Reports from Twitter
Of the six arrested in the murder of Muhammad Abu Khdeir, three are minors. From Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh and Adam settlement. via @hagaykr
— Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) July 6, 2014
Honeinu: Suspects in [Abu Kdeir] murder case expected to be brought before Petach Tikvah magistrates court this afternoon
— joshmitnick (@joshmitnick) July 6, 2014
See correction below. The following tweet was retweeted by Gershon Baskin, which is how I saw it, but deleted soon after. It names one of the arrested suspects and was published by the Samaria Settlers Committee. I got a screenshot before it disappeared.
Translation: "Those suspects arrested in the case of the burning of the Arab youth:
Update: I am not sure that the name above is correct, based on another tweet that I just read. It may be a terrible joke. That may be why the tweet disappeared. See below for details.
I'm in West Jerusalem (Katamon) and have stayed away from places of danger - the center of Jerusalem (last night there was another right-wing demonstration, this time in front of the Prime Minister's house; also right-wing youth in downtown Jerusalem trying to find Arabs to attack, and this time, a small group of left-wing people countering them and trying to protect Arabs), the Old City, East Jerusalem (on Friday the American consulate warned Americans not to go to those places because of the danger). But nothing's happening here in Katamon or the German Colony, or at the National Library on the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University.
So I should feel safe, right? Just stay away from danger and the hatred? Just walk down the beautiful path made by the city on the route of the former Jerusalem-Jaffa railroad, admire the scenery, smile at the people walking their dogs, smile at the babies gurgling, the teenage couples snogging....but how can I enjoy it when I know that no more than a mile or two away from me, people are throwing stones at police and getting tear-gassed or shot with rubber bullets in return, or throwing stones on the Temple Mount, or shouting "Death to Arabs" in Zion Square, or grabbing Arabs and beating them in the center of town, or going in the early morning, just before the first prayer of the morning, and kidnapping a teenage boy, Muhammad, as he sits on the wall in front of the mosque, pull him into their car, beat him, and race to the Jerusalem forest where they set him on fire and leave him dead? How can I feel safe, or distanced, from the whirling maelstrom of hatred and violence in Jerusalem?
Over the last few days, in order to feel sane, I've been repeating some verses from the Tanakh. Basic teachings that form the basis for human civilization. You don't have to be religious or believe in God to understand that these rules ensure that human society can exist.
Exodus 20
13 You shall not murder. לֹ֥א תִרְצָ֖ח
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. לֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵֽעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁקֶר
The most basic rules: do not murder, do not lie. Noga Tarnopolsky just retweeted two statements that David Haivri posted before we knew who the suspects were for the murder:
Arab youth found dead in Jerusalem. Many keyboard happy journalists quick to point to revenge. While family "honor killing" more likely.
— David Ha'ivri (@haivri) July 2, 2014
Arabs murder their own for being Gay, put the blame on Jews for being racist. Media cooperates because bashing Israel is more sexy.
— David Ha'ivri (@haivri) July 2, 2014
Leviticus 19:33-34
33 When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the stranger. 34 The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the stranger as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
We Jews have been despised strangers in so many places. It is immoral for us to regard Palestinians in Israel as strangers. When someone is regarded as a stranger, it is so easy to denigrate him, to call her contemptuous names, to push him or her into a slum, to beat him up, to kill him and then lie about the victim and besmirch his reputation. This is why the Torah commands Jews not to oppress the stranger, and even more, to love the stranger. This commandment is placed near by the commandment to love those in our community (Leviticus 19:18): "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Comment on my update.
Earlier today, when I posted this essay, I came across a Tweet, retweeted by Gershon Baskin, from the Samaria Settlers Committee, naming one of the six suspects as Ezra Batzri from Jerusalem. I looked up the name and found that it belonged to a well-known Rabbi - formerly a judge on the High Rabbinic Court - obviously someone who would not have any involvement with a vicious crime. I Googled further, and found the following Facebook post from Moked Hatzalah Artzi - the national response center of Hatzalah, a private ambulance service.
לג וְכִֽי־יָג֧וּר אִתְּךָ֛ גֵּ֖ר בְּאַרְצְכֶ֑ם לֹ֥א תוֹנ֖וּ אֹתֽוֹ׃ לד כְּאֶזְרָ֣ח מִכֶּם֩ יִֽהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֜ם הַגֵּ֣ר ׀ הַגָּ֣ר אִתְּכֶ֗ם וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לוֹ֙ כָּמ֔וֹךָ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶֽם׃
We Jews have been despised strangers in so many places. It is immoral for us to regard Palestinians in Israel as strangers. When someone is regarded as a stranger, it is so easy to denigrate him, to call her contemptuous names, to push him or her into a slum, to beat him up, to kill him and then lie about the victim and besmirch his reputation. This is why the Torah commands Jews not to oppress the stranger, and even more, to love the stranger. This commandment is placed near by the commandment to love those in our community (Leviticus 19:18): "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Comment on my update.
Earlier today, when I posted this essay, I came across a Tweet, retweeted by Gershon Baskin, from the Samaria Settlers Committee, naming one of the six suspects as Ezra Batzri from Jerusalem. I looked up the name and found that it belonged to a well-known Rabbi - formerly a judge on the High Rabbinic Court - obviously someone who would not have any involvement with a vicious crime. I Googled further, and found the following Facebook post from Moked Hatzalah Artzi - the national response center of Hatzalah, a private ambulance service.
Translation: "The names of those suspected in the murder of the Arab youth in Jerusalem have been released for publication. They are Ezra Batzri from Jerusalem, Menachem Mendel Beilis from Jerusalem, and Shalom Rucham from Netivot."
The commenter, Yehezkel Hasson writes, "Ahh, this is nonsense...the case of Beilis was a blood libel against the Jews of Russia."
He is correct, and this fact suggests that whoever from "Moked Hatzalah Artzi" wrote this thinks that the Israeli government is also engaging in a blood libel - against the six who were arrested today. Truly disgusting.
Second Update.
David Ha'ivri has now apologized for spreading vile rumors about Muhammad Abu Khdeir.
Second Update.
David Ha'ivri has now apologized for spreading vile rumors about Muhammad Abu Khdeir.
I'm sorry, I was not prepared to believe that Mohammad AbuKhdeir was murdered by Jews, this lead me to adopt rumors that were circulating
— David Ha'ivri (@haivri) July 6, 2014
Just walk down the beautiful path made by the city on the route of the former Jerusalem-Jaffa railroad, admire the scenery, smile at the people walking their dogs, smile at the babies gurgling, the teenage couples snogging....but how can I enjoy it when I know that no more than a mile or two away from me, people are throwing stones at police and getting tear-gassed or shot with rubber bullets in return...
ReplyDeleteI love that railroad path. I walked it with my sister a few months ago. But although the situation then was not as dire as it is now, I was plagued by the same kind of cognitive dissonance you describe here.
Thank you for this post.
Thank you, Rachel.
ReplyDelete