Something bad has been happening to us over the past week. Something bad as a people, and something even worse, as a society.
Since last Purim, the country has been divided into two poles, the extreme, and the even more extreme. If once the voices were sane and moderate, lately, everyone who exaggerates their positions in a debate is fine. No one has heard of the middle ground.
On Thursday, Purim Defrezim, two despicable terrorists, Rami Kasrawi and Abdel Fattah Sharif, arrived at the military post 'Hasam Gilbar' near Tel Rumeida in Hebron, with a long knife in their hands and malicious intent in their hearts. The soldiers, who were prepared in advance, responded with determination and decisiveness, and quickly neutralized the two attackers. One of them, Rami Kasrawi, was killed on the spot, while his despicable friend, Abdel Fattah Sharif, lay wounded but fully conscious on the road. Within minutes, rescue forces arrived at the scene and evacuated the injured soldier to the hospital.
I don't know if you are familiar enough with the humanitarian laws of the Israeli MDA, but there is one small detail you should know; the aid and rescue procedures state that at the scene of a terrorist attack, first aid and treatment must be provided to all the injured on the spot, including the attacker. Moreover, the procedure requires initial treatment for the more seriously injured, even if he is the terrorist himself. MDA Director General Eli Bin has been interviewed on the subject many times, and has always taken the trouble to update this important detail - MDA first approaches the seriously injured, even if he is the attacker.
In the Hebron incident, by the way, this procedure was not followed. Not only was the terrorist lying on the ground not treated, they did not even approach him to verify the extent of his injuries.
A few minutes after the attack, while rescue forces were transporting the wounded soldier to the ambulance, an unknown soldier drew his weapon and shot Sharif in the head. The terrorist, who lay wounded and neutralized on the road, died.
From then on, the country was divided.
A local Arab, who was stationed at the scene in advance, filmed the Israeli soldier shooting the terrorist. The video was passed on to the B'Tselem organization and distributed in every possible media outlet. Within minutes, the whole world knew that "a soldier had shot an Arab to death, in the State of Israel.".
The first to ride the wave was actually the Prime Minister, who with incredible speed issued a statement condemning the soldier's "heinous" act. As did the Minister of Defense, who denounced and completely disavowed the actions of the soldier who had gone astray. Many others joined the chorus, including the IDF spokesman himself, who promised that the serious incident would be investigated as required.
As in every drama, here too, it was the masses who tipped the scales. Within moments, social media erupted, and thousands of angry citizens sided with the soldier's justice, calling on the prime minister and the defending ministers to apologize.
Again, the first to apologize was, of course, the Prime Minister. But that's another matter.
*
You won't read a single good word about the soldier who shot him here, just as you won't read a word of criticism about his actions here. It's irrelevant.
It is not the job of a keyboard-tapping person to express an opinion here and there, in a field that is not his place. I was not there, in the bloody field, and I will not be there, in the deerskin chair. I am here, a full-fledged citizen, who witnessed the great storm that arose due to human error. And I did not say whose mistake it was.
But one point strains my nerves to the limit - political affiliation.
This stupid situation, where to be right-wing you have to support the soldier, and to prove your left-wing position you have to condemn him, drives me crazy. There is and will be no connection between a political position and a personal opinion on life versus death, just as there is no connection between condemnation and support, even though only one letter separates the two.
The right-wingers make a terrible, horrible mistake by automatically tending to justify the soldier at all costs, even if he committed a cold-blooded murder. Just as the enlightened leftists tarnish their own reputation by naturally following the prevailing opinion against the soldier who shot.
We are a wise people, not a fool. How long will we be carried away by emotional emotions just because we have one political opinion or another? Can't we be right-wing in our thinking, and still be outraged by the actions of a soldier who shot without trial? Can't we be considered an 'enlightened leftist' without calling the shooting "premeditated murder"?
It turns out not.
It turns out that we are a herd of corpses devoid of self-thought, naturally dragged by extremism, here and there. But in no way do we exercise rational judgment, free from prejudice and lust for killing.
Because if we were a people like that, and if we thought for a second, just a second, before what came out of our mouths or hands, this shooting would not have happened.
[email protected] Menachem Mann is an ultra-Orthodox journalist and publicist.
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
