LA Times: Settlements Provoke Baby Killing
March 15, 2011 13:48 by Simon Plosker
The inhuman act of slitting the throats of a three-month old baby, two small children and their parents defies any understanding or justification for any political cause. But not for the LA Times, which contends that the brutal murder of the Fogel family are part of an ongoing “cycle of violence”:
We’re currently witnessing the cycle in real time. On Saturday, five members of an Israeli family living in the West Bank settlement of Itamar, near the Palestinian city of Nablus, were killed, including an 11-year-old boy, a 4-year-old boy and an infant girl, presumably by Palestinian militants. In response to this brutal tragedy, the Israeli government announced that it would build 500 more houses in existing settlements in the West Bank. Interior Minister Eli Yishai said Sunday that 500 was not enough and that Israel should build 1,000 new homes for every Israeli who is killed there.
Which is worse — stabbing children to death or building new houses in West Bank settlements? The answer is obvious. But that’s not the point. The point is that no matter how abhorrent the murders are, it serves no purpose to aggravate the provocation that led to them in the first place.
So according to the LA Times, baby killing is a natural response to an Israeli provocation, in this case the act of building houses. Is this any different to the vicious rhetoric of Hamas, which justified the murders?
The LA Times asks:
How will building more houses for Israelis in the midst of the West Bank, in settlements that are almost universally acknowledged to violate international law, do anything other than keep the crisis going? Answer: It won’t.
Perhaps the LA Times should be asking how the butchering of babies, which is universally condemned, will do anything other than keep the crisis going? But instead, the paper cares little for placing responsibility for Palestinian actions on the Palestinians themselves let alone dealing with the very real issue of incitement in the Palestinian media and education system.
As for the claim that this brutal act is simply part of a “cycle of violence”, this is a charge that has been employed on a regular basis by lazy media that cannot differentiate between Palestinian terror, Israeli self-defense or non-violent acts of building homes. The Jerusalem Post eloquently debunked this as far back as 2008:
In truth, however, there is no cycle of violence. There is no spiral of attack and counter-attack relentlessly unfolding here.
What we have, rather, on the one hand, is a sovereign nation’s desperate effort to live in its homeland, seek peace with those of its neighbors who will partner it, and defend itself against those who seek its destruction. And, on the other, we have the forces of militant Islam, firing rockets across Israel’s sovereign borders, murdering Israelis wherever they can be found vulnerable, indoctrinating their people with a vicious intolerance of Jewish historical rights in this region, and simultaneously spreading a perverted interpretation of Islam that purports to require each and every believer to carry out personal jihad in the name of God against the infidels – be they Jews, Christians or unbelieving Muslims.
Send your considered comments to the LA Times – letters@latimes.com. Please remember to include your full name, mailing address, daytime phone number, and e-mail address. This information is seen only by the letters editors and is necessary in order to qualify for potential publication on the letters page.
UPDATE
A number of letters appeared in the March 19 edition of the LA Times, in response to the editorial critiqued above. Congratulations to HonestReporting subscriber Henry Tobias for getting his letter published.
Israeli American
5:35 pm
Mar 15, 2011
I wrote this letter to the L.A.Times but they said it is too long, so I don’t think it will get published. So I publish it here.
Please reconsider the publication of the article by Simon Plosker on the murders in the Israeli community of Itamar.
You and Mr. Plosker owe your readers and all Jewish people a published apology for an article that is not only insensitive and arrogant, but goes against the morals of most of the American people. It also revealed a total lack of understanding of the history in the Middle East and your own state of California.
I suppose you believe that California has been a state in the area that is now called North America since time began. Obviously you’re unaware that southern California was first inhabited by native Americans before Spanish “settlers” moved in. Eventually the ownership of the land was decided by a war which the white man won, wresting the area of Southern California away from Mexico. In a similar paradigm, Israel also won back the areas from Muslim occupiers that are now called the disputed territories. These lands belonged to Jews thousands of years ago, and the control of them went from colonializer to colonializer, never really being formally a part of any nation other than the Jewish people. Israel was attacked in 1967 by the Muslims and won the war, taking back the land in East Jerusalem and what is called the West Bank. This land belonged to the Jews way before there ever were white men in North America. So the legitimacy of it now being part of Israel is just as real as California being part of the US instead of Mexico. There is no reason Jews shouldn’t live there; if we are forced to give it back to the Muslims, California should be given back to Mexico. It’s the same principle.
