During the past few days, I had occasion to visit the homes of some of the Palestinian men and women involved in the ongoing wave of terrorism against Israelis – the violence that some are calling an "intifada," or uprising.
What I saw – what you or anyone could see during these visits – was that none of these Palestinians had suffered harsh lives. Their living conditions were anything but miserable. In fact, these murderers had been leading comfortable lives, with unlimited access to education and work.
Four of the terrorists came from Jerusalem and, as permanent residents who had not applied for citizenship, held Israeli ID cards. They enjoyed all the rights of an Israeli citizen, except for voting for the Knesset – but it is not as if the Arabs of Jerusalem are killing and dying because they want to vote in Israeli parliamentary elections.
These young people took advantage of their status as permanent residents of Israel to set out and murder Jews. They all had Israeli ID cards that allowed them to travel freely inside Israel, and even own and drive vehicles with Israeli license plates. They were also entitled to the social welfare benefits and free healthcare granted to all Israeli citizens, regardless of their faith, color or ethnicity.
None of the young Palestinians involved in the recent terror attacks lived a mud house, a tent, or even a rented apartment. They all lived in houses owned by their families, and had unlimited access to the internet. They all carried smartphones that allowed them to share their views on Facebook and Twitter and, among other things, to engage in wanton incitement against Israel and Jews.
At the home of Muhannad Halabi, for example, the Palestinian who murdered two Jews in the Old City of Jerusalem last week, you would discover that his father is a businessman who deals in air-conditioning systems and has his own business in Ramallah. The family's house, in the village of Surda on the northern outskirts of Ramallah, looks as if it came out of a movie filmed in San Diego.
Muhannad Halabi, his relatives said, was a spoiled boy who had gotten everything he asked for. He had been studying law at Al-Quds University near Jerusalem, and was able to commute freely between Ramallah and the campus. But the good life Muhannad had did not prevent him from joining Islamic Jihad and murdering two Jews. He wanted to murder Jews because he had been brainwashed by our leaders and media, and was driven by hatred – he was not living in misery and deprivation.
The case of Shuruq Dweyat, an 18-year-old female student from the Tsur Baher village in Jerusalem, is not really different from that of Muhannad Halabi. She is now receiving treatment in an Israeli hospital, free of charge, after being shot and seriously wounded by the Jew she tried to murder inside the Old City of Jerusalem. She was studying history and geography at Bethlehem University, to which she travelled four times a week from her home, without facing any obstacles or being stopped by Israeli soldiers.
Photos Shuruq posted on social media show a happy woman who never stopped smiling and posing for "selfies." She has her own smartphone. Her family, like those of all the other terrorists, own their own house and lead an extremely comfortable life. The Israeli ID card Shuruq holds allows her to go to any place inside Israel at any time. She chose to take advantage of this privilege to try to murder a random Jew in the street. The reason? She, too, was apparently driven by hatred, anti-Semitism and bigotry. She, too, was the victim of a massive propaganda machine that ceaselessly demonizes Israel and Jews.
If you had met 19-year-old Fadi Alloun, you would have seen a very handsome man in Jerusalem. Fadi, who came from Issawiyeh in Jerusalem, had also been enjoying a good life under Israel's administration. He too had an Israeli ID card and was able to travel freely throughout the country. His family told me that he had loved going to shopping malls in Israel to buy clothes from chain stores such as Zara, Renuar, Castro. With his snazzy clothes and sunglasses, he looked like more like an Italian fashion model than your average terrorist. He, too, had unlimited access to the Internet and his family owned their own house.
Fadi's good life in Israel, however, did not prevent him from setting out to stab the first Jew he met on the street. This happened last week, when Fadi stabbed a 15-year-old Jew just outside the Old City of Jerusalem. Fadi was shot and killed by Israeli policemen who rushed to the scene of the attack. Fadi did not set out to murder Jews because he had a harsh life. Nor was he driven by misery or poverty. He had almost everything to which he aspired, and his family were well-off. The life Fadi had, in fact, was much better than the lives of many of his fellow Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. As an Israeli resident, Fadi was able to go anywhere he wanted in Israel and had free access to restaurants, shopping malls and gyms.
