A message to the Arab community

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Following the arson attack on a Palestinian home which claimed the life of  18-month-old Ali Dawabsha in the West Bank village of Duma, President Reuven Rivlin has sent a message to Israel’s Arab community…and the Palestinian people.

Reuven Rivlin Photo: Henry Benjamin

The President said: “We awoke this morning to a day of sorrow. The murder of Ali Dawabsha, a baby asleep in his crib, and the serious injuries of the members of his family, his brothers, his father, and his mother who is fighting for her life, cuts at the heart of all of us. I feel a sense of shame, and moreover a sense of pain. Pain over the murder of a small baby. Pain that from my people, there are those who have chosen the path of terrorism, and have lost their humanity. Their path is not my path. Their path is not our path. Their path is not the path of the State of Israel, or of the Jewish People. To my great sorrow, until now it seems we have been lax in our treatment of the phenomena of Jewish terrorism. Perhaps we did not internalize that we are faced with a determined and dangerous, ideological group, which aims to destroy the fragile bridges which we work so tirelessly to build. I believe that the more we understand this significant danger to the State of Israel, the more we will be aware to confront it, and uproot it.

“In the face of a wave of terror against the innocent, the loss of life, and the loss of law and order, the State of Israel and Israeli society must carry some soul-searching. Introspection that will find expression not just in words but in action. Israel’s leadership, across the political spectrum, must express clearly not only their condemnation of this terrorism, but their genuine commitment to confront violence and racism, recognizing our commitment to an adherence to the values of the law and of democracy, respect for the courts, and respect for our fellow man as created in God’s image.

“At these painful moments, I turn to the Arab citizens of Israel, and the Palestinian people, to all law-abiding citizens, and ask that you do not succumb to the shock and anger. This is a time to join together. The law enforcement and the legal system will find the murderers, and bring them to justice. We must allow the law enforcement services to carry out the task bestowed upon them, and be aware not to be drawn into needless acts of violence. Taking the law into one’s own hands, and submitting to acts of violence is to award a prize to the terrorists. Despite the pain and the sorrow, we must continue to believe in our ability to build bridges of coexistence, or a shared existence. We must not let terror win.”