Another day, another kill: A stabbing routine leading nowhere

Another man was killed Dec. 1 in the Gush Etzion junction.

Luckily, the victim was a knife-wielding Palestinian, who was suspected of being there to kill Jews and was shot to death by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). For the past couple of weeks, the Gush Etzion junction has been Ground Zero of the “limited uprising,” as the recent violent events are now called. It is a place Jews and Arabs mingle, shop, dine and cross through on their way to other places. 

The ideal place for any Palestinian intent on disrupting any notion of coexistence within the West Bank. The ideal place for any Palestinian who wants to find Jews without having to pass through a security checkpoint.

Israel’s intelligence agencies now project that the limited uprising is something that we will have to live with for the time being, maybe months, maybe more. This should give joy to no one — neither to Israelis, the targets of the attackers, nor to Palestinians, of whom there have been more casualties as a result of these attacks. This wave of violence achieves nothing: Israelis are getting used to the daily routine; Palestinians get little, if any, satisfaction from the outcome; the world is busy with more important things than this limited, insignificant conflict.

Indeed, it is insignificant. Unimportant, that is to say, in the grand scheme of things. When two former empires such as Russia and Turkey are engaged in a serious conflict, when thousands of refugees are escaping from the war zone in Syria, when ISIS is on the march, when huge terror attacks are taking place in Europe — no serious observer has time left to dedicate to the plight of the Palestinians. In fact — and caveats are necessary here, as living under occupation is still an undesirable situation — most serious observers would recognize that the Palestinians who live under Israeli occupation are in many ways in a better situation than most other Arabs living in the Middle East. They are not threatened by radical groups such as ISIS; they do not have to escape murderous zealots; the regime that rules them is less oppressive than many of the Arab regimes of the surrounding Arab countries.

The only realm in which no trace of change can be detected is that of international discourse regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. United Nations agencies are still busy with the issue, as if no other issue were more urgent. The European Union, just days before the deadly attacks in Paris, was still busy with Israeli settlements, as if nothing else could be an obstacle to Palestinians living happily ever after. Advocates of all types for the Palestinian cause (some of them Jewish) still use rhetoric from which we can conclude that Israel is a criminal state — worse than all other states in the region and the world. Like the stabbing attacks, this also has become routine, a habit.

And, of course, Israel is not blameless in this. It does build settlements that will complicate any chance for the future emergence of a Palestinian entity — even if not a full-fledged state. It does hold millions of people under occupation without giving them full political rights. It does engage in doublespeak about its future intentions regarding the territory. Israel is hardly as bad as its detractors pretend it to be, but it’s also far from perfect.

But look at the way that it has reacted to the stabbing uprising: Yes, the attackers are promptly killed, and in some cases they are killed while no longer a deadly threat. That is to say: Israelis do not consult with a lawyer when they see a Palestinian trying to use a knife against them, and they do not scrutinize legal precedents as they move to kill an assailant or would-be assailant. On the other hand, no Jewish militias are formed to avenge the attacks; no bands are roaming the streets to terrorize Arabs, and a state of law and order is generally maintained and supervised.

A couple of weeks ago, I expressed a certain apprehension about the ability of Jews and Arabs to continue working together and living together as a result of the violence, but so far the situation is under control. Arab Israelis are not losing their jobs (although some have been exposed to ugly, unnecessary verbal attacks). Palestinians, to the extent that such a thing is possible, are not collectively punished. Israel is carefully searching for a means of deterrence, as the lone assailants often are a tough nut to crack (no infrastructure to search for, no leaders to arrest, no terror network to dismantle). Ideas are being proposed, some reasonable, some just a way for politicians to grab a headline. But the IDF and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon are insisting on caution. Even leftist critics of the Netanyahu government quietly acknowledge the fact that, thus far, Israel’s response to the uprising has been measured and reasonable.

Surely, things can still quickly deteriorate — if a terror attack of a larger scale were to take place; if Palestinians join in greater numbers the daily routine of attacks; if Jewish extremists launch a terrorist attack on an Arab population. Or they may stay as they are now, for months or even years. Or they could also slowly calm down, back to their previous status.

It is hard to imagine a significant improvement at the moment. It is hard to imagine a breakthrough at this time. Israel would be smarter to limit its activity within the West Bank as it ponders its future, but Palestinians would also be smarter not to delude themselves into thinking that a couple of more stabbings, or worse, are going to make Israel withdraw from territory it deems essential for its security. Surely, this isn’t the time. Surely, these aren’t the right circumstances.

And, of course, many observers are going to complain, rightly, that for Israel, it is never the right time. When things are stormy, it is not the right time because things are stormy; when things are calm, it is not the right time because there is no urgency. I agree: For Israel, thus far, it has never been the right time. I agree: 50 years of occupation is a long time. And I agree: This cannot go on forever. 

Then again — looking soberly around us — this is not the right time. Looking soberly around us, only a fool (or a bigot) would call this the right time.