Would you blame babies if Mexicans decided to wage a terror war against all babies in L.A.? If they broke into the house of your family and slashed their throats, would you say it’s your fault for living there?
Even if all of this were not true, and the land could in some confusion of facts be construed as having any legitimate ownership by Muslim Palestinians, that is not – and never has been – an excuse to murder innocents. Should Jews murder all the Arabs that live within Israel? Why is it that Israel allows Arab Muslims to serve in our government, but no Jews are allowed to even live in Muslim lands? What difference should it make if Jews build in the West Bank and at some point the land is given to the Muslims? Jewish homes have never kept the land from being taken or given away. The homes of 8000 Jews were given to Arabs when the Jews left Gaza. The homes of 800,000 Jews were lost when they were kicked out of Arab countries in 1948. So what difference does it make if Jews build in Judea? If we leave there, Arabs will get more free homes. They should be happy about that. But instead, they choose to use it for an excuse to murder innocents and refuse to discuss peace. Why won’t they let these people stay in the West Bank even if it becomes another Arab country? Israel let the Arabs stay in Israel.
Your article was sickening to any moral and intelligent reader. Killing babies and children can never be condoned in a country that considers itself civilized.
You and Mr. Plosker need to apologize and retract your low level of what you call journalism immediately. Your irresponsible publication of such inciting rhetoric without basis in historical understanding is appalling.
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moishe-richard
5:51 pm
Mar 15, 2011
excellent observation, off course rejected by LA newspaper, not because being too long, but because you’re disturbing their unidirectional and willingly anti-israeli opinion. As much as you are right, media has no interest in truth but rather to express their hate of jews. For sure, thw world suffers from muslims’ terror, nevertheless, as centuries proved it, jews are always the guilty ones, whatever they will do. Keep the land, return part of it, or even being out of it (like it was for centuries and still generates pogroms and persecutions…)
We will unfortunately not change humanity’s mentality.
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Shifra Paikin
5:41 pm
Mar 15, 2011
Well said!!
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Rostislav
6:24 pm
Mar 15, 2011
There is nothing especially new in the LA leftists’ reaction: we’ve already have seen the same tactics with their attempts to blame America for the crimes of the Islamic terrorists, but even then they were rather worn: Dr. Goebbels was beyond himself, accusing Jews for all the hardships of the WWII – the thing is, that all of them, from Das Reich to LA Times, have no shame at all. Just their accursed dogmas and nothing else. Rostislav, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
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Asher Garber
6:48 pm
Mar 15, 2011
There are many leftist Zionists. Let’s not put the blame on those who believe that society is better served through socialist economic practices as opposed to capitalism and the art of making money for a small bracket of the populace. Between her secular government, push for human rights, and the foundations of her creation through kibbutzim, it could easily be said that the State of Israel is a liberal cause.
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SBSteelers
7:27 pm
Mar 15, 2011
The State of Israel a liberal cause? If it’d been a liberal cause, using the modern definition of liberal, then there’d be no Israel. Liberals would be trying to out-pacify one another and appease those who want to murder them at any cost.
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Asher Garber
8:30 pm
Mar 15, 2011
So am I not a liberal? Or am I not an Israel supporter? As far as I know, I am both.
But thanks for telling me more about me than I’ll ever know. It’s so…. logical.
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Josef
6:25 pm
Mar 15, 2011
While it is true that this article presents the killings as a result of the “cycle,” it does not equate the killings with house building. In fact it emphatically states — “Which is worse — stabbing children to death or building new houses in West Bank settlements? The answer is obvious.” and also — “Terrorist violence is unacceptable, period. Palestinian leaders should say so, clearly and publicly. The murder of children is especially disheartening and reprehensible, and the Itamar killers, whoever they are, should be hunted down and punished.”
The point that this article makes, though, is that it is no use to “fight a fire by pouring gasoline on it.” Therefore the question we should be asking is, Why is Eli Yishai focusing on the “house building” and not on murder?
The truth is… that truth is complex. No simple explanation will suffice. It is undeniable that most of the violence is directly attributable to general incitement and organized terrorist organisations, like Hamas. However, there certainly is some element of the “emotionally triggered” acts of violence in the ‘matzav.’ The reality of the Middle East is that there is a deeply ingrained culture of revenge. Any wrong done must be avenged or you you appear weak. It is done on individual as well as organizational and national levels.
