The high price of letting Israel's extremists flourish
Israel should drop its reluctance to enforce the law against 'price tag' attackers.
By Ziad J. Asali | Dec. 15, 2013 | 4:25 PM
Violent assaults, desecrating mosques and churches, uprooting trees, destroying cars, and damaging property - these are all examples of "price tag" attacks carried out by extremist Israeli hooligans against Palestinians, mainly in the occupied