When Zionism Becomes Jewish Terrorism

Ehud Olmert is a moderate politician. He is one of the historic leaders of the Likud party. But he is the polar opposite of Netanyahu. Today, from the columns of Haaretz, he launches a heartfelt cry of alarm: Israel's true enemies are the violent Jewish militias that torment the Palestinians.

Olmert notes: “ Last month, Israel was at war with an external enemy: Iran. For years, the Islamic Republic has been portrayed as the greatest threat to Israel's security and, indeed, to its very existence. This danger was considered imminent due to Iran's growing military power, its impressive technological capabilities, its arsenal of ballistic missiles, its fleet of state-of-the-art (domestically developed) drones, and the deployment of proxies in countries surrounding Israel, equipped with advanced weaponry. The decision of the Security Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister, to attack Iran was justified and made at the right time, with the necessary force and adequate means. Benjamin Netanyahu, as the person ultimately responsible, deserves great credit for making the decision and directing its implementation, not to mention the truly impressive results.”

But… There's a huge but, which Olmert sums up as follows: "Nevertheless, the war in Gaza continues. It is a pointless war, without achievable goals, led by a government devoid of a political vision for the 'day after.' Everyone knows what the government fears and what prevents it from bringing the hostages home and ending the fighting that has cost us so many lives, endangering the lives of the hostages and killing and wounding innocent Palestinians every day who have no connection to terrorism or Hamas. The attempt to frighten the Israeli public by claiming that if Hamas is not completely annihilated, it will pose a threat to the country is unfounded. The government and its leader are celebrating military successes against Iran, a regional and perhaps even global military power. At the same time, they portray what remains of Hamas as an immediate threat to Israel's security, despite the fact that Gaza has been destroyed and turned into a sea of ruins and despite the incontrovertible fact that approximately 1,000 Palestinians have been killed. 60,000 Gazans, including thousands of women and children, are dead, and many more are still buried under the rubble of their homes. Both of these claims are deceptions designed to conceal the government's reluctance to confront the real enemy that threatens the security, stability, sanity, and integrity of the country.

And here lies the heart of Olmert's reflection. His red alert. Olmert warns: “Israel’s real enemies are the violent, murderous terrorist militias that are gradually taking control of the West Bank and targeting security agencies, the police, and the army, in their war against Israeli civil, military, and security order. For years, these groups have been illegally settling in the hills throughout the West Bank, killing at least 140 Palestinians this year. Many of them were children. At a time when public opinion is rightly focused on the immediate return of the hostages and an end to the war that puts their lives at risk, the enemy more dangerous than any external enemy is threatening Israel from within. This enemy is the same gang of violent youths with beards, curls, and large kippahs who roam the hills and ravines of the West Bank. They are armed with weapons that, in many cases, were provided to them by their political patrons, who knew they would not be used to defend their communities. As expected, but to carry out murderous attacks against Palestinians. In recent days, attention has focused on these criminals because they have once again attacked the soldiers responsible for the safety of all settlers. As usual, we are shocked by the harm done to police officers or soldiers, but when Palestinian property is burned, olive groves destroyed, homes vandalized, and innocent people killed in the same incident, we remain silent. For years, these violent militias have organized themselves into combat units, battalions of rage. In the short term, Palestinians are the target of their violence in its most brutal form, without mercy, compassion, or restraint. There is Palestinian terror in the West Bank, and it cannot be ignored. I would never say, God forbid, that Palestinian terrorism is an inevitable response to Jewish terrorism: that would be wrong. Palestinian terrorism existed long before Jewish terrorism became a concrete threat not only to Palestinians, but also to the State of Israel. Palestinian terrorism, a real and immediate danger, requires firm and effective measures to counter it, and such measures are already being adopted. In many cases, the Palestinian Authority and its security forces collaborate with the Shin Bet security services to identify terrorists involved in the murder of Israelis or planning attacks. However, Palestinian terrorism cannot justify Jewish terrorism.

The former prime minister explains: "Jewish terrorism uses Palestinian terrorism as an excuse to justify its primary mission: to expel all Palestinians from the West Bank, making their lives so difficult that they flee. Then it will be possible to realize the dream of a complete Land of Israel, built on a violent, distorted, and murderous Zionism. This type of Zionism has developed slowly but steadily since the Six-Day War of 1967, especially after the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. However, the settler community, even if it does not actively participate in attacks on Palestinian villages with guns and torches, is not entirely unfamiliar with these violent youths. The militias are merely the vanguard of an entire electorate that supports them. They are part of a broad and sophisticated network, connected to the government and civil decision-makers. The message that Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Tzvi Succot, Almog Cohen, Idit Silman, and Amichai Chikli send these horrors of the hills to these places. There are people in power who will protect them, provided they don't give in. Where will all this lead us? When the West Bank is under total Israeli control, with the army and police everywhere, Palestinians are killed every day and their property is burned and destroyed; accepting settler violence is tantamount to committing a crime. In this context, it is truly a shame that the political class, including opposition leaders Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Lapid, does not more forcefully condemn the violence of the settler militias and does not protest.”