It seems odd to not be writing about the longer range, bigger payload, Hamas rocket, that hit a home in Be’er Sheva today. Before the rocket hit I had decided on taking a look inward in light of the Palestinian woman killed by rocks thrown at the car she was riding in with her husband. The news reports varied significantly. Within a short amount of time a gag order was in place and the Shin Bet was investigating the attack.
When an Israeli Jew commits a crime and I read about it, I usually don’t have much of a reaction. The crime thankfully has nothing to do with me. The nationality and religion of the person don’t have anything to do with the crime. When I read about what happened to Aisha al-Rawbi I felt it in my gut. I’ve never harmed a living soul, so why is this so personal?
If Jews indeed committed this act of terror then they did it for nationalistic reasons. My nation. So it’s personal. I wish I could say that the murder of this woman was the only thing I find to be horrific, but I would be lying. I’m angry at the stain on my Jewish Israeli identity. I’m angry at their arrogance and hate which led them to think that the law does not apply to them. And I am angry at the stupidity of it. Palestinian terrorists have been murdering Jews for decades. It has not gotten the Palestinian people a state, nor has it gotten rid of Israel. Why copy what clearly does not work?
There is no correct answer to whether or not we are our brother’s keeper. I see it as a choice. I choose to be my brother’s keeper in order to make my people a better people.