I imagine the terrible events of last weekend were widely reported in the UK media so I would hope there is no need for me to bring them to anyone's attention.
The second Jerusalem shooter was just 13 years old. He caught a bus from his home to the Old City where he hid behind a row of parked cars and shot at a group of passing Jews that included children even younger than himself.
He left behind a message for his mother: “Allah, or victory, or martyrdom. Forgive me, mother, you’re going to be proud of me.”
Just a boy trying to make his mum proud.
One of the first paramedics to reach both shootings was Fadi Dekidek who, like the shooters, is an Arab from East Jerusalem. He said, "The difference between a culture that glorifies terror and one that works hard to heal is education," explaining that depending on where their home is located, children in East Jerusalem receive either an Israeli education or one that follows the PA curriculum.
Fadi also teaches his medical skills to youngsters in East Jerusalem. “There are some 80 young volunteers already, and some 250 Arabs who have learned it as well and save lives." He praised the organisation he works for where Jews and Arabs work alongside each other.
“Jews save Arabs; Arabs save Jews. I think it's an example for the whole world.”
A couple of days later a Jewish woman in the maternity ward of a hospital in Northern Israel refused to share a room with a Palestinian woman, complaining that she didn't was 'frightened to share a room with a terrorist'. The hospital, which pointed out that both women were treated by staff comprising both Jewish and Arab doctors, nurses and midwives, refused to accede to her demands, but the following day the Palestinian woman asked to be moved because of the bitter atmosphere and tension.
Her husband, himself a doctor in an Israeli hospital, said, "We felt shocked. I think there are certain people who have an unjustified fear to be with people that are different, and I have only sympathy for these kinds of people. That woman, it shows her personal views, but she doesn’t have the right to request that other people leave the room in a hospital, and that’s what the hospital staff explained to her.
We are all citizens of the same country. We need to live together in peace because we don’t have any other country or place to live in. It’s really a shame that relations are experiencing a downturn. I have nothing against that woman.”
The belief that all Palestinians are terrorist supporters or even supporters of the 'armed struggle' is one that I see with increasing frequency in Israel, even amongst a few of the people I regard as being otherwise rational and decent. There's a similar belief amongst western 'Palestinian supporters' that all Palestinians support the 'armed struggle', and again that includes some otherwise decent and rational people, not just the racists.
The words of the husband and of Fadi Dekidek are just the latest amongst many that expose that belief as a lie.
The voices of hate are always given a platform for their lies and destructive views. The voices of peacemakers like these need amplifying in Palestine, in Israel and in the west.
www.bbc.co.uk
