The Terrorist Attack That Led to This Appalling Statement

The rift between Israel and America has been growing for some time, but a recent statement from the White House has taken this relationship to an entirely new level. What was the moment that caused the United States to recently turn against Israel? To put it simply, it was a terrorist attack that took the life of an innocent Israeli Jew living in the land of Israel. .

On Thursday, February 22, 2024, three Arab gunmen opened fire near Ma’ale Adumim, leaving one Israeli dead and numerous others injured.

The checkpoint from Judea into what we call “Israel Proper” are regularly backed up with traffic from everyday commuters and concerns had already been raised about this specific checkpoint by the mayor of Ma’ale Adumim, Benny Kashriel:  

“We have dozens of times alerted the security forces to the concern of terror attacks on that congested road.”

The concerns over the safety of checkpoints are not only felt by Kashriel, but also by the mayor of Efrat, Oded Ravivi. He made multiple statements regarding the dangers of checkpoints after a similar attack took place in November at a checkpoint between the Gush Etzion Bloc and Jerusalem. Some of Ravivi’s statements were as follows: 

“We are warning that the checkpoint has become a death trap because of the bottleneck it causes which endangers the residents who wait [in line] along the whole length of the road for too long, and the crowding [of vehicles on the road] which doesn’t provide for any solution during a tragic event.”

“It is horrifying to think what would happen if terrorists opened fire on a group of cars in the traffic jam, and the physical inability of emergency service vehicles to reach them. An immediate solution has to be created to save lives.”

His concerns were proven to be true when, due to an overcrowding of vehicles,  emergency services struggled to reach a pregnant woman who had been wounded in the attack last Thursday.

All three of the terrorists were neutralized during, or following, the attack. One of the terrorists was neutralized by a reservist soldier who had just returned from Gaza less than two weeks prior.

Why Did this Attack Cause Such a Strong Response from the US?

Following the terrorist attack, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s Finance Minister, posted this statement to X: 

“The serious attack on Ma’ale Adumim must have a determined security response but also a settlement response. I demand that the Prime Minister approves the convening of the [Central Planning Bureau] and immediately approves plans for thousands of housing units in Ma’ale Adumim and the entire region. Our enemies should know that any harm to us will lead to more construction and more development and more of our hold all over the country.”

The same evening of the attack, Smotrich announced plans for 3,000 new homes to be built. This has not been confirmed by the Israeli government.

The response from US officials was less than enthusiastic. In fact, the response from this former Biden official was quite hostile:

“This is outrageous. After all the U.S. backing the Israeli government has received in the past several months, for Smotrich to go and do this is just basically an *!@# you.”

This show of hostility shows us that the depth of the United States’ entitlement to decisions that affect Israel is nearly limitless and that when decisions are made without the approval of America, the response is to immediately make decisions that oppose the right of Jews to build legally in the areas allotted to them under the Oslo Accords.

US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, expressed the strong stance that the Biden Administration holds against Israeli building in this statement: 

“Our administration maintains a firm opposition to settlement expansion and, in our judgment, this only weakens, doesn’t strengthen Israel’s security.”

A Strong Jewish Presence in Judea and Samaria Strengthens All of Israel.

Time and again, the world has seen that when Israel gives up land, they become weaker as a nation and people. Nearly 20 years after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, their disastrous decision is still being felt today. In 1967, Israel regained sovereignty over the Temple Mount, but after handing control over to the Jordanians, they lost nearly every religious freedom that they were entitled to. In fact, when they try to express basic religious rights today, they are arrested for doing so. These are just a few of the many examples of Israel losing their strength and grip on the Land when they succumb to pressure from the nations. How much more so than would Israel lose their strength if they were to give up the location where 80% of the Bible took place? The strength of the ones settling in Judea and Samaria can be compared to that of Joshua and Caleb when they settled the Land following the Exodus from Egypt. A land made up of individuals filled with the zeal of Joshua and Caleb strengthens the entire Land of Israel. 

This passion and strength of the settlers isn’t the only factor when considering the strength brought to Israel by a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria. Israel’s Heartland is also imperative to their sovereignty from a military standpoint. If Israel were to stop settlement development and give this region to the Palestinians, the narrowest point of Israel would be nine miles wide. The rockets that Gaza would be sure to shoot from Gaza  would be nearly unstoppable and the majority of Israelis would face increased danger every single day. In short, in regards to Mr. Blinken’s statement, he could not have been more erred in his judgment. 

What Can Be Said about America’s Recent Statement?

As a typically proud American, I cannot express the sheer disappointment I feel for my home country. To stand against the development of Israel and instead advocate for the development of the very ones who have chosen to try to annihilate the Jewish people is shameful beyond comprehension. As a claimed “ally” of Israel, the US should be taking public steps to ensure the continued development and security of the entirety of Israel. America’s near-constant two-sided support for Israel has been shown by their financial aid while at the same time also funding the Palestinian Authority, including the pay-to-slay program, (which also happens to go against US law). America should have made the decision five months ago to unconditionally stand on the side of Israel and support any steps that Israel makes to protect themselves as a nation. 

 As the Jewish people follow in the same footsteps of the pioneers before them and battle against their adversaries in order to dwell in the Land that was given to them by God, the response of the world should not be that of the Ammonites or the Moabites (who refused to give Israel bread and water), but should fight to change the historic opposition against a Jewish state and instead do everything in our ability to advocate for it. It’s our duty to advocate for the entire state of Israel, not just a sliver. Israel should no longer have to wait for the blood of its people to be spilled in order to develop itself, but should be able to freely grow and flourish; too many innocent people have died for the Jewish people to have their own state. The 6 million who died for Israel to gain its independence in 1948, those who have died while starting and living in settlements, the ones who died on October 7th, and now Matan Elmaliah, who died last Thursday for the building of 3,000 homes, is far too much blood shed for the people of Israel to dwell in their own land. We as individuals with basic human morals that do not align with those held by our respective nations must make a stand and demand a stop to the innocent blood shed by the Jewish people.