Last week in Israel began with a terror attack in Huwara in which two Israelis were killed by a Palestinian terrorist. And, before we even began processing that, another one came our way on Monday in Jericho. I am praying that by the time this article is published, there won't be another attack in the media headlines.
This wave of violence, however, isn't new. It is part of the Jewish history: persecutions, pogroms and terror attacks.
This conflict existed before Zionism did. Jews were persecuted not only in Poland and Russia, but in Arab countries as well. But, not always and not everywhere, so Zionism was never necessary, neither was the urge to found a state. After all, at the time those who were killing us, were killing each other as well in an endless series of massacres all over the world.
With that in mind, let's go back to 1937 when the Peel Commission, which was appointed by the British government to assess the cause of the Arab riots in the region and performance of the British Mandate, recommended for the first time a partition of the land into a Jewish and an Arab state. The commission assessed the two peoples will never reconcile and live in peace within the borders of one state.
That proposal was rejected by the Arabs because their hatred toward the idea of the Jewish national home has been there from the very start. And, every single terror attack only proves the commission's recommendation and assessment was accurate.
4 View gallery
Jews in Jerusalem celebrate the British Mandate cancelling mandatory curfew
(Photo: Cinameteque Jerusalem/Sherman Greenberg)
On that note, whoever believes the population of the Palestinian town of Huwara could live in peace with settlers from the neighboring settlement of Har Bracha is dangerously delusional. It didn't work then, it doesn't work now, and it never will work in the future.
Since the beginning of the year, 14 Israelis have been murdered by Palestinian terrorists. Bu they are only a small fraction of the 320 Muslims and Africans murdered in the same time frame by jihadist. Neither an occupation, nor an outpost made them go out and murder - but a total brainwashing.
So what is there to do? Last Saturday I met a friend of mine, who was within a striking distance of the infamous settler riots in Huwara. He was holding a sign, reading, "There is no democracy with an occupation."
I agree that the occupation is bad, but I just can't imagine what the alternative is at the moment. I reminded my friend that all proposals to ending the occupation and establishing an independent state have been declined by the Palestinians, But, she insisted she will be holding up that sign at next week's protest as well.
The settlers, meanwhile, decided that while the left-wing is talking, the right-wing will be acting. They have already returned to the previously-evacuated outposts, while demanding to build more. We already know what the outcome of that will be. The Jewish minority living in areas populated largely by Palestinians is a situation that will always lead to confrontations.
Meanwhile, the settlers are raising a generation of Jewish rioters, while Palestinians continue to demonize Israel and Jews, leading to more and more terror attacks.
In 2007, Michael Tarazi, a Palestinian-American lawyer and former adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization, called on Palestinians to end the violence without asking Israel to halt the settlement constructions first. He wasn't wrong. This is the most efficient way to destroy Zionism and Israel once and for all - without any bloodshed. Because if the settlements continue to expand, the only outcome is a bi-national state.
The Palestinian establishment thinks otherwise, for now. But a recent survey showed that more and more Palestinians believe that a bi-national state is an inevitable solution to the conflict.
Meanwhile, the right-wing minority in Israel is dragging us all in that direction. Those who authorize more and more outposts are a branch of the anti-Zionist minority, and now they have been bestowed governmental representation. This leaves the majority of Jews helplessly walking toward an undesired path.
If up until now we weren't aware of the fact that the settlement enterprise in an anti-Zionist idea, the rioters that almost burned down Huwara last week made it quite clear. What happened there was unethical, un-Jewish and un-Zionist.
And yes, the Palestinians do hand out candies in celebration of terror attacks targeting Jews, while most settlers condemn the violence inflicted on the Palestinians by the radical minority. But let's not kid ourselves. We're no longer looking at a handful of rouge individuals.
The "minority" of settlers is still thousands upon thousands of people, backed by a government minister who stands behind them and encourages their crimes. They are enemies that live among us. What happened last Sunday night marks a certain mile stone.
The Palestinians still will not be able to overcome us, we'll prevail. But, the pogromists among us insist on leading us toward unprecedented bloodshed and violence. And we must be wary.