The handsome Fadi Alloun stabbed a random 15-year-old Jew in the street last week.
Police shot and killed Alloun moments after the attack.
The other young men and women who have carried out the current wave of terror attacks were also leading good lives; some had jobs inside Israel, in part thanks to their Israeli ID cards. Those who came from the West Bank were able to bypass checkpoints and the security barrier, just as thousands of other Palestinian laborers do, who cross into Israel every day in search of work and better lives.
To be honest, I envied these terrorists because of the comfortable lives they had. The furniture in their homes is far better than my furniture. Still, their luxuries did not stop them from setting out to murder Jews.
What does all this mean? It shows that the Palestinian terrorists are not driven by poverty and deprivation, as many have long been arguing. Palestinian terrorists are driven by hatred for Jews because of what their leaders, media and mosques are telling them: that the Jews are the enemy and that they have no right to be in this part of the world.
This conflict is not about Islamic holy sites or Jerusalem, but about murdering Jews whenever possible.
It also shows that this conflict is not about Islamic holy sites or Jerusalem, but about murdering Jews whenever possible. Murdering two Jews inside the Old City of Jerusalem or a Jewish couple in front of their four children has nothing to do with the Aqsa Mosque or "occupation." It is simply about the desire to murder as many Jews as one can. The terrorists did not draw any distinction between a Jew living in east Jerusalem, the West Bank, Tel Aviv or Afula [northern Israel]. For the terrorists and their sponsors, all Jews are "settlers" and Israel is one big settlement that needs to be eliminated.
Our conflict with Israel is not about "occupation" or Jerusalem or holy sites or borders. Nor is it about poverty and poor living conditions or walls and fences and checkpoints. This conflict is really about Israel's very existence in this part of the world. The current wave of terrorism is just another phase in our dream to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. This is not an intifada. It is just another killing-spree aimed at terrorizing the Jews and forcing them to leave this part of the world. It already succeeded in the rest of the Middle East, and is now being done to the Christians as well.
The terrorists and their supporters are not struggling against a checkpoint or a wall. They want to see Israel destroyed, Jews slaughtered, and the streets of Israel running with Jewish blood.
Originally published by Gatestone Institute
(10) Devorah, December 26, 2015 12:50 AM
Response to Zsolti Hermann
Eloquently stated! I believe there must be compensation for the victims of terror and or their families. Assets must be seized of the terrorist and or their families. They MUST pay their debt to Society. Be blessed, be safe.
(9) Srikanta, October 22, 2015 7:06 AM
They require good mental hospital
Islam right from its beginning has considered every other religion as enemy.Muslims are made mentally sick by Islam that preach idol worshipper as kafir...Jew as sinner...I am Hindu I love my religion but I don't hate others....Jews are innocents...Muslims hate just because they didn't accept Islam....there is no liberal Muslim it's unfortunate ....
(8) Ally, October 21, 2015 5:13 PM
Uncomfortable
Given that I believe that the author's contention is absolutely correct -- that it is complete rubbish to think that poverty etc is anything to do with Palestinian terrorism, and that what it is actually about is their objection to the very existence of Israel and indeed Jews -- I wonder why I feel a bit uncomfortable reading this article? Perhaps someone wiser than I could explain why it isn't loshon hora? To quote from an Aish page: "The Hebrew term for speaking badly of others is called lashon hara, literally "evil language." Interestingly, the Torah calls "evil language" anything negative, even if it's true." Perhaps I wouldn't feel uncomfortable if the article were merely mentioning stuff that is in the public domain -- which I'm sure most of this is -- but mentioning going to their houses makes it feel a bit more gossipy somehow. It just makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. Am I wrong to feel so?
(7) Scott, October 21, 2015 1:15 PM
Who cares what the "palestineans" want?
Sometimes I think about what hashem could be doing.
Last time we came into the land he told us not to make deals with the people there. What did we do? First chance we got we started making deals.
He said not to let amalek live. What did Saul do? Let amalek live.
He told us that if we left these people in the land we'd start following their gods and would not remain long in the land. Turns out he was right. He has a way of doing that.
