Palestinians pass every day through metal
detectors on their way into Israel, and all that happens is that they get
to work. Similarly, Palestinians and Israelis alike pass every day through
metal detectors at shopping malls and state institutions, such as the Post
Office, the National Insurance Institute, hospitals and medical centers.
Where is the outcry?
The Palestinian opposition to the metal detectors at the Temple Mount means
one thing only: that the Palestinians are determined to turn the holy site
into a weapons cache and use it as a launching pad to carry out terror
attacks against Israelis. If the mosque were then actually destroyed in the
process, guess who would be blamed? Possibly that is even the real agenda.
Who among the international community would like to sign off on that?
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