« On Swedish National Radio, Journalist Asks Why Jews Shouldn't Be Blamed for Antisemitism | Main | USA Today Re-Scoops Jerusalem Mayor's Heroics »
February 20, 2015
Alarmed By Domestic Jihadis, Der Spiegel Piece Reconsiders Israel's "Wall"
As Europe is waking up to homegrown jihadi terrorism, some are reconsidering their criticism of Israel for the measures the Jewish state took in combatting Palestinian terrorism. An opinion piece in Germany's Der Spiegel recalls that
Israel is the first democracy to have extensive experience with Islamist terrorism. Before recent attacks on our own soil, Europeans loved nothing better than scorning the Jewish state's efforts to address terror. In the future, we may need to turn to the Israelis for advice.
Author Jan Fleischhauer observes,
The new Greek finance minister once called the West Bank security fence, built by Israel to protect its people from terrorist attacks, a "concrete monster." The barrier is always a key issue when critics of the Jewish state launch into their tirades.
The jump from "outrage over the wall to sympathy for terrorism is a small one," according to Fleischhauer. He recalls,
In 2005, left-wing superstar Giannis Varoufakis said we shouldn't be surprised when Palestinians strap on explosives belts. It's the kind of thing people say whose only experience with terror are occasional blowups with the spouse at home.
But times have changed, and at least some in Europe are taking a second look at how Israel dealt with Palestinian terrorists infiltrating into Israel and slaughtering its civilians. Fleischhauer writes,
In the two years prior to the erection of the controversial border installations, Israeli authorities counted 89 attacks, with 305 deaths and 4,942 injuries -- a significant number for a country with a population of just over 8 million. The number of casualties only began to fall after the construction of the wall. It's a success story that has never been viewed as such outside of the embattled country itself.
It's too soon to say whether Fleischhauer's exposure of the lifesaving successes of Israeli measures against terrorism, rather than the usual condemnation of "the Wall" that characterizes much of the discourse among influential elements of the media in Europe, will catch on. But at least it's a start.
Posted by SS at February 20, 2015 12:39 PM
Comments
Guidelines for posting
This is a moderated blog. We will not post comments that include racism, bigotry, threats, or factually inaccurate material.