A few thoughts on yesterday's attack

In case you've been living without access to news for the past 24 hours, there was a terror attack yesterday in Jerusalem.  An Arab from one of the villages on Jerusalem's periphery (who therefore had an Israel ID card) turned the bulldozer (technically it is called a front loader) he was driving on Jaffa Street as part of the ongoing light rail construction project, and began ramming, up-ending and crushing cars and buses along with whoever happened to be in them. 

When the rampage ended, three people were dead (not counting the terrorist) and more than 60 people were injured.  The terrorist was first wounded by a police officer and finally shot and killed by an off-duty soldier and another police officer.  According to multiple eye witnesses, the driver was shouting 'Allahu Ackbar' (allah is great) throughout his 500 meter rampage down one of Jerusalem's main streets.

Here - in no particular order - are the three thoughts that followed me down into a fitful sleep last night, and which were still waiting patiently for me when I opened my eyes this morning:

1.  More guns.  Many, many terror attacks that occur here in Israel are ended by the armed intervention of bystanders, off-duty police officers and soldiers.  Army officers used to be required to carry pistols, but a couple of years ago the IDF made this optional.  The result has been that far fewer responsible Israelis are walking around armed today.  I think they should not only reinstate this requirement, but they should extend the requirement to senior NCOs as well and encourage both groups to obtain civilian gun permits when they leave the service rather than sell their guns (yes, unlike the assault rifles issued to combat troops, pistols carried by soldiers are privately owned).  They should also require off-duty police to be armed at all times.  There can never be too many responsible armed citizens on the street while we continue to face the ongoing threat of random terror.

2.  House demolition.  Yeah, it feels good (in a vengeful kind way) to authorize the destruction of a terrorist's home.  And it certainly sends the 'armed resistance' crowd (and their supporters) into a lather when the bulldozers show up to raze a 'militant's'  home.  But does it have any impact on future terror attacks?  I doubt it.  We've been seeing more and more 'middle class' Arabs with jobs, wives and kids lining up to murder Israelis, so the thought of having one's house razed doesn't really compare to all the other stuff they are already willing to give up. 

Don't get me wrong... I'm still all for bulldozing the homes of terrorists.  And there is some cosmic symmetry in this case since the terrorist used a bulldozer in his attack.  But I think it is silly to suggest that the policy is in any way a deterrent.  It is a punishment, plain and simple... and a damn fine one.

3.  Crediting the kill.  There has been a fairly gruesome trend in recent years of naming and publicly praising those who, in an official or unofficial capacity, kill terrorists.  Not only that, but they are endlessly interviewed by the media and the scenario is played out over and over and over like some macabre hail Mary pass that was caught just as time expired in the fourth quarter.  While there is certainly something heroic in being in the right place to act and having the presence of mind to do so... death should not be such a popular part of our culture. 

As a people we Jews don't hunt for sport.  We slaughter animals for meat in the most humane way possible.  We even have laws prohibiting the consumption of meat and milk together out of sensitivity for the fact that we might inadvertently come to broil a calf in its mother's milk!  I can't help thinking that this 'post- pigua wrap-up' that has occurred after many attacks in recent years has begun to glorify the blood-sport of 'bagging a terrorist'.  This was driven home yesterday as the media repeated over an over that one of the people who shot the terrorist was the brother-in-law of the man who shot and killed the Merkaz HaRav terrorist... as if this was part of some heroic terrorist-killing dynasty!

There is a quote attributed most often to former Israeli Prime Minister Golde Meir that went something like "'We may someday forgive Arabs for killing our children but not for making our children killers.' "  I think this perfectly sums up the kind of sober solemnity with which we must regard the taking of a human life... even if that life was unquestionably and utterly forfeit from the outset.

I'm sure there is more stuff floating around up there this morning, but the big kids are sleeping in this morning (sing it with me: "Schooooooool's out for summer!) and Yonah needs to be woken for gan.