Friends who I used to be very close with about 20 years ago when I was flatmates with the wife's sister for four years, were sitting down to their Friday night dinner when they heard terrified screams from the house opposite. Their son, who is in the army, ran to the safe to get his gun whilst simultaneously shouting at his father, who was heading out the door, not to go out without a gun. The son ran across the road and climbed up to the kitchen window where he saw a terrorist stabbing his neighbours. He shot once through the closed window and brought the man down, injured but not dead.
The neighbours, grandparents aged 70 and 68, had been hosting their son, 35, their daughter-in-law, their daughter, 46, and five gandchildren for shabbat. After dinner they had invited friends and neighbours to drop in for a 'lechayim!' (ironically meaning, 'to life!'), a schnapps to celebrate the birth of a new grandchild. It was already 9.30 and they were preparing for the party so the front door was unlocked.
The terrorist, a 19 year old from a local village, walked into the house and stabbed Yosef Salomon to death, he stabbed Elad Salomon, his son, to death. He stabbed Chaya Salomon, his daughter, to death. Tova Salomon, the grandmother, was also stabbed but survived and is in hospital. Elad's wife, Michal, rushed her three older children, aged 11, 9 and 5, into a bedroom where her 1 year old twins were sleeping and held the door shut. She then called the police and described what was happening.
The terrorist, not expecting to survive, had left a message on facebook saying that this attack was to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
From what did he need to kill a family at dinner in order to defend the Al-Aqsa mosque?
Here is the background to the recent unrest surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque, copied from Wikipedia.
"Following the 2017 Temple Mount shooting on the Friday the week before the attack in which three Muslim Israelis attacked and killed two Druze policemen outside and inside the Temple mount, Israel increased security measures in the area before the entrances of the Temple mount, including placing metal detectors. Muslim leadership refused to accept the new measures, and called on their followers to protest the new measures, and to pray in front of the Temple mount declaring that prayers of those who pass through the metal detectors are null and void. In rioting on the day of the attack three Muslims were killed in and around Jerusalem.[3]"
What sort of God is Allah who cannot accept prayers from men who have passed through security gates. And why can he accept the security gates in Mecca but not in Jerusalem? We know why of course. But Israel, like at the Western Wall, like at The Vatican, like at the Albert Hall, like at every airport in the world, places security measures where they are needed. If you are not intending to hurt anyone these measures are slightly inconvenient at the most. Nevertheless, Hamas responded thus:
"Hamas issued a statement calling the attack a "necessary reaction" to the new Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount. Additionally, in a tweet, they called it "heroic."[11][12]"
The four funerals will be held this afternoon.
I've been reading about this attack and the new security measures in place - how awful for the family - and there is absolutely no justification for this sort of attack. It is unfortunate that so many new security measures are needed - but they are a fact of life now I'm afraid and we all have to adjust.
ReplyDeleteI have some sympathy for the Palestinian situation (in general) but no sympathy for the leadership of Hamas who can call such an evil act "a necessary reaction" - it is murder pure and simple and shows just how wise Israel is to be on alert at all times.
Stay safe.