Additionally, everyone has their share of troublemakers – the “Eirev Rav.” They cannot live in peace, ever. They thrive on conflict of any kind.
Finally, however painful it might be to admit it, there is distrust, incitement and hatred on both sides, granted, it is obviously much more pronounced on the arab side.
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barbara panken
6:33 pm
Mar 15, 2011
I wear short skirts, tight jeans and figure hugging tops. I MUST be inviting RAPE!!
There is always a reason to bash Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and a staunch ally of the United States.
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Nashville Jew
7:19 pm
Mar 15, 2011
It’s not that your manner of dress in your hypothetical is justification for a rapist to rape. It’s that you are likely to get attention for the obvious sexual manner of dress from both otherwise respectful men as well as sexual predators where someone dressed modestly would only be noticed by the worst rapists who only see the power struggle and would attack any opportune target regardless of their dress.
In the same way, although I support Israel and its right to self govern, building in disputed territories without telling the world, “These ARE areas of Israel and not occupied territories.” is, indeed, fueling tensions in the area. Again, this does NOT excuse violence against innocents but it is naive to think house building will not set off extremists. Also, bear in mind that while I was growing up in the 70′s I remember maps showing the Sinai as a legitimate part of Israel from when it was taken from Egypt in 1967. The West Bank and Gaza were NEVER portrayed as anything but contested, occupied lands on those same maps. I don’t know the politics of why they were treated differently but I believe it makes a big difference in how they’ve been perceived by the world. Does Israel believe those lands are theirs uncontested or do they recognize the world view that these are occupied lands?
I am free to travel anywhere in the United States but I’d be a fool to drive into slums in Chicago, Memphis, New York, LA, etc. and expect to be safe from harm.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Beverly Pashkoff
7:18 pm
Mar 15, 2011
There is no reason what so ever to kill innocent women and children.
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Harvey Jackson
7:44 pm
Mar 15, 2011
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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Viiit
7:49 pm
Mar 15, 2011
JPost sucking up to Islam: They say that it is a misinterpretation of Islam. They are either ignorant or lying. Terrorism is the exactly correct interpretation of Islam. It is what Muhammad did.
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docgevere
8:03 pm
Mar 15, 2011
The LA Times, the NY Times, the Whatever Times- all the same… Mainstream media liberalism all over the place. When it comes to Israel, things are very clear: retaliation against these sub-human blood thirsty terrorists is not “tit for tat” but rather a measured response to a provocation by terrorists. No peace will ever be had in this area. Israel needs to be separate itself completely and not make any further land concessions. In fact it should reclaim land that was given up in the hopes of peace but which failed.
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Mother of 2
8:08 pm
Mar 15, 2011
No matter how you spin it, no matter how it’s reported, the facts remain the same. The tragic fate this poor family suffered is a prime example of Arabs’ true nature, especially the Muslims. There is no “Palestine”…so why call them “Palestinians”? All Israel wants to do is survive, the Jewish people only want to live without being attacked or live in fear just that. As history shows, they are never truly safe. Sure, other nations may want us to believe that we are allies, they may even help us – but only on their terms and if we dance to their tunes! And – at what cost? And with this type of article by the LA Times, what message are we really sending the world? There may be some hint of condemnation for the horrific act in Itamar, but there is far more implied (sometimes direct) condemnation for what they call Israel’s “provocation” for such an act. Really? Seriously? Did they think this would go unnoticed? Did they think people would accept it at face value? Honestly, where is the rest of the world now? Where is the rage? Where are the human rights activists? Why are we not hearing and seeing international uproar over this tragic act? I’ll tell you – because the victims were Jews. Even worse, they “chose” to live in a disputed area, they “chose” to live next door to Arabs. How sad and pathetic that this is world’s view! It is mind boggling to think that these murders are celebrated and highly regarded by Arabs. These are people who behave like animals – dangling lifeless bodies out of windows and dancing on bodies of Israeli soldiers they just killed. Not to mention that they raise their children with direct hatred for the Jews and the direct intention to kill and destroy them. Where is the UN? How do they react? Why is Obama not stepping up and demanding immediate action by Arab leaders as they are so inclined to do with Israel? Obama is afraid of the Muslim world and what he doesn’t yet realize is that they are making a public mockery of him! It is obvious and very sad that he is slowly turning his back on his ONLY ally in the Middle East. And why should Israel not build on their land? Why should Israel cede to Arab demands and conditions? What have they done for Israel? They have been offered far too much than they deserve and have turned it down time and time again. The only way they will ever be content is at the total and irreversible destruction of the Jewish people. Well, that will NEVER happen! No matter how many times this has been attempted by plenty of nations, they have never succeeded. This is because they have the most powerful protector, G-d himself! He gave the Jewish people the land and they have turned Israel into a world leader in many areas, the only true civilized, democratic, country in the Middle East. You better believe Israel and the Jewish people will protect themselves to the fullest extent, with or without anyone’s assistance or approval. Shame on the LA Times for printing such a disappointing article.
