Tit for tat -- then WHAP by the media

Here we go again with Bat Ayin. It’s such a classic case – it demonstrates such classic behavior on the part of Jews, Arabs and the media -- that the story is worth mentioning.

I’ve talked about Bat Ayin before. That’s where last month, 13- year old Shlomo Nativ was killed by an Arab terrorist wielding an axe while playing near the community center. Another child, seven year old Yair Gamliel was also injured. A third child escaped.

Yesterday, May 2, was Shabbat, a time when all work ceases – most especially in Bat Ayin, a highly Orthodox community. It’s also a time when Arab terrorists seem mostly likely to attack, sensing, maybe, that this would be a day when they could more easily prevail when their enemies are relaxing and may have their guard down. In any event, yesterday there was – as the media reported -- a “clash” between the Jews of Bat Ayin and the terrorists of nearby Arab village, Safa.

It’s important to understand how unique Bat Ayin is. It’s located outside the “green line” – that mythical line that allegedly demarks the border between “Israel” and the “disputed territories” – what the world media insists on calling “occupied territories”. (As far as I’m concerned, the name “Israel” applies just fine to the whole thing.)

Anyway, Bat Ayin is one of those idyllic, idealistic, wholesome places that reminds you of everything the youth of America dreamed of in the 1960’s, before the ‘hippie’ movement got involved with drugs, filth and pernicious lifestyles. Bat Ayin is big on holistic medicine, organic food, music and meditation, all of which lead to a joyous lifestyle – all within the strict bounds of Jewish orthodoxy. Guns and weapons just don’t seem to fit in that scenario, but of course they’ve become necessary when you live in such a dangerous neighborhood. Bat Ayin is about halfway between Jerusalem and Hebron, just south of Bethlehem.

Bat Ayin is unique in another way – unlike most other Jewish villages in the area, the residents have consistently refused to build a security fence around their community. It would be a sign of “weakness”, they say, so the community is easy to access.

So it’s Shabbat morning in Bat Ayin, and a small group of local residents are walking to a place where they’ve traditionally gone to pray on Shabbat, an outdoor spot high on a hill. Need I add that the land is legally owned by Jews? Probably. So here’s the disclaimer: Jews bought and paid for the land. They hold legal title. Surely they have a right to go there to pray if they want to.

Daily, for the last several weeks, Arabs have taken to harassing the residents by throwing rocks and in general doing everything they can to disrupt the group and drive them away. The spot is also used by Arabs whenever they can, because it’s an excellent lookout point, from which they can look down into Bat Ayin. Their use is, of course, illegal, because again, the property is owned by Jews. In fact, since the murder of Shlomo Nativ, the Jews have begun building a synagogue there, in his memory.

Yesterday, for whatever reason, the Arabs became more aggressive and in addition to throwing rocks, a large unruly mob began to surround the small group of Jews. Hoping to disperse them, two armed Bat Ayin residents fired their weapons into the air.

At this point, the always-present IDF, Israeli Army, entered the fracas. They brought in reinforcements to which the Arabs responded with a massive rock attack. Bottom line: A clash, and two Arabs were moderately wounded.

All that is classic behavior all over Israel. Arabs attack, Jews put up with it for a time, then finally are forced to take some action to inspire the Arabs to stop. Sometimes it amounts to nothing more than firing weapons into the air. Sometimes it ends up as something called the Chanukah War. It’s the same thing that happens when a child keeps poking his brother. Sooner or later, the brother gets tired of it and hits back. There’s nothing new or unique about the sequence of events.

Unfortunately there’s nothing new or unique about the way the media reported the event, either. They responded in their own classic way – including, alas, the Jerusalem Post. What was their headline? “Two injured as Bat Ayin settlers open fire on Palestinian village”

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1239710840344

What? “Settlers” – a loaded word, if there ever was one – “opened fire” on a “Palestinian” village?

How did we get to that, based on the facts? The two residents of Bat Ayin – call them “settlers” if you wish, because we’re all “settlers”. (A friend of mine who lives in the heart of Jerusalem has a sign on her door, “I am a settler in Jerusalem”) -- fired into the air from a spot high on a hill, that they themselves owned. The shots that wounded the Arabs were fired by the IDF. “Opened fire on a Palestinian village” ?? Whoa.

Nowhere in the story was the fact of the rock throwing, or of the threatening mob mentioned. In fact, the JPost, I’m ashamed to say, went so far as to call the shooting “unprovoked”.

Good grief.

(Wow – here’s a ‘How about that?’ addendum: I just checked the link, to make sure the JPost article was still there – and it’s not. It’s been taken down. The headline is still there – as are 47 comments. I highly recommend reading the comments. As usual, regular readers show much more common sense than do those writing the news....)

The photo is courtesy of Bat Ayin, www.bat-ayin.org/