Israel will protect its citizens from Arab violence

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday that Israel will protect its citizens from Arab violence.  Last week terrorists carried out 240 attacks against Israelis, killing two and wounding at least 23 others. Speaking at the start of the weekly government cabinet meeting, Netanyahu called on “Abu Mazen” – the terrorist name used by Abbas among Arabic speakers – to “stop this propaganda immediately.”

The prime minister was referring to Islamic extremist propaganda, and a call by official PA media last week for a “day of rage” in Jerusalem. Both came less than 24 hours after Netanyahu met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Amman. The three leaders had called for a “calming of the situation” in statements following the meeting.

“We will use all legal means at our disposal, including new legislation, to maintain the security of our citizens and residents,” Netanyahu said on Sunday. “Israel is also being challenged by lies being disseminate to the effecct that we intend to change the status quo on the Temple Mount – this is a gross lie,” he said. “We are being challenged by the unwillingness to recognize the right of the Jewish People to a state of its own.

“Israel is a Jewish and democratic state,” Netanyahu continued. “Democracy here finds expression in the right of every person to vote in secret elections. It finds expression in Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, which promises full individual rights in a manner that is unprecedented anywhere in the very large region around us.

“The Jewish aspect of the state finds expression in its being the one and only national state

of the Jewish People, with a flag, national anthem and the right of the Jewish People to come here. The balance between these two facets in necessary, both to balance our judicial system, which certainly recognizes the democratic aspect, and now needs to also recognize the aspect of our being the national state of the Jewish People.”

Netanyahu went on to say that the government will move ahead with the nationality law designed to create this balance. “It will yet undergo many changes and discussions, but we will make it clear that the State of Israel is the national state of the Jewish People, while providing for equal rights – and ensuring equal rights – for all its citizens,” he said.

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DETERRENCE

Deterrence has two prerequisites: (1) overwhelming military power, and (2) the will to use it ruthlessly.  Israel has the power, but the leaders of Israel’s government lack the will. By the “government” we mean the political and military echelons.

Apart from obtaining crucial information, Israel’s security forces should eliminate any apprehended Arab terrorist. Even former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, when asked what should be done to terrorists, replied: “Kill them!”  Deterrence will also be improved on the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv when the IDF mission in Gaza is to completely eliminate any vestige of terrorist groups, such as Hamas. The policy of “self-restraint” should be limited to children.

Arab rock-throwers should be charged with the crime of attempted murder. By being lenient with minor offenses, the government only encourages major offenses. It was by applying this commonsense teaching that former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani drastically curtailed crime in that multi-ethnic city. Arabs need to know that they will no longer be mollycoddled, indeed, that the standards of civilized behavior will be applied to them as to any other citizen of Israel. To do otherwise is tantamount to racism!

Therefore, any Arab citizen of Israel who aids or abets Arab terror attacks should be

stripped of his citizenship and of all benefits accruing to Israeli citizens.  Arab students in Israeli colleges and universities who engage in demonstrations in support of any terrorist organization, or who call for Israel’s destruction, will forfeit his student status and emoluments and be subject to criminal prosecution.

It should be known to Arab citizens of Israel that any Arab that perpetrates or aids a terrorist attack against any citizen of Israel, whether the latter is Jewish or non-Jewish, will forfeit his or her home. And if that home was used as a haven for any terrorist, it will be destroyed.  Further, if the Palestinian Authority encourages Arabs to commit acts of terror against the State of Israel or any of its Jewish or non-Jewish citizens, it will forfeit any and all tax and other privileges it enjoys under Israel law.

About the Author: Professor Paul Eidelberg (Ph.D. University of Chicago) is a political scientist now residing in Jerusalem. He has drafted a Constitution for the State of Israel. His primary interest is the convergence of science and Torah. His magnum opus is "Rescuing America from Nihilism: A Judeo-Scientific Approach" (Lightcather 2014).