After visiting Tuba Zangaria yesterday, I think I have a hunch why the “price tag” arsonists chose this village, of all Israeli Arab villages, as their latest target: The largest building in town, much larger than the mosque they torched on Sunday night, is the Yitzhak Rabin Sports Hall. (I was meaning to be facetious, but who knows, maybe there’s something to this.)
Locals survey the damage of the attack on the Tuba Zangaria mosque (photo: Activestills.org)
These Jewish Klansmen really succeeded in striking at the heart of the nation’s enemy this time. “In 1946, the men of the al-Heib [Bedouin] tribe in Tuba founded ‘Palheib,’ which fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the Palmach. We were among the founders of the State of Israel,,” said Mohammed al-Heib, the Ministry of Education’s supervisor for Bedouin schools. Speaking to Rabin’s sister Rahel and dozens of other Israeli Jews sitting with locals in the mourning tent outside the mosque, el-Heib said the village named its sports hall after Rabin “because we don’t forget our friends.”
As in many Galilee Bedouin towns, the boys here commonly enlist in the IDF, he said. When the October 2000 riots broke out in Galilee, village leaders decided that Tuba Zangaria would not take part.
Inside the blackened mosque, still pervaded by the smell of smoke, I asked the 30-year-old imam, Fuad Zangaria, how he felt about Israeli Jews after the arson attack, then the visits by Shimon Peres, the chief rabbis and so many other Jews. The imam said he felt no different about Israeli Jews than he did before. “We are the only Arab village in the area. Next to us is Rosh Pina, Hatzor, Mahanayim, Elifelet, Kfar Hanasi. All our neighbors are Jews, and we’ve always had friendly, cooperative relations with them. Since this happened, they’ve been with us from morning til night. Whoever did this horrible deed wanted to destroy the relations between us and our neighbors – and I want to tell them it’s never going to happen. This will only make our friendship stronger.”
Before leaving, the Jewish visitors, many of them religious, went up to the villagers in the mourning tent and personally apologized for the abomination at the mosque. It was the day before Yom Kippur. Their hosts in Tuba Zangaria wished them gmar hatima tova, may you be inscirbed in the Book of Life,
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Richard Witty
Zealots advocate for zealotry, more than they advocate for Israel or even Judaism.
John Yorke
October 7, 2011 at 4:56 AM
The sentiments expressed by those in the locality and elsewhere must give some hope for the future. However, if that future continues to produce incidents like this one and others of a nature that may yet be so much worse, then all we can reasonably expect is a further deterioration of the situation and to despair of any improvement in its outlook.
What is there that can begin to challenge the past, accept the present and fashion the future as we would wish it to be?
Only the myriad mind of Man has that capacity. What a pity we see it used so sparingly. And, on so many other occasions, when it seems not to be used at all.
Tamar
This report is deep. Thank you for shining light on the few souls who understand friendship, solidarity, community, respect, and tolerance. May the Jewish Klansmen and Klanswomen learn from this example of the people they seek to destroy. And, instead of mouthing the Yom Kippur prayers, begin the hard work of reflecting, renewing, and returning to how they were as newborns — clean — and can become again.
RichardNYC
@LARRY
“These Jewish Klansmen…”
Really? The Klan killed thousands of ppl w/state participation. I think this comparison begs reconsideration, especially in light of the rest of your piece.
pelsar
@Richardnyc
actually i though it was a good description….our “zealots” have subtle and indirect state participation (paying fanatical rabbis to teach our young).
Furthermore the ideology appears to be quite simaler…..whether or not our bunch will take it further and include direct killing, is maybe only a matter of time as the more they don’t get their way and the more the teaching continues, the more fanatical/frustrated they will become.
RichardNYC
@PELSAR
No not actually, since, like I said, the Klan murdered thousands of people (like, actually, THOUSANDS of people). Have some decency.
Larry Derfner
@RICHARDNYC
Jewish settlers have been proudly murdering Palestinians since way before anyone heard of “price tag.” Their religion and ideology are no less vile than that of the Klan. If they’ve killed fewer of the enemy ethnic/racial group, it’s because 1) they haven’t been around as long as the KKK, and 2) Israeli law enforcement regarding murders of Palestinians, weak as it is, is still a lot tougher than Southern law enforcmeent regarding killings of blacks was during the Klan’s heydey. All in all, the price tag settlers, their predecessors and posterity can well be likened to Klansmen. They’ve murdered lots of innocent Palestinians; true, not thougsands, but give them time.
