Our hearts collectively were torn asunder upon learning of the devastating news of yet another terrorist attack in Israel. This time the shooting took place in central Tel Aviv, in a bar on Dizengoff Street. The two Israelis killed were lifelong friends from Kfar Saba and they were identified as Eytam Mahini and Tomer Morad, both 27. At least eight others were wounded; four seriously wounded.
On Friday, 35-year-old father of three Barak Lufan, who was critically wounded in the terror attack, died at Ichilov Medical Center. He was the third victim in this nightmarish attack. Lufan was a resident of Givat Shmuel and grew up in Kibbutz Ginosar. According to his social-media accounts, he was a coach on Israel’s Paralympic team and head coach of the Israeli national kayak team.
As we know, this attack that was perpetrated against the State of Israel and the entire Jewish nation was committed by a Palestinian Arab who was identified as Ra’ad Hazem, 28, from Jenin in the Shomron. A seething hotbed of visceral hatred for Israel.
This attack in Tel Aviv has only raised our collective concern about the safety of everyone in Israel as this was not a lone wolf style murder. In the last two weeks, in such cities as Beersheba, Hadera and Bnei Brak, 11 Jewish lives were lost to brutal Arab terrorism. Now, the number has risen to 14 with the Tel Aviv attack. And it appears that despite bold statements emanating from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett about Israeli security forces working diligently towards thwarting planned attacks, this verbiage is clearly not serving as viable deterrent to these murderous rampages.
Bennett also said that Israeli security forces had been given “full freedom of action” to put a stop to terrorist activity, and that “there are not and will not be any restrictions in this battle.” He added: “We are in a difficult, challenging time. The Second Intifada went on for years, but in the end, we won. We’ll win this time, too. Our enemies will take advantage of any opening and opportunity to attack us.”
Very comforting rhetoric but sadly there is no teeth behind it. Terror attacks on Israel are becoming a way too ubiquitous phenomenon and as we learned, many of these attacks are ISIS inspired and motivated as the miscreants perpetrating these rampages are loathsome suicide killers.
What makes matters worse is that there are those in the fragile coalition government in Israel who are vocal proponents of compensating Arab terrorists who have murdered Jews. Mansour Abbas, for instance, the leader of the United Arab List (Ra’am party) who represents the party in the Knesset, has voiced his support for terrorists.
Abbas broke a longstanding taboo when he led his Arab party into Israel’s governing coalition last year. According to an AP report, he is the linchpin of the shaky union, securing hefty budgets and favorable policies for his constituents.
The problem here, however, is not Abbas or his growing number of constituents. The problem lies in the fact that this wildly schizophrenic coalition that is insanely divergent and lacks the gumption and determination to put a screeching halt to this well-orchestrated wave of terror. One does not need to possess any degree of prescience to come to the tragic realization that terrorist attacks are being expertly calculated and will be incessantly waged with a palpable bloodlust.
The blame for these attacks falls squarely on the shoulders of the government of Israel for their abysmal failure in protecting its own citizens.
