A bloody attack against a Jerusalem synagogue today left five people dead, including three who held Israeli-American dual citizenship, a police officer, and one British-Israeli rabbi.
The two attackers were wielding meat cleavers in the attack, and also had a pistol. They wounded six others in addition to the slain, before being killed by Israeli police.
The two attackers were identified as Udai and Ghassan Abu Jamal from occupied East Jerusalem, and the men were tied to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), though Israeli officials have suggested the men were likely acting on their own in the attack.
Coming amid already significant tensions in Jerusalem, the Israeli government is threatening revenge against the Palestinian population, with Premier Benjamin Netanyahu ordering homes demolished, and blaming “Palestinian incitement” for the incident.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack, saying violence against civilians, particularly at religious sites, does not serve the common interest, and is not acceptable.
Hamas by contrast praised the incident as a “appropriate and functional response to the crimes of the occupation.” The PFLP’s statement confirmed that the two attackers were members, and expressed approval for the attack, but left it unclear if they ordered it or not.
“Do not use force to overcome evil. If they strike you on the right cheek turn to them the other.”
Using force is not going to get the job dome, especially not when Abbas and his well to do ruling class, a full forth of the population, find democracy under the Hamas laboring-class so humiliating that they would rather suffer slavery at the hands of Israel.
A class war within an occupation, a double impossibility for Hamas to contend with. Time to go pacifist for the first time in such a genocide land theft occupation, like in the rise and fall of the Roman Empire when so may suffered being martyred on a cross. For Israel would have such a massive number of would be martyrs pouring in from all over the world, that no way could Israel withstand the onslaught.
As usual Hamas is on the side of the people. Did we forget the Palestinian bus driver that was hanged and killed in his own bus by settlers, or the ten year old boy who got shot in the neck by Israel soldiers for wandering to close to a check point, or the 11 year old girl that was ran over by a settler for walking on a Jewish only road. There is a constant level of violence that exist everyday, yet the only thing we hear about is what happens to the Jews.