37 DAYS LATER, IT TURNS OUT THAT THE OCCUPATION IS TO BLAME

The murder of the Fogel Family in Itamar, the neighbors in Awarta and what we need to understand about the facts as opposed to the myths in the west bank / Judea and Samaria

It took the Israeli security forces exactly a month and a week to put their hands on the Heinous murderers of sleeping children. That seems a long time since the tracks led to the village of Awarta and Palestinian society was beside itself in proclaiming their supposed shock at the murders, so you would have figured that their environs would readily give them up if not to the Israeli forces, then to the Palestinian security forces who were supposedly hot in pursuit. 

Meanwhile, all this time, local and international "civil rights" groups were braying about the Israeli security activity in the village. "The village suffered harsh collective punishment at the hands of the military...". How miserable their lives seem to be under occupation. 

After the murderers were caught, village council chief Kais Awad "refused to address the fact that the two received assistance in hiding the evidence from one of the families in the village" and only agreed to say that "Israel wishes to cover up the crimes it committed in Awarta over the last month". So much for shock at barbarity and complicity uncovered in his village.

It looks like occupation is the real cause. Let me point out some irrefutable facts to help you gain a better perspective.

Night view of Har Bracha from Awarta

Awarta was an Israeli town, settled by the tribes of Joseph. After the expulsion by the Assyrians, the Samaritans took over the town and it held one of their major Synagogues. With time, due to the violent Arab occupation of the area the town became an Arab village. Instead of respecting the holy shrines of prominent Jews (Pinhas the high Priest, his sons Itamar and Elazar and the 70 sages from the time of Joshua, the sites were repeatedly desecrated. These are some of the sad stories of the occupation.

Tomb of Itamar the Priest in Awarta

I was in Awarta a few months ago together with a friend and fellow priest, to visit the graves of our ancestors. It saddened me that due to the occupation of the village and the violent nature of its current occupiers, this visit had to be paid at night and with armed escort. 

When you put this in perspective, you can understand  how painful the occupation is for Jews who have returned to the land they were temporarily driven off of, to find it occupied by people of a violent nature, who want to make ludicrous claims to justify their racist, apartheid philosophy of usurping the land that belonged and still belongs to others. 


Unfortunately, all the attempts to try and let them live in the villages they have occupied expecting them to live in peace with their Jewish neighbors have resulted in continued atrocities, the latest, the brutal slaying of the Fogel family.

Contrary to the belief of some, time is running out not for the Jews, but for the Palestinians. They are going to have to decide whether they want to live in peace and harmony in our land or whether they will be removed by the wrath of G-D for their moral digressions.