Ever think that Arab intransigence is a blessing? We can't compromise and make deals with people who won't let us compromise and make deals. Maybe we won't make the same mistake twice.
Ever think the arabs invading after the UN "gave" land to the Jews was G*ds way of demonstrating that the UN had no authority to "give" us the land that he already did. Ever think the wars in 1948 and 1967 and 1973 were honset to hashem miracles that he showed us to demonstrate that he alone would vouchsafe his promises to us and how pathetic human institutions were compared to what he could do?
Ever think that the goyish world turning its back on us is a blessing? Might scare us enough to actually put our faith where it belongs. Maybe we'll try something new.
I'm not one of those guys whose all apocalyptic. It took four hundred years to occupy the land the first time. I think it will happen in Hashems time this time as well. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe a thousand years from now.
I just think it's nice to know its in progress.
(6) Rachel, October 21, 2015 3:12 AM
We have mass murderers in the US
While I appreciate the authors perspective, I have to wonder if it may be too simplistic. Many of the mass shooter in the US also come from comfortable middle class families. Is it possible that there are other factors such as mental illness at play? No one in any media seems to address anything other than politics.
Yisroel, October 21, 2015 3:28 PM
Please, Rachel!
When you have no reason to believe otherwise, you might surmise that mental health issues are involved . But the 800 lb gorilla is right in the room. Imams shouting "intifada" in great detail in mosque after mosque are "inspiring" these people to earn their "heavenly" rewards. When you are told (see video clips in Memri's website) that it is your religious obligation to do what it says IN THE KORAN to Jews , who are, after all, only descended from pigs and apes, and have "filthy (read: impure) feet, what is the big deal?
We need to recognize the enemy. It is not mental illness, it is religious evil, satanic racism.
We must identify our enemy. Otherwise we can never succeed (at least in natural ways.
HaShem yerachem!
(5) Anonymous, October 20, 2015 8:16 PM
HAMAS?HEZBOLLAH v. MOSES
One could conceivably argue that Moses was like these revolutionaries. He too had privilege and was brought up in the Egyptian palace. He killed the taskmaster to empathize with his kinsmen. I would like to see the counter-arguments on this.
Anonymous, October 21, 2015 3:34 PM
Ha! Proud anonymous, do you read what you write?
Moshe struck down a TASKMASTER. (Even ignoring the commentaries who state that the taskmaster had raped the wife of the person he was beating mercilessly)
Hamas Hezbollah are inciting to kills 72 year old women, stab 22 year old mothers, shoot two year old boys slice the throats of 3 month old girls and ram old Hasidic rabbis with cars.
Can you detect the difference???
(4) Dr. Harry Hamburger, October 20, 2015 2:36 PM
Kick them out
I am tired of hearing the whining, complaining, crying, and prayers....it is time to remove the aliens from the midst of the Land. When people are told by Hashem what to do, and they ignore Him, I doubt very much if much help from Heaven is forthcoming. I less concerned about what is in a terrorist mind, than the folly that is within the Jewish liberal, secular minds. Every Jew that is killed by Arabs inside Israel is the fault of the government, and their blood is on their hands.
Beth, October 21, 2015 5:20 PM
GET RID OF PALESTINIANS
Unlike the "cultured" Europeans, who haven't got a clue when it comes to responding to Islamic aggression, even in their own backyard, most Israelis instinctively know that the Arabs, especially the Jihadists among them, only respect those who speak their language of strength, or at least act with disproportionate force. The time for dilly-dallying, otherwise known as measured responses, has long passed. It’s time to burn the ground under their feet until they raise up the white flags of surrender and plead on their knees for Jewish mercy, as they did in 1948 and 1967.
Start by flattening the Palestinian Authority's Mukata headquarters in Ramallah and the Hamas headquarters in Gaza. That’s where the orders are coming from for the terror attacks. The Arabs like to promote their "days of rage", but it's all a bluff. In truth, there is no such thing as “spontaneous rage”. The orders come from the terror heads and their sinister network.
It’s time for the enemy to understand that Jews can also have “rage”. And that Jews will be allowed to build homes throughout our land. No more fear and no more hesitation. The best defense is a good offense. Let’s get started. ... By David Rubin
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/7601#.VifILSuGMUf
(3) Jeff White, October 19, 2015 7:48 PM
Talk about a red herring!!
