Want to see evil?

An evil man?

An evil people?

Check out some of the news reports of the celebrations in Lebanon. The great, mighty hero of Lebanon is returning “commando” Samir Kuntar, “the Brave.” Crowds are cheering his name, passing out sweets, dancing in the streets because this celebrity of terror has returned home.

Not to let anyone down, Kuntar the Brave told the adoring masses that he will continue his brave struggle against the Zionists. A huge banner on the stage behind him read “Joy in Lebanon, Pain in Israel.” The banner was written in English just to make sure the world gets the message. Terror has won.

What were the mighty acts of heroism that make Kuntar the Brave a role model for Arab children the world over? Just how did he achieve victory over the Zionists?

On a warm Spring night, Kuntar the Brave and his commando team stormed the beach in Nahariya. They snuck into a nearby Zionist apartment. There they discovered Danny Haran and his six year old daughter Einat.

Kuntar the Brave led the two Zionists back to the beach. When he got there, he shot Danny. Then, to make sure that he had killed him, he held him under water. All this in front of Einat, the six year old Zionist child.

Next, Kuntar the Brave smashed the young Zionist’s head in with his rifle butt. The child Zionist was tough and he had to smash her head repeatedly until she was dead. But Kuntar the Brave was not done yet. He returned to the Haran’s apartment and started searching for the Zionist mother and any other Zionists.

The Zionist mother had been hiding with her two year old Zionist daughter during the attack. They were in a small crawl space by the bedroom. The terrified Zionist child started to cry while Kundar the Brave was searching the apartment. In a nightmare perhaps as great as anything Smadar Haran experienced as a prisoner in Auschwitz, she accidentally smothered her child to keep her quiet.

Soon police arrived and Kuntar the brave was able to kill one more Zionist before being subdued. He was sentenced to four life imprisonment sentences and left to rot in prison, until this week.

So that’s it. The entire life of Kuntar, the Brave. Sneaking into someone’s house in the middle of the night and killing children. Makes you proud. Why not name a school after him?

Israel used to beat terrorism. It’s what we were known for.

When terrorists held our people hostage in Uganda, we flew there, shot them and freed our people. We got them back alive.

When Syria refused to release Israeli prisoners after the Yom Kippur War, our commandos snatched Syrian Generals and then used them to get our people back alive.

When an Iraqi nuclear reactor appeared to hold all of Israel hostage, we shocked the world by flying hundreds of miles to take it out.

Yet where is the Israel of old? What has become of us? Is the best we can do to release child murderers in order to get our people back in wooden boxes?

Are there any commandos left who can rescue Gilad from Gaza? Or will we just release more terrorists so that we can cry at Gilad’s funeral?

People say that rescuing Gilad would be impossible. People also say that stopping the Iranian nuclear program is impossible. But Israel’s entire history is based on a single theme, making the impossible happen. It used to be what we were known for.

Israel’s leadership should put down the envelopes of cash and sit in front of CNN watching the victory celebrations in Lebanon over and over and over again until they finally get it. It’s either us or them.

Yarden Frankl, Zionist
Neve Daniel

Bus on its side in midtown Jerusalem.

It always happens like this.

Someone sends me an instant message to check the news.

I read the few details and then surf around to learn more. Bulldozer attack? That’s new. Hmm, how much damage can you do with a bulldozer?

But within a few moments, I stop being analytical and a wave of sadness passes through me. I anxiously wait to see if I know any of the dead or injured.

Yaffo street. A bright sunny day. Like yesterday when I stopped for falafel around there and felt so great that I lived in such a place as this. Now that corner is filled with blood and destruction. Tomorrow a few more people will be saying Kaddish, and we add a couple of names to the statistics on our war on terror. And then we will turn around and continue our lives.

The BBC report I just heard described a man going on a rampage and killing and hurting “children, mothers and babies.” Yes, the brave warrior behind the steering wheel of a giant bulldozer was able to crush babies. How proud the Palestinians must be. I am sure by this evening we will see news reports of the terrorist’s family rejoicing over their son’s accomplishment. He was from Jerusalem so once again, our government must meet and carefully think about how large a mourning tent to allow the terrorist’s family to set up to receive well-wishers.

The attack shows how far our enemies will go. They will use whatever is at their disposal to hurt us without regard for their own lives. Meanwhile, our leaders dither about and wave the piece of paper with the words “cease-fire” written on it, as if that’s some sort of accomplishment. We send trucks full of food, and oil, and medicine to the crossings of the Gaza Strip and hope that Hamas won’t bomb them until after we have given them their supplies.

Life in Israel is beautiful most of the time. I have ridden on a bike through the Jerusalem mountains and trekked through the desert in the middle of the night countless times. There is not one single day when I wake up and wonder if I made the right decision to move here three years ago. Yet life is not perfect here. The shadow of terror is always around the corner, lurking just out of sight.

I can remind myself that the current situation is nothing compared to a few years ago. Back then, buses full of men, women, and children were blown up every week. So many people were shot on the roads that husbands and wives would often travel to Jerusalem separately, just in case. No, today things are very different.

Yet, not that different. When an attack happens, we do not rationalize it. We do not tell ourselves that far more people are injured in car accidents or die from cancer. No, the thought of someone whose hatred for us is so great that they are willing to give up their own lives just to kill a few Jews, even babies, is a terrifying thought that can’t be ignored.

We shed our tears and move on. Summer continues. Camp, bike-rides, and barbeques – at least for us. We will feel glad once again and soak in the Jerusalem sunshine in our holy, blessed land.

Until the next time….