BY FEBRUARY 22, 2016
After nearly five months of continuous violence, Israel finally seems to have lost its nerve.
Although Israelis have encountered far more serious periods of conflict with Palestinians in the past, the current era of stabbings and vehicle attacks has thrown them off balance. Even in the most horrific times of the Second Intifada, when suicide bombers blew themselves up twice a week on the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, a very Jewish version of the “stiff upper lip” persisted — everyday life continued apace, with businesses and schools remaining open.
This time, however, things have evolved differently. While the number of casualties remains significantly lower than the comparable period in the beginning of the Second Intifada in 2000 — 174 Palestinians and 31 Israelis have died so far, about 60 percent of the numbers last time — the Israeli reaction seems far more frantic and confused.
The government is now actively promoting a bill that would allow Knesset members to suspend their colleagues for supporting terrorism, as well as a “transparency bill” that would force left-wing NGOs receiving financial support from foreign governments to publicly report such assistance.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led the campaign against Arab-Israeli members of the Knesset (MKs), after three such MKs attended a meeting with families of Palestinian attackers who were killed by Israeli police. He also threatened Arab-Israeli citizens after a shooting attack by an Arab-Israeli in Tel Aviv, vowing that Israel “will live forever by the sword.” Months later, he promised to continue building fences along all of Israel’s borders in order to keep out “predators.”
Meanwhile, an ultra-right-wing grassroots organization, Im Tirtzu, initiated a public campaign against left-wing groups and human rights organizations, describing them as shtulim — Hebrew for “implants” or “moles,” carrying the implication that they are aiding Israel’s enemies. On Feb. 16, Jerusalem police even briefly detained two Washington Post journalists for suspected “incitement” of Palestinians after conducting interviews with residents outside the Old City.
In what might be perceived as a rare moment of comic relief, a Likud backbencher surprised fellow MKs earlier this month by revealing that, in fact, there’s no such place as Palestine. The reason? There is no letter “p” in Arabic. “Pa, pa,” she sputtered from the podium while Arab MKs watched in disbelief.
