The Israeli Yated Ne’eman addresses the Price Tag attacks, primarily the mosque attack, speaking out strongly against it and those who support such actions. The newspaper today (8 Tishrei) devotes a column to the ‘Price Tag’ attacks, which claim to be in retaliation to acts against outposts throughout Yehuda and Shomron.

Yated calls such actions “dangerous” and “insane” that are tantamount to “persecution” against all Jews, adding such actions simply have no place, not even in the most remote area of Yiddishkheit, for Jews to strike out against a mosque.

Earlier in the week, Chief Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar Shlita, during a visit to the site of the arson attack, spoke out in strong words of condemnation, but warned not to be too quick to assume Jews are responsible, stating this may very well be a blood libel.

Yated adds however that when religious holy sites are targeted, anywhere in the world, all Jews must come out to express outrage and to condemn “barbaric acts” since the Jewish People know what it is like to suffer such attacks by barbaric anti-Semites, once again assuming Jews targeted the mosque.

“Nestled in our hearts is the fear that we are not dealing with a provocative act that seeks to fuel the fires against the right-wing, but those responsible are right-wingers, societies weirdos and extremists whom have perpetrated such attacks in the past, over the Green Line.

“These cowardly acts in retaliation for terror attacks are not striking out against those responsible [for terror] but against unaffiliated PA residents who generally speaking are not connected to terror attacks. It is simply easier to attack the general population for those cowards and irresponsible youths; those who benefit from seeing an entire nation react and condemn their actions”.

The article is careful to differentiate between the legitimate right-wing and those representing the fringe, those who understand the damage caused by such actions. The right-wing must come out and condemn such attacks that are attributed to the right-wing by too many.

Yated makes reference to the fringe elements in the right-wing camp who “seek to justify such actions, as if there is some relationship to government policy against those over the Green Line, as if one can justify an arson attack against a mosque in a tranquil Galil community. There is even a member of Knesset identified with them, who seeks to incite against the government following the mosque attack, claiming the IDF and government agencies have ‘boxed settlers into a corner’, as if they are being ‘compelled’ to respond against a mosque.”

Yated calls on Israel Police to apprehend those responsible, since they may pose a threat to Jews around the world, not just against a mosque. Yated feels that those responsible should be viewed in the Halachic framework of rodef as there are elements among the Islamic population who will use this to attack Jews, as we have seen in the past, and those proving a catalyst to act against us is indeed a rodef and must be vomited out.

Yated also targets senior government officials in Israel, for their failure to come out in such an audible fashion following an attack against a shul, questioning where the condemnatory statements from state leaders are when it is not a mosque being attacked but a Jewish house of worship.

This holds true regarding the Israeli left-wing as well, “who love to speak in generalities against their foes” but Heaven forbid if we do the same in return regarding the Israeli Arabs for example as is seen when an Israeli Arab terrorist is apprehended. In such a case, we are dealing with a small fringe element not representative of the Jewish community, even those who label themselves ‘chareidi’, perpetrating acts in the name of ‘religion or right-wing’ – they are all responsible for their actions.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)