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Carlos Abramowsky
8:13 pm
Mar 15, 2011
The Jewish Bible says that if you curse the Jewish people, you will be cursed. I have no question about it, the LA Times will sooner or later disappear as a news organization.
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Marucho
8:18 pm
Mar 15, 2011
Do you really believe that the settlement existence in the West Bank is the cause that triggered this carnage and many others before? Before 1967, when there existed neither palestinian people nor palestinian territories at all, but plainly jordanian lands and mere arabs living there, according to your points of view, were there no daily acts of terror against israeli people? And before 1948, when there was not either a State of Israel or settlements in those territories, what happened with the jewish population in those lands vis-à-vis the arab uprisings against the jews, especially in 1920, 1922, 1929 and 1936? Perhaps you should learn Middle East History before you give your opinion about present facts, just in case you want to be accurate. What did the settlements have to do in 1929 when an arab uprising eliminated the jewish population from Hebron, whose existence dated back 3000 years ago? There never existed a palestinian people nor palestinian territories before 1967, this is factual history, except you want to emphazise Yasser Arafat´s assertion about Jesus being originally palestinian. So, this brutal, this barbaric attack as well as many others before has nothing to do with settlements, but with hatred that most of the arabs feel against the jews, hatred that is being permanently instilled to the population by Fatah and Hamas by means of the public school system, where 6-year-old children are taught (brainwashed) to hate everything that has to do with Israel or smells jewish. And you should know that that education system is being heavily funded by the U.S. and Europe. So, in this case, I may well think that this carnage is your and Europe´s fault.
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Asher Garber
8:33 pm
Mar 15, 2011
Got news for those who are claiming that Liberalism considers Israel a scourge. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other extremist positions are far from liberal. They are, in fact, incredibly authoritarian, Fascist, and don’t believe in human rights for the mass populace.
Time to re-think your black and white theories.
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S Rubicon
8:37 pm
Mar 15, 2011
The attempt to deflect attention away from brutal murder is obvious. Rationally, house building and murder are two distinctly separate subjects. One truly has nothing at all to do with the other. That is, unless one is seeking to provide some sort of cover for the murderers. Defense attorney’s are well known for this tactic of blaming the victim. Building houses is not a capital crime. In fact, “if” the Jewish settlers ever left, those same houses could be occupied by, Palestinians. (I do not advocate turning even more land over to an enemy who has shown total & utter contempt for previous peace offerings of land for peace. Gaza should be a prosperous & thriving economic region. The basic elements were there when Israel gave up Gaza. Since the Israeli’s left, the Palestinians who occupied that region, have been as dependent on ‘charity’ from both the international community, and from, Israel. Ironic, isn’t it, that those who gave up this economically thriving region, are still also providing economic relief to the new occupants! Lets be realistic here. If Palestinians actually wanted peace & would live by a peace agreement, they would have negotiated, long ago.
When your objective is to do the other guy harm, your actions speak louder than your words, whether in print or spoken. Mortars, rockets, knife attacks, etc., all demonstrate that peace was not, is not now, nor will it ever be the objective of those radical Islamists who see only their way, and cannot understand how to live in peace with their neighbors.
