Passover Massacre

Last night Josa and I celebrated Passover at Moshav Yad Hashmonah in the home of Salo and Olga Kapusta, the parents of our son Natan's wife, Liat. As I sat at the beautifully decorated table, under the table and next to my leg was my pistol, contained in its carrying case.

I kept the gun within reach not because I was afraid, but because, in the unlikely event that a terrorist broke into the moshav, I would be able to help defend innocent, unarmed civilians. Israeli citizens with gun permits constitute an additional line of defense against terrorists, and it is hoped by the authorities that licensed gun owners will take their weapons with them when they leave their places of residence.

At about the same time that the Kapusta family and their guest, twenty of us in all, sat down to begin the Seder (the Passover eve home service), the 250 Passover guests of the Park Hotel in Netanya (including a number of foreign guests) gathered in the hotel's large dining room and prepared to conduct their Passover meal. Before they could begin, a suicide bomber disguised in a long black coat and wig, entered (apparently searching for a seat), positioned himself exactly in the center of the hall and blew himself up. (The guard at the hotel's entrance--probably because of the bomber's disguise--noticed no suspicious persons.)

As usual, the explosive charge had been well packed with various pieces of metal (nails, screws, bolts and nuts) to increase human damage. Because the bomb was detonated in a closed room, its effect was devastating. Of the 250-300 guests and waiters present, 170 people were injured, twenty were killed immediately, and another twenty-two are barely hanging on to life. The death toll will very likely rise. (To grasp the dimensions of this attack, based on the relative populations of Israel and the United States [1:60], eighty Israeli deaths resulting from a terrorist attack would equal the loss of life in the World Trade Center attack. In March 2002, 108 Israelis were murdered in terrorist attacks.)

This latest terror atrocity was quickly termed by the Israeli media "the tevach be-Pesach" (the Passover Massacre), a Hebrew play on two similar sounding words. Minister of Defense Benjamin Ben-Eliezer held meetings with army generals last night until 3:00 a.m.

Today, instead of the usually holiday music, the radio and television stations are broadcasting continual coverage of the Netanya bombing's aftermath, including reports on the situation of the injured, who are being treated in hospitals from Haifa to Tel Aviv. In spite of the usual inactivity of politicians on this major Jewish holiday, some are already giving interviews. Most politicians feel that red lines have been crossed by the Palestinian terrorists and that there should be a strong response.

Gideon Ezra, for instance, Deputy Minister of Internal Security and a member of Ariel Sharon's Likud political party, suggested several steps that the government should take to stop the terrorist attacks: 1) Cease supplying gasoline to the Palestinian areas--without vehicles to ferry them to their destinations, the terrorists would have a much more difficult time reaching civilian population centers; 2) Round up all Palestinians who are working in Israel illegally and hold them in a prison camp; 3) Mark the borders between Israel and the Palestinian areas and shoot anyone who approached those borders--a way of immediately creating a border fence without having to erect it; 4) Retaliate against the families and villages of those who perpetrated acts of terror. A terrorist, Ezra explained, who was inclined to blow himself up to gain Paradise, might think twice before doing so, knowing that his act would cause his family and village to suffer.

Strong words! Will the tougher measures that the government undoubtedly will introduce be effective in stopping the violence? Probably not. Hopefully, however, these measures will save the lives of many innocent civilians. Although Israel has no choice but to act against the terrorists, man-made measures will not bring lasting peace. We need a miracle of God! Please pray that God will confuse the plans of evildoers and bring to naught their every evil intent.