Punishing the family of a criminal.

epalestine

Dear friends,

Yesterday was tragic. The bulldozer rampage shocked all. Anyone could have been a victim. I personally use that road once a week. Our prayers are with all those that were killed or wounded, whomever they may be.

But that's not enough. If we care, really care, we must dig deeper. Let's at least ask before judging:

- Israel is 100% responsible for the security in the area where this tragic event took place and the place where the attacker lives. Why does Israel not blame itself to the same degree that it blames Palestinians when such events happen on the Palestinian side?

- Before rushing to raze the attacker's family house, without any due process, investigation, etc, would it not be prudent to assume that maybe, just maybe, this was a criminal act or an act of a madman, or have Palestinians been so dehumanized by Israel that even criminals are put on the pedestal of grand planning terrorists? By the way, my speculation is that this was an individual rampage, no more, no less, which makes it no less tragic for those killed or injured, but much less tragic for those that will be the victims of any knee-jerk raciest replies from the Israeli government.

- Since Israel is rushing to make it 'legal' to raze this attacker's home and strip his family of their Jerusalem residency status, etc, the question that begs asked is why Israel did not consider similar acts when an Jewish student extremist gunned down and murdered Israeli Prime Minister Rabin. Not only was this not considered, but Rabin's killer was allowed to marry and have a child while imprisoned.

- Will the world continue to only weep when Israelis are the victims, while totally ignoring the daily terror that is making Palestinians' lives equal to death?

- Will collectively punishing the attacker's family yield lessons learned from this tragedy in order to ensure it does not happen again, or will it only breed more hate?

No answers to these questions will or can justify the terrible events of yesterday, but addressing these may save both Palestinian and Israeli lives in the days to come.