This week Israel has seen a number of Palestinian terror attacks against civilians. In this latest attack, it is a miracle that the family were able to walk away.
There is also a strong lesson in this story. The attack happened as a response to Jews visiting the Temple Mount. The US condemned the Jewish visit to the Temple Mount, but will they condemn this attack on Jews by Hamas?
The attack happened on Wednesday while a family of four were driving through the Jordan Valley.
“We were returning from a vacation in the north, and suddenly I spotted a vehicle with a Palestinian license plate that was driving suspiciously,” Rafael Avnery told the Kan public broadcaster. “I stopped 20 meters before we got to them, then their vehicle started to move toward me. The vehicle then crossed over the line, blocking us, and the passenger got out and started shooting with an M-16.”
“My wife shouted ‘It’s an attack, reverse, go!’ and the terrorists’ vehicle drove away toward Nablus,” he said.
“I thought that was it,” he added.
The mother, 31-year-old Israeli woman, was injured on her face from glass as the bullets penetrated the windscreen. The two children aged 6 and 9, and the father who was driving were uninjured in the attack.
Hamas have claimed responsibility for the attack and shockingly said it was a “response to the crimes of the occupation against our people and the holy sites.” That’s right. The terrorists of Hamas targeted a family with young children because of their antisemitic hatred of the Jewish people.
The reference to holy sites likely refers to last week when Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount on the annual Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av. On Tisha B’Av, Jews worldwide mourn the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem which were destroyed on the 9th of Av.
More than 2,000 Jews ascended the Temple Mount to mark the occasion, something that is very common to do. However, Jews visiting their holiest site is a problem for some and because an Israeli minister was among them, it caused outrage on the international stage with fierce backlash from the Islamic world.
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, “We warn against the dangerous consequences of allowing the extremists to reach the Mount and allow them to carry out provocations.”
The Saudi Foreign Ministry categorized Ben-Gvir’s walk-through of the site as a “flagrant violation of all international norms and agreements” and a “provocation to all Muslims around the world.”
If Jews visiting a holy site is a provocation to “all Muslims” then the problem is not with Israel. Instead, it points to a hatred of the Jewish people. No one should give in to such hysteria and extremism.
Unfortunately, the Biden administration joined in with the condemnation. A US government statement said it “stands firmly for the preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites in Jerusalem. Any unilateral action or rhetoric that jeopardizes the status quo is unacceptable.”
The problem with this is that the status quo is discriminatory to non-Muslims. Jews are only allowed limited access to the Temple Mount, the holiest site Judaism. Jews and Christians are not allowed to pray at the Temple Mount.
The Hamas terror group also put out a statement saying that Ben-Gvir’s visit was a “dangerous escalation” and pledged to “defend the identity of the blessed Al-Aqsa mosque and protect its Islamic and Arab character at all costs.”
On Wednesday, we saw the fruits of Hamas’s threats. A family, driving home from their vacation was targeted by Hamas terrorism. Will the Jordanians, the Saudis and the US condemn Hamas just as they condemned Jews for visiting the Temple Mount? It’s unlikely.
Thankfully, the miracle is that despite multiple shots hitting the family vehicle, they walked away relatively unscathed. But this should be a wake up call. Terrorism must always be condemned just as the radical hatred against Israel and the Jewish people should. No Jews should be condemned for visiting their holy sites, as such condemnation only serves the terrorists.
This year, we want to do more to bless Israel and the Jewish people.
We know that as we bless Israel this year, God will bless us, just as He promised in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Now is the time to bless Israel and the Jewish people.