The LA Times failed the test of journalistic integrity & objectivity, miserably. Not the first time, and unfortunately, will not be the last time. Much of the world media has lost its credibility as they pursue leftist, socialist, Marxist, style goals, that instills hate & a radical political and/or religious ideology as tough it alone answers all the questions of mankind. Educational & cultural indoctrination within the educational establishment & among many religious, as well as in many homes, means only more deaths & more destruction is in the cards for centuries to come. I find it extremely sad to have to say that we may as well get used to it!
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Robert Paul
9:08 pm
Mar 15, 2011
I wrote this letter to the LA Times:
Shame on you! To whitewash the brutal butchering of an Israeli family just exposes your predisposition to find Israel guilty of everything you can come up with.
Never, in the history of mankind has a nation that won land in a defensive war been expected to return that land. It does not and has never belonged to the Palestinians. The name Palestinians is a misnomer.The name Palestine was coined by the British to describe the land of the Jews. These so-called Palestinians are remnants of groups which were forced out or chose to leave Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, etc. They never had a state and have no common history, money system, or language. 1948 was not the date of the establishment of Israel;it was the date of the re-establishment of the Jewish state. The Jews have lived on that land for over 3000 years, long before the rise of Islam.
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Jewgirll
9:19 pm
Mar 15, 2011
We the Jewish people will fight for every inch of our land and the ones who don’t like it can go to hell. I won’t waste my time anymore to explain to anti-Semites why? We will survive no matter what, we came out of the ashes do I have to say more. Somebody who trying to find an excuse when children are being slaughtered is evil, it is like he slaughtered those children. If you pay attention then you will see that G-D is revealing Himself He is also revealing the evil, the ones who are connected to G-D will see the evil and the ones who are connected to evil will be blinded. So whoever wants to spew their hatred, go ahead we heard all. But remember the ones who are against G-D’s chosen people have to deal with G-D in the end. Remember what happened to Pharaoh.
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TzVi
9:45 pm
Mar 15, 2011
Actually building more homes wont solve the problem. The core of the problem are the muslims living in the Holy Land. As long as they are there no amount of building will solve the long term problem on the whole situation. Removing the Muslims/Arabs from the Holy land will only solve the problem long-term. Until then (G-D have mercy).
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Sarah Esther
10:00 pm
Mar 15, 2011
Why doesn’t anyone deal with the LIE which says: the settlements are illegal according to international law. THAT lie is why people are against Israel and NOBODY wants to tell the world the truth. WHY?????
Where are the Jews worldwide, rabbis, Isreali politicians who can do this?
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Nicole Chaplain-Pearman
10:11 pm
Mar 15, 2011
Asher Garber, you make some excellent points. A society run by the Taliban or Hezbollah will be a very far cry from a liberal paradise. They’re fascists and anybody who can’t see that is unconscious! If I were going to live in the Middle East, Israel would be my only choice.
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Keren
10:57 pm
Mar 15, 2011
“Which is worse — stabbing children to death or building new houses in West Bank settlements? The answer is obvious. But that’s not the point”.
The one thing that I can think is worse than stabbing a 3 month-old baby who can’t even cry for her mother yet, is for you to ask such a shameful question in the first place.
Yes. We are fighting for our land. We are in a war, fighting for our right to settle our land, that has been ours for thousands of years. We chose to build homes, we chose to plant trees, we chose to pave roads, we chose to raise our children to love and give and learn to be good people. We chose LIFE. Everyday, we choose LIFE. With broken hearts we left the Gaza strip, because we choose LIFE. We are fighting this war against our enemies by plowing fields, by building homes and raising families that dream of making this world a better place. We choose LIFE.
They chose death. They choose to break into a home in the night and slaughter children in their sleep. They choose to stab the heart of a four-year-old boy, a heart that till then only knew to love and be loved. They choose to slit the throat of an infant, of a beautiful baby girl, who in their eyes was a threat just by existing. Where, in your opinion, was her place in your “cycle of violence”? They choose terror.
I will give you benefit of the doubt and assume that you haven’t seen the pictures, that you haven’t seen the Father and baby lying together in their blood. I will assume that you did not hear the surviving 12 year old daughter cry with agony as they buried her family into the earth. I will give you benefit of the doubt, otherwise your pen is as evil as the murderer’s knife, and just as cold.
You ask what is worse?
Worse, in the words of Edward Burke, is for good people to do nothing. Worse, is for you to give legitimacy to evil that is so dark, it is capable of butchering a beautiful young family in one breath,
Shame on you.
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