Terror struck Tel Aviv, Israel on the night of Wednesday June 8. Folks were minding their own business in a cafe when two Palestinian men dressed as Hasidic Jews opened fire. Four people were killed and several others were wounded. It is reminiscent of other recent terror attacks, such as the ones in Paris, France and Brussels, Belgium.
When these two other attacks occurred, folks rushed to social media with words of support. The hashtags #JeSuisParis and #JeSuisBrussels became popular trends on Twitter. It was cool and fashionable for people to show how distraught they were over those senseless acts of violence. The senseless act of violence the Israelis suffered, however, didn't catch on the same way. I couldn't help but wonder why. Is it because these kind of attacks are so common over there? Or is there another reason behind it?
Obviously, it's no surprise that supporting Israel isn't very cool or fashionable these days. There seems to be a bias against Israel that leaves out several key facts. However, despite whether you side with Israel or Palestine, it's sad that folks ignore innocent civilians who are attacked. After all, isn't that what so many Palestine supporters accuse the Israeli army of doing? Don't they paint the Israeli army as evil human beings who attack innocent civilians?
What they don't pay attention to, is the fact that the Israeli army warns civilians in Palestine to stay away from the areas they plan on attacking. This is because they don't want to hurt innocent people. However, the leaders of Palestine tell the civilians to stay put. The Palestinian army uses their own people (including children) as human shields. Then, folks look at the destruction and blame the Israelis. Call me crazy, but that doesn't seem fair at all.
Of course, people may be asking why Israel is attacking at all. I believe it is out of self-defense. The Israeli army only attacks when attacked. There have been several attempts at cease-fires. On one occasion in 2014, Hamas resumed attacking Israel 90-minutes into a cease-fire. If Israel didn't fight back, their entire land and population would be wiped out. If you ask me, any reasonable person in that situation would do the same.
Authorities in Israel have frozen 83,000 entry permits for Palestinians in the wake of the attack. I think it should be clear to people that this is a security measure. It's unclear how terrorists were able to get into Tel Aviv with their weapons. So it shouldn't come as a shock to see Israel making efforts to protect themselves from another attack.
However, I have a feeling some will try to spin this as Israel violating Palestinian human rights. It is very similar to when the issue of Palestinian home demolitions comes up. There are those that say Israel targets Palestinians in these demolitions based on their ethnicity alone. In reality, these home demolitions are practiced on homes belonging to people suspected of, in connection with, or convicted of violent acts against Israelis, including suicide bombing. These demolitions have been proven to reduce terrorism against Israelis.
The folks who criticize Israel make themselves look just as bad when they allow an act of terror to go by without even batting an eyelash. It goes against all the reasons they claim Israel is such a horrible place. I'm not saying that a tweet or a hashtag will do anything to help those affected by the attacks. However, the way people pick and choose which tragedies will get attention is unfair. I think the overwhelming majority of vocal solidarity would show a unified symbol of love. If you ask me, that's what we need more of. Not only in Israel, but in Palestine and the rest of the world.