Translated from our Hebrew page, our statement regarding the tragic kidnapping of the yeshiva students: The abduction of the three young students is an unforgivable act of terror. Our prayers and hopes are with the families of the kidnapped, who are undergoing terrible days of pain that no family should have to experience. Of course, there is no justification for violence and kidnapping of boys, or for the suffering of their families. Everyone who believes in a peaceful two state solution wants to prevent such incidents in the future. The terrorists that stand behind this tragedy must be found and held responsible: there is no and never will be any justification to kidnapping and harming innocent boys. But to understand the problem we are facing and to prevent further escalation, we need to evaluate the reality of the significance of Israel’s control over the occupied territories. When every Palestinian can look through their window and see tractors building settlements, leaving no sufficient room for their own Palestinian nation, feelings of helplessness, territoriality and frustration will develop. When in the past few years dozens of Palestinians have been killed in clashes with IDF soldiers-- it is no shock that some will turn to extremism for the answer. Incitement through Palestinian media or schoolbooks is not the primary cause for this extremism. Rather, it is the harsh reality and humiliation Palestinians endure daily that is stronger than any speech on television or sermon in the mosque. We must hope that our security forces find those kidnapped safe and bring the kidnappers to justice. We must hope that at these critical moments our Prime Minister will make the right decision for the lives of those kidnapped. We must also be wary that even when the affair will pass, Netanyahu’s policy will remain the same-- continued political immobility, escalation of tension, and no victories for the progress of peace. Our role as Israelis is to continue demanding from our decision-makers to find a solution to our tragic conflict, and to remind each other once and again that there must be a political solution to end the cycle of bloodshed and to stop the extremists’ victories as our struggle for peace continues.
Posted on: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 14:00:01 +0000
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