Do Israeli police take a soft stance on far-right incitement?
Israeli web surfers post comments that incite hatred against Arabs, and the police are doing little to stop them.
On July 2, Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan lambasted Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, holding him partially responsible for the terrorist attacks plaguing Israel. “The young generation runs its entire discourse based on incitement that has been piled up on Facebook’s platform and in the end it launches terror attacks,” Erdan charged, claiming that if the management of the social network cooperated with Israel, the inciters could be arrested and the attacks averted. “The blood of some of the victims … is on Mr. Zuckerberg’s hands,” Erdan said.
Yet, incitement and violence on the web is not the exclusive domain of young Palestinians. On July 22, Ahmed Dawabsha, 6, the only survivor of a hate crime perpetrated by radical right-wing Jewish terrorists in the West Bank village of Douma a year before, was discharged from Shiba Hospital. His father, mother and little brother were burnt alive after their house was set on fire. Suffering from serious burns, Ahmed fought for his life in a hospital. He underwent a yearlong rehabilitation with his grandfather never leaving his bedside. The hospital staff threw him a sixth birthday party, and when he was discharged the villagers gave him a warm welcome.