Who said the Palestinians resist colonial rule because of poverty??? What a red herring!! Every single Palestinian, rich or poor, resists Israeli rule in exactly the same way Israelis or Americans would resist if they were ruled by a regime that denied them the vote because of their race.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said there will never be a fully independent Palestinian state -- and he won't even discuss the only democratic alternative: ending the racist Israeli policy of granting the vote to whites in Judea and Samaria, but denying it to those of Arab ancestry. Even when they're right across the street from one another, as in Hebron.
Now that decades of Israeli efforts to create "facts on the ground" have succeeded in their goal of making a Palestinian state impossible, every Palestinian, rich or poor, is filled with despair that no escape from the hell of colonial rule is possible. That's why they're choosing pointless suicide attacks: because they're still human beings who believe just as much as Israelis or Americans that dying on their feet is better than living on their knees.
nina, October 20, 2015 9:47 AM
the narrative about the Palestinians is usually that they are hopeless and in misery
which drives them to despair, so the author was trying to refute that. He also mentioned that these Arabs are résidents of Israel, who can apply for citizenship if they choose, thus getting to vote. Many do apply and receive citizenship. Also, of course, Arab and other non-Jewish Citizen of Israel certainly do have the vote.
And if Israel annexed the territories, then the Arabs there could vote in Israel. Meanwhile, they can vote for the PA, which is the failed, but not colonial entity that governs them.
,
Molly, October 20, 2015 3:34 PM
If they want peace, let them say so! Every interview and negotiation session the goal is the annihilation of Israel. Would you give such a neighbor autonomy?
They aren't dying for their cause. They are killing innocent people for their "cause". Each of these "colonial ruled" Palestinian got where they are by attacking Israel or Israelis, not by Israelis attacking them. If they want independence, let them show that they want peace, not bloodshed. Let them use the tons of cement donated to their "cause" to build schools and roads and shelter for their families instead of tunnels into Israel for terrorist attacks. LET THEM ONCE SIT AT A NEGOTIATING TABLE AND STATE THAT THEY WANT PEACE INSTEAD OF THEIR CONSTANT REFRAIN THAT THEIR GOAL IS THE ERADICATION OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL. Would you make a treaty with a neighbor with a pathological undying desire to kill you??
StanleyTee, October 20, 2015 4:37 PM
Ho hum - nothing but "Palestinian" propaganda
So you believe that the lack of a vote is sufficient excuse for murderous terrorism, for targeting innocent men women and children in the street? As for your silly statement about "white" in Judea and Samaria, all that does is demonstrate your abject ignorance of what Israel is really like. Inside Israel, every citizen, black or white, Arab or not, Jewish, Xian, Bahai, Atheist - whatever - has equal rights to vote, go to school receive healthcare, live and work anywhere. All you have done with your silly diatribe is show us that you are horribly ignorant.
(2) Yitzchok D, October 19, 2015 2:00 PM
End the incitement
It is of crucial importance to do whatever can be done to end the incitement.
Basically, to arrest any religious leader, politician, Facebook poster etc, who publicly incites anyone to kill or stab anyone else. A secondary goal is to end the antisemitism that is freely taught in Palestinian schools and media.
There is a level of brainwashing in Palestinian society that is unprecedented. It has destroyed a whole generation and its effects will ultimately destroy the country. This simply cannot continue in any civil society. The first obligation of a government is to protect all of it's citizens and it has to move very aggressively to end this extreme and toxic atmosphere of hateful propaganda.
(1) Alan S., October 19, 2015 10:55 AM
Destroy the 'comfortable' homes of the families.
It may, or may not make a Palestinian terrorist think twice before killing a Jew, but knowing for certain that their home and their family will lose all their possessions, including their family's home, MAY help. Yes, it is a terrible choice for the gov't to make. And for certain, innocent people's lives will be changed, often ruined. BUT, if it makes one terrorist think twice about killing one Jewish life, it is worth it.
It is time for the 'comfortable' parents to make certain their children are not involved in killing. This type of change of mindset has to start somewhere, with some external urgency causing this possibility.