RichardNYC
@LARRY
I think its intellectually dishonest to make a direct comparison, the moral force of which relies on the actual crimes of the Klan, and then pretend you only meant to compare ideologies. We both know that’s not how this works, rhetorically. I am not a fan of religious Zionist settlers, but your perspective on this is just off. If Yitzhar is populated by Klan than so are Nablus and Hebron. Neither comparison feels remotely correct.
RichardNYC
@LARRY
I.E., they would if they could, but they haven’t, so we don’t really know if they would. And you can say that about anyone fighting any war anywhere.
pelsar
@RICHARDNYC
Its not the numbers that affect the morality, its the morality itself, that carries the greater weight. The argument that “those who killed more” are “more guilty” ignores the environment. That claim makes the allies guilty in WWII makes us israelis the immoral party in the 6 day and Yom Kippur war.
the immorally of the klan which based their actions on genetics (skin color) is just as bad as those who base their actions on the genetics of the arabs and their religion….same side of the coin
Larry Derfner
@RICHARD NYC
I wasn’t just comparing what the settler marauders and Klansmen think, I was also comparing what they do – kill innocent members of the group they hate. You know that, you read what I wrote, and you know what these settlers do, so be careful who you call intellectually dishonest. About the Hamasniks in Nablus and Hebron, if and when they get the power that Hamasniks have in Gaza, I’m sure some of them would behave like the price tag settlers and Klansmen – terrorizing members of the gruop they hate, say Christians or liberal Muslims. If they ever had power over Israeli Jews, I have no doubt they would behave like that. Meanwhile, though, they’re not comparable because they’re not in a position of power against the people they hate, just the opposite, which makes them extremist rebels or insurgents or something like that. They’re not good by any means, but they’re in a different category than price taggers and Klansmen.
RichardNYC
@LARRY
I’m sorry, but there is absolutely no comparison between what they do. The Klan committed many many paramilitary-style massacres of people. That settlers have killed at least more than no one does not open the doors for a comparison. There are many thousands of ethno/political Klan groups on the planet by that standard. Did you actually just say “If they ever had power over Israeli Jews, I have no doubt they would behave like that”? They already did have that power, pre-wall, during the intifada. Remember that? Also, is Awarta ringing any bells? When’s the last time settlers stabbed a Palestinian baby to death? I’m not arguing with you because I disagree with your political goals, but this kind of language creates a credibility problem for the left. It looks facially ridiculous much more than it scares anyone straight about the issue.
RichardNYC
@LARRY
I am by no means a Likudnik, but when I read the phrase “Jewish Klansmen” my gut reaction is something like: “good grief, really? Does he really think people are going to buy this? Or is he just going for broke?”
Jeff Blankfort
@RICHARDNYC. Would you have preferred Larry Derfner to refer to those who have used the “price tag” here and elsewhere as “Jewish terrorists?”
RW
If you want to compare numbers of people killed or other crimes, you should not compare total numbers, but the average per year. You must also take into account the differences in size of the targeted populations, of the perpetrator groups, and of the land area affected.
I think the analogy with the KKK is absolutely justified. The fanatical hatred, the ideology of separation and subordination, the creepy anonymity, and the methods of attack are very similar.
In case readers are unaware, the Klan made a habit of burning black churches in order to intimidate entire communities and harm them psychologically and financially. These churches had mostly been established because white congregations would only allow black people to worship with them if they sat in a segregated section at the back of the church or up in the gallery. (Gosh, sounds a lot like something some Jews still do.) A few years ago there was an “epidemic” of this kind of arson in the south of the US, so it’s not ancient history by any means. (Nuanced article about those arsons here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/churches/churches.htm )
People who feel that it’s morally acceptable to steal or destroy others’ property frequently progress to feeling the same way about others’ lives. And, even if you only intend to damage property, the victims of arson cannot be sure of your intention. In this way, arson is like a threat of violence. It intimidates because it is not clear how much farther the perpetrator will go. Often those who make threats, whether with words or actions, do not themselves know what they will do next. It is reasonable and wise for the targets to take precautions against future violence.
All Jews, Israelis, and especially religious zionists should strongly condemn this group and this sort of behavior. When you focus your reaction on the analogy without even a pro forma condemnation, you sound like an apologist for the Jewish terrorists.
Yes, terrorists is exactly what they are. They attack members of their target group indiscriminately, with the purpose of sowing fear among all the members of the group.