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KAHNTENTIONS

KAHNTENTIONS is a blog post written by Gilbert N. Kahn, Professor of Political Science at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. Beginning in 2011 KAHNTENTIONS was hosted by the New Jersey Jewish News which recently ceased written publication. KAHNTENTIONS presents an open and intellectually honest analysis of issues facing the United States, Israel, as well as Jews world-wide.

BY GILBERT N. KAHN

"These are the times that try men's souls."

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Violence Must Not Beget Violence


Jews often correctly allege that they, Israel, and Israeli Governments are held up by the internationally community to a higher standard than are most other people and nations. Rabbis and Israeli leaders—even military commanders--have often asserted that they believe that the Jewish people have a fundamental religious imperative to hold themselves, its leaders, and the Israeli Government to a very high standard. The past several months have demonstrated that both of these axioms of Israel’s national behavior and Israel’s role on the global stage frequently have become ignored and abandoned. The current Government of Israel must look at itself in the mirror and accept the fact that it is now behaving like all governments. It is in this context that one needs to examine the tragic events that occurred last week in the West Bank.


Four Israelis, several of them teenagers, were apparently eating hummus in an Arab restaurant outside of the Jewish West Bank settlement of Eli when, for no apparent reason, they were murdered by two Arab terrorists. Four other Israelis were also wounded before the two perpetrators were shot. This horrific, senseless slaughter of innocent Israelis evoked a violent response from young Israeli settlers in the neighborhood who raided the adjoining villages and set fire to homes, cars, agricultural fields, and indiscriminately destroyed property while injuring several residents. This retribution was not brought under control by the IDF and the border police until an enormous amount of damage was perpetrated and wide pressure was brought to bear on governmental authorities.


No one is equating the death of innocent Jews with the destruction of property. Yet, how can any political or religious leader accept, tolerate, and. some, even encourage a violent response? Something is wrong with the political, rabbinic, and moral leadership when a reported crowd of 400 Israeli settlers is permitted to march into Arab villages setting fire to everything in their way including 30 homes and 60 cars as well trees and fields with nary a pushback.


The extreme right-wing Government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu cannot be surprised at the world-wide condemnation not only of the Arab attacks on Israeli civilians, but also the slow, non-assertive response of various Israeli authorities to prevent the indiscriminate Israeli violence in local Arab villages. Rather than defusing the anger that these horrific murders generated, there were members of the Netanyahu Government calling out for revenge. To add political fodder to the incident, Netanyahu agreed to expedite a planned 1000 additional housing units to be built in the settlement of Eli, as was being demanded by some of his extreme coalition members.


What is similarly disturbing is that many Jewish communal and rabbinic leaders throughout the world have condemned the slaughter of innocent Jews but have been silent on the settlers’ rampage of the Arab villages. This inaction followed the presence of leaders of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and the UJA participating in a conference earlier in June which was called to promote West Bank settlement. While these philanthropic groups traditionally support Israeli Government policies, this direction is at odds with most American Jews’ remaining supportive of a two-state solution, which is in direct conflict with a significantly expanded settlement policy.

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