web analytics
May 23, 2013 /14 Sivan, 5773
At a Glance ▼
InDepth
Sponsored Post
The Tosfos Yomtov was convinced that the death of 300,000 –600,000 Jews during the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648-49 were because of improper Tefila. Communicated: Tefilla

Chillul Tefila Bifarhesia, as well as halachicly challenged verbiage and dress, are external manifestations of a critical lack of personal yiras shomayim which has lethal consequences.



Home » InDepth » Op-Eds »

Thou Shall Not Become Terrorists


Latest update: July 23rd, 2012
tell a friend
Yasser-Arafat

When analyzing the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is very easy to pinpoint the horrific acts of terror carried out by Palestinian terrorists as a critical issue that must be addressed before there can be any substantive conversations about a true and lasting peace agreement. Their seemingly indifferent attitude toward human life runs afoul of the laws of basic human decency and is morally reprehensible.

However, it is a recent rash of troubling actions perpetrated by Jewish activists in the West Bank that has the potential to upend an already tenuous situation in a region ripe with instability. When some local residents and activists directed their ire at Israeli soldiers tasked with protecting them, they demonstrated an utter disregard for the law and a disdain for what is right and just.

Israeli soldiers at the Efraim Regional Brigade base were treated to an unwelcome surprise when some local Jewish residents hurled rocks at them, vandalized their army trucks, and set tires ablaze. These heinous acts of cowardice thrust the overzealous Jewish activists into the international spotlight in a most unflattering fashion.

Instead of allowing people to focus on the Palestinian extremists who are sworn enemies of Israel and who have openly and unabashedly called for the destruction of the Jewish state, the Jewish activists distracted the international community by diverting its attention away from what should be the real issue at hand.

It was just recently that the terrorist group Hamas commemorated the twenty-fourth anniversary of its formation by reaffirming its propensity for violence and reiterating its position that it will never recognize the State of Israel. This is the same organization that has the blood of countless innocent men, women, and children on its hands following numerous horrific acts of terror directed at Israelis.

An example of Islamic fundamentalism and extremism at its absolute worst, Hamas proudly claims it is directly responsible for firing more than 11,000 rockets at Israel between 2000 and 2011, for killing more than 1,300 Israeli citizens, and for injuring more than 6,400 others.

It is Hamas that claimed responsibility for the August 2010 attack that claimed the lives of four Israelis, including a pregnant woman, when their car was ambushed near Kiryat Arba. It is Hamas that carried out an attack in January 2005 in which six Israelis were killed by a suicide bomber at a crossing near the Gaza Strip. It is Hamas that killed sixteen people and injured approximately 100 others when suicide bombers attacked two buses in Beersheva in August 2004. It is Hamas that carried out scores of suicide bombings on buses in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv that claimed numerous lives.

The monstrous acts of terror carried out by Hamas and other Arab extremists have rightfully led to them being internationally vilified. The recent radical actions of Jewish activists deserve equal opprobrium. Acts of terrorism – irrespective of the perpetrators of those acts – must be swiftly and strongly condemned. There can be no double standard.

Being passionate about a particular issue does not give people license to violate the law and to act immorally, improperly, and illegally. Rules and laws apply equally to everyone, regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity.

The outcry that ensued after these horrific acts was justified and definitely necessary. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Yesha Council Chairman Danny Dayan deserve praise for censuring the attack and for taking the extremist activists to task for what they did.

The conduct of the Jewish activists who attacked the Israeli army base is absolutely inexcusable. Their blatant disregard for the health and well-being of others, in this instance their fellow Jews, is shocking.

The brave men and women of the Israel Defense Forces put their lives on the line each and every day in order to ensure the safety and security of the people of the State of Israel. They selflessly put themselves in harm’s way in order to safeguard the lives of others. These heroes deserve our deepest gratitude and heartfelt thanks. They deserve our respect, not resentment.

As the Arab-Israeli conflict continues, it would certainly behoove the Jewish activists to employ vigilance, not violence, in the ongoing war against terror. No matter how dire the circumstances may seem at times, it is imperative that our brethren never lose sight of the real nemesis in this battle. It is not the soldiers who are stationed in Judea and Samaria, nor is it the Israeli government, which works diligently to protect its citizenry. Our true enemies are the Arab extremists who kill innocent Israelis and who want nothing more than to eradicate the state of Israel.

Rather than attacking Israeli soldiers, setting fire to mosques, or hurling rocks at Palestinian cars, our Jewish brothers and sisters must properly channel their energy and exert self-control. Acting in a manner that runs counter to our moral framework and equates them with our enemies is unbecoming and unproductive.

tell a friend

About the Author: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq., is an attorney and a principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the web at www.PaulReverePR.com or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/troodler.


You might also be interested in:


2 comments so far

You must log in to post a comment.

2 Responses to “Thou Shall Not Become Terrorists”

  1. Jonathan Gold says:
    January 1, 2012 at 4:09 PM

    very poor article

  2. Adam Schmidt says:
    July 23, 2012 at 7:20 AM

    You had to post this pic? A horse’s tuchus would have sufficed!

SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Current Top Story
Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director of Human Rights Watch, having lunch. Peter likes long walks on the beach with fellow "insider" correspondents and dumping on Israel.
Yes, There Is an Anti-Israel Media Cabal and They All Meet on Facebook
Latest Indepth Stories
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas has said he will never recognize a Jewish state and there will be no Jews allowed in a Palestinian State.
InDepth → Op-Eds

parently an affront to J Street’s worldview, the focus of which appears to be the creation of a Palestinian State, whether or not that will bring peace.

Member of Knesset Moshe Feiglin (Likud).
InDepth → Columns → Moshe Feiglin

The importance of the caucus on organ harvesting in China, sponsored recently by the Liberal Lobby in the Knesset, cannot be exaggerated. On the surface, the caucus’s topic seems odd. Knesset members and other VIPs were called together to discuss horrors being perpetrated by the Communist regime in China against what the government there calls “regime opponents.”

Shurin-Dov
InDepth → Columns → Dov Shurin

My mother, the eldest daughter of Reb Yaakov Kamenetsky, zt”l, was niftar last month at the age of 92. She took her last breath in her home in Efrat, Israel, next door to the shul that was my father’s for 24 years before his passing in 2007.

InDepth → Columns → Louis Rene Beres

Following the Boston Marathon bombing, one crucial point will likely remain overlooked. The most loathsome aspect of this or any other terror bombing attack on civilians will always lie in the inexpressibility of physical pain. While all decent people will abhor the idea of bombs expressly directed at the innocent, whether here or in other countries, none will ever be able to process the very deepest horrors of what has been inflicted.

InDepth → Columns → Keeping Jerusalem

It’s only natural to see increasing evidence of Jerusalem’s glorious Jewish past being unearthed, quite literally, under modern Israeli sovereignty. The new archaeological finds are also very timely – as the Arab onslaught attempting to detach Jerusalem from its Jewish roots gains steam, the facts on the ground, or “under” the ground, show quite otherwise.

InDepth → Op-Eds

The Talmud (Berachot 26b) says, “tefillot avot tiknum” – “prayer was established by the avot.” The Talmud then uses the following verse (Bereshit 19:27) to prove how Avraham established prayer: “Vayaskem Avraham baboker el hamakom asher amad sham et pnei Hashem” – “And Avraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before God.”

InDepth → Op-Eds

Nearly 13 years ago, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak journeyed to Camp David to end the conflict with the Palestinians. With the approval of President Clinton, he offered Yasir Arafat an independent Palestinian state in almost all of the West Bank, Gaza and in part of Jerusalem. Arafat said no.

InDepth → Op-Eds

The news that the Internal Revenue Service unfairly targeted conservative groups has brought renewed spotlight on a 2010 lawsuit filed by the pro-Israel group Z Street, which alleges it was also singled out by the IRS when applying for tax-exempt status.

InDepth → Editorial

In an editorial last week (“Circling the Wagons”) we noted the efforts by the administration and its supporters to dismiss allegations that the government’s spin on the Benghazi attack was designed to shield the president and that the IRS was improperly used to stifle opposition to Mr. Obama’s reelection.

InDepth → Editorial

As the controversies besetting the Obama administration continue to grow in number and intensity, the prospect that President Obama would seriously consider military action against Iran, should that country continue its drive to become a nuclear power, becomes more and more remote. So we welcome the current enhancement of sanctions against Iran on the federal and New York State levels.

InDepth → Interviews and Profiles

To his parents’ friends, he was “Mrs. Greenberg’s disgrace,” but to sports fans he is one of the greatest – if not the greatest – Jewish baseball players of all time. Long before Sandy Koufax, Hank Greenberg excited Jewish sports fans with his prowess on the baseball diamond.

InDepth → Front Page

To eat is to live – to keep our physical bodies alive. For without the body, there is nothing. No experience. No memory. No joy and no hardship. But man, unlike animals, eats to live and to enjoy. So how should a Jew respond when he is challenged as to why he imposes upon himself not just ceremonies dedicated to the enjoyment of eating but even more to the limiting of what he can eat?

InDepth → Op-Eds

Neither Secretary of State Kerry nor the president he serves seem to understand Russia’s goals in the Middle East.

More Articles from N. Aaron Troodler
SchoolHouse
InDepth → Op-Eds

As Jews, we assume a myriad of financial obligations in order to ensure that we live in accordance with the tenets of our faith. We give generously to our shuls and make charitable donations to various organizations that service the Jewish community. But one of the biggest investments we make is in our children’s future, as we enroll them in one of the many quality yeshivas our community boasts.

Troodler-021513
InDepth → Op-Eds

Whether it emanates from world leaders or media reports, there is a barrage of public opinion chastising Israel for policies that supposedly impede the path to peace in the Middle East.

InDepth → Op-Eds

With the dramatic stroke of a red marker, the “Bibi Bomb” became an instant sensation.

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood before world leaders on September 27 at the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly, he faced a colossal challenge. Despite the vocal skepticism of those who feel the situation is not as dire as he maintains, Netanyahu has been steadfast in his insistence that Iran is well on its way to stockpiling enough enriched uranium to construct a nuclear bomb.

InDepth → Op-Eds

When analyzing the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is very easy to pinpoint the horrific acts of terror carried out by Palestinian terrorists as a critical issue that must be addressed before there can be any substantive conversations about a true and lasting peace agreement.

InDepth → Op-Eds

When the shrill sound of the telephone ringing shattered the silence in our home at 5:30 in the morning on Monday, October 18, I got out of bed and answered the call with great trepidation and a sense of dread. I realized that if someone was calling our house that early in the morning, it was in all likelihood not good news. The voice on the other end of the line belonged to my father-in-law, who, in a trembling voice, told me my sister-in-law had passed away suddenly. I then had to turn to my wife and gently tell her that her sister was gone.

InDepth → Op-Eds

It’s remarkable that with all the strife and conflict emanating from every corner of the globe, Israel is the country that perpetually dominates the headlines. With Iran thumbing its nose at the international community with the threat of nuclear proliferation, North Korea launching a torpedo attack and sinking a ship from South Korea, and car bombs killing countless civilians in Baghdad on an ongoing basis, why is it that Israel is the hot topic of conversation – and condemnation – throughout the world?

    Latest Poll

    Which is the most beautiful location in Jerusalem?









    View Results

    Loading ... Loading ...

Printed from: http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/thou-shall-not-become-terrorists/2011/12/28/

Scan this QR code to visit this page online:

Related posts:

  1. IDF: Jibril Rajoub is Behind Terror Wave
Close