Moral equivalence has been likened to cancer, and with good cause. It eats away at societies, eroding the individual’s moral compass and warping his or her perception of reality to such a degree that evildoers become “heroes.” It is what enables the international community to silently (or even quite vocally) condone the savagery being committed against Israelis each and every day. It is what allows the mainstream media to mislead readers and misreport facts in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, thus providing terrorists with their own public relations vehicle, free of charge.
As the death toll in the latest terrorist-double-feature climbs, Israeli officials are seriously considering shuttering East Jerusalem in an effort to manage what some are fearing is the start of a third Intifada. In the last day alone, shooting and knife-attacks claimed the lives of three innocent Israelis and seriously injured at least 17 others. The incidents involved stabbings, opening fire on innocent civilians, and plowing a car into a crowd of pedestrians. While it is difficult to keep track of each and every attack carried out against Israelis by Palestinian terrorists, particularly in these last two weeks, Arutz Sheva attempts to provide a breakdown of the last 24 hours:
In the first incident, a 60-year-old man was killed and 15 others wounded, eight seriously, in a shooting attack on a Number 78 bus traveling along Gallows Street in Armon Hanatziv. Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah paramedics at the scene described chaos and multiple severe casualties. A second, critically wounded victim succumbed to his wounds nearly two hours later, bringing the death toll in that attack up to two. The attack involved two terrorists, one of whom was shot dead by police. The second terrorist was shot and wounded, and has been taken into custody. Early investigations indicate that the terrorists intended to hijack the bus, along with its passengers. It is not yet clear what they intended to do with the vehicle or their hostages afterwards.
Minutes after that attack, a car and knife attack took place on Malchei Yisrael street. The terrorist in that attack reportedly plowed his car into a bus stop and then emerged brandishing a knife, stabbing several passersby. There are conflicted reports about the fate of the terrorist. Some say that he was injured and taken into police custody, others that he was killed at the scene. He has been identified as Jerusalem resident and Bezeq telephone company employee Alaa Abu Jamal. Reports suggest he carried out the attack using his company car.
Now, police have shuttered all roads into Jerusalem and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has called for an emergency cabinet meeting, according to Arutz Sheva.
What will it take for the international community to “see what it sees” and hold these barbarians accountable, to stop vilifying Israel? All rhetorical questions, to be sure, as history has proven time and again, "the world doesn't care about dead Jews."
