2 min read
It has been a harrowing couple of days in Israel.
We went to bed last night after news of the stabbing of revellers at Jerusalem’s Gay Pride parade . The attacker was a man who, ten years ago, had been jailed for attempted murder at the 2005 Gay Pride parade.
We then woke up to the news that a baby had been killed in an arson attack by Israelis on Palestinian civilians.
Israel’s detractors on Twitter have been active all morning, waiting for someone to do something other than condemn these attacks.
18month old Ali Saad Dawabsha Palestinian baby burned to death by Israeli settlers: what will be done? What justice will flow?
— Jon Snow (@jonsnowC4) July 31, 2015
But condemnation is all there is.
The current Israeli government has been dismissed as one of the most right-wing ever but in its reaction to this week’s atrocities it has shown good judgement, balance and humanity.
“This is a terror attack in every sense of the word,” Israeli prime minister Netanyahu said. “The State of Israel deals forcefully with terror, regardless of who the perpetrators are.”
Similarly, Education Minister Naftali Bennett said: “Terror is terror is terror.”
While the IDF is carrying out searches in the area where the baby and his family were attacked, Hamas has responded by encouraging lone-wolf attacks on Israelis. “This crime,” spokesman Husam Badran was quoted by Hamas daily al-Resalah as saying, “renders occupation soldiers and settlers a legitimate target for the resistance everywhere and in all conditions.”
While the arson attack had political motives (the graffiti scrawled on the wall of the house stated that it was a revenge attack) and was clearly a terrorist attack, the stabbing at the Pride parade was a hate crime in a more narrow sense. A homophobic criminal took his hatred to its (il)logical conclusion, tracking down the objects of his disapproval and going on the rampage.
Israeli reactions to this were just as forceful and disapproving, with Netanyahu saying: "In the state of Israel the individual's freedom of choice is one of basic values. We must ensure that in Israel, every man and woman lives in security in any way they choose. That's how we acted in the past and how we'll continue to act. I wish the wounded a speedy recovery."
The most interesting response so far was Zionist Union MK Itzik Shmuli’s decision to come out.
In a column he wrote for Yedioth Ahronoth daily, Mr Shmuli said: "We cannot be silent any longer because the knife is raised on the entire LGBT community — my community — and it won’t stop there."
Mr Shmuli has been battling against speculation over his sexuality for a while and his decision to break his silence now reflects not just on him but also on the Israeli government. Tel Aviv has long been known for its vibrant gay scene and Israel is the most accepting place in the Middle East for the LGBT community. So it is a shame that such a dark light has been cast over Jerusalem’s event and that a man has been forced to reveal his personal life as a way of defending his people and his country. Nonetheless, even in 2015, a public figure coming out is a significant statement and people will notice a government that supports and defends this statement.
To get more from opinion, click here to sign up for our free Editor's Picks newsletter.