The Shabak today arrested several suspects in the arson attack on the Max Rayne School, which is one of the few institutions in the country which has an integrated Jewish-Palestinian student body. As always in these cases, the secret police nab the suspects secretly and prohibit the media from reporting the arrests or the names of the suspects. This allows them to put the screws to the detainees, interrogate them using whatever methods they choose (in the case of Palestinians, abusive ones), with no countering pressure brought to bear by the victim, his lawyer, family or the public.
So the identities of the arson suspects cannot be reported in the media. However, I know the name of the leader of the terror cell and can report it here: Nachman Twito. He’s a devout Kahanist of North African origin. I’ve displayed some of the photos on his Facebook account which document his blind loyalty to the cause. His Facebook page sports his enthusiasm for the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team and Israeli pop star, Amir Benayoun. All are worshipped by the most rabid, racist of Israelis.
Though almost all price tag attacks against Palestinian mosques, cemeteries and beatings handed out to Palestinians by Jewish hooligans go uninvestigated and unsolved, this case is different. First, it comes in the context of numerous acts of terror committed by each side against the other. This has magnified the incitement quotient of such attacks. Second, Netanyahu has just dissolved his government and is going to new elections. Along with the Race (aka Nationality) Laws now before the Knesset, the school attack comes as a powerful incendiary device. If the suspects were treated with the same light hand as previous incidents, it might damage the chances of the ruling rightist coalition and/or harm the prospects for the Race bills.
For these reasons, the situation reminds me of the classic French film, This Man Must Die. Nachman Twito won’t die of course. But he must be seen by the public to be a bad boy. Someone who faces consequences for his actions (sort of). He probably won’t even be tried, let alone convicted or imprisoned. The authorities will give the Jewish terrorists consideration they don’t offer Palestinian security prisoners. As soon as the political-security situation eases, Twito and his pals will be released. Then they can return to their old ways having been turned, by incarceration, into heroes in the eyes of their comrades.
This allows Bibi Netanyahu and his settler allies to continue this little charade they have going. Democracy? Of course, we’re a democracy, we treat all the right citizens with utmost respect. Rule of law? Of course. We even arrest Jews when they behave badly. Then of course, we release them so they can continue serving the useful purpose of inciting hate among the “Arabs.” It’s the democracy game.
Don’t be fooled by Israeli pols who decry such attacks and the perpetrators as “enemies of democracy.” Of course they are. But the real enemies of democracy, the ones who give the pogromists their power are the Israelis themselves who vote the Likudists and their ilk into control. Even those who vote for centrist parties like Labor are accessories after the fact, since they know in their heart that no Labor Party MK has the guts to do what has to be done to turn Israeli into a just society. This isn’t a question of a few bad apples. The barrel itself is rotten. Israel needs a new apples and a new barrel. No Israeli Jewish party is willing to do that.
I encourage you to support the School with donations that will enable them to repair the damage inflicted by Jewish hate.
Jeez.
You mean Israel did something good in arresting these thugs?
Wow.
@ Red Eft: You didn’t read the post, did you? If you had, you’d understand why arresting the little thugs does nothing because the big thugs who give these little thugs orders (metaphorically speaking) are running the State.
Settlers Get 30 Months For Arson.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4598004,00.html
Big thugs put little thugs in prison.
@ Red Eft: This is extremely rare, almost unheard of outcome, as you well know. There are almost no cases of settler thugs being brought to justice. There must be circumstances in this case that set it apart from others. My guess is that, if you can believe the article, the two defendants actually expressed remorse for their acts and willingly cooperated with the investigation. This made it much easier for a prosecution.
This is in fact the only time I’ve heard of settlers sentenced to prison for hate crimes not involving mass murder.
[comment deleted: comments must contain substance. Comments consisting solely of snark will not be published.]
The saddest part it is that the leader of the gang belongs to an oppressed people, Arab Jews, which are attacking other oppressed people, the Palestinians. There is no better situation for and oppresor when an oppressed people attacks one of its in suffering (even though in lesser degree).
Some Marxist ideas never die. From the Vietnam-war`s memorabilia : ”The white people send the black people to fight the yellow people to keep what they stole from the red people”
This is not a Marxist idea at all. This is obvious.
That’s right. Calling it “Marxist” does not make it untrue.
Daniel, half my family (on my Mother’s side) is Moroccan. If you told any of them that they were oppressed, they would laugh at you.
Many Moroccan Israeli’s disagree.
@ pea: Actually, your comment is laughable. First, you’re not Moroccan, they are. When they want to speak here, you’ll know how to tell them to do so. But if they do come here agreeing with you, they’ll represent anecdotal evidence, since most Moroccan Israelis, as Elisabeth wrote would disagree. Third, those who study the issue of ethnic discrimination in Israel would strongly disagree. Fourth, yours is a pitiable attempt to refute the notion of Israeli ethnic discrimination. Not even a credible attempt.
The only thing that isn’t Moroccan about me is my last name. I attend a Moroccan synagogue, grew up among my large Moroccan family (not so many Ashkenazi family members because, Holocaust), have a facility with French and Judeo Arabic because those were the languages I heard growing up and had a fondness for Mizrachi music before it became trendy with Tel Aviv hipsters. Your assertion that those who study ethnic discrimination would disagree should be rephrased as “some” of those who study… I don’t know what Elisabeth’s particular expertise is, but certainly, based on my vast anecdotal experience, there is ample evidence to dispute any assertion that Mizrachi Jews are discriminated against in Israel today. But my original point still stands. Among my large and diverse family members, people that include cab drivers, farmers, city dwellers, moshavnikim, secular, religious, professionals, academics, criminals, retirees, you name it – we disagree on many things – but on the notion that we face systemic discrimination in Israel in the past 20 years? Nope. Most would laugh at that. Israel has enough problems, no need to make more up. Again – all this is still based on my opinion which is based on personal and anecdotal experience. I would welcome, in the interest of dialogue, to read links to contrary evidence.
[comment deleted: Snark is not a substantive comment. Commenters under 2 different names used this single IP address to post comments here. That is NOT acceptable (read the comment rules), unless both of you used the same IP proxy address, another tactic I frown upon. You are quite close to moderation.]
Where is the information from and how credible is it considering Israeli authorities are concealing it?