Time for the fanatics

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Wednesday, October 28, 1998
Time for the fanatics

Ha'aretz Editorial

Those on both sides of the barricades (Israeli and Palestinian) who opposed the Oslo accords proved over the last two days how quickly the region can descend into violence when groups and individuals ready to murder innocents to advance their fanatic religious-nationalist interests feel that the time has come to act. There is no difference between the murder of Kiryat Arba settler Danny Vargas and that of Muhammad a Zalmut of the village of Beit Furik, near the settlement of Itamar. These two murders are a direct response to the agreement in Washington and are intended to damage the chances for its implementation by encouraging Palestinians and Israelis to carry out acts of revenge against each other. As has been proven in the past, the murders serve the interests of extremist groups because politicians are afraid to advance the peace process when it seems that the conflict is sliding into violence.
The demonstrations by settlers disappointed with government policy are mostly legitimate, even if they form a platform for harsh words against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. If Yitzhak Rabin had not been assassinated three years ago, there might be no point in condemning these statements, since freedom of expression and the freedom to demonstrate are democratic values that should be defended even under difficult circumstances. After Rabin's murder, when the potential for violence on the extreme right came to light, some of what has been said at demonstrations near Netanyahu's house rings like warnings.
The harsh and extreme denouncements from MK Hanan Porat (National Religious Party), Yesha Council leader Aharon Domb and other settler leaders, as well as Porat's call for the rabbis to watch their mouths, may succeed in restoring political protest to legitimate dimensions. Heads of Yesha and leaders on the right must understand their moral responsibility for those "eccentrics" and "wild weeds" that have sprung up in their ideological flowerbeds.
In the agreement that was forged at Wye Plantation, Israel committed itself to acting to stop incitement against the Palestinians and to stop its own terrorists. It appears that the government of Israel has not done enough in this sphere. It has not rushed to make arrests dor indictments or to get rid of violent elements in the settlements who are active on a daily basis. The provocations against olive-pickers near the settlement of Yitzhar - which have been continuing for several weeks almost without interference - show that not enough has been done. And before his murder, Muhammad a Zalmut had received death threats from settlers.
The police and the Shin Bet are well-acquainted with problematic individuals and extremist communities, yet they fail to act against them with a firmness commensurate with the danger they pose. While the Palestinian Authority is asked to bring all its force to bear against the Hamas infrastructure, it appears that Israel is indifferent to the fanatic, violent infrastructure in the areas under its control. The Yesha leadership has a moral duty to moderate violent protest, but the police and the Shin Bet are legally and effectively responsible for enforcing Israeli law and imposing order in order to prevent the conflagration that is liable to ignite in the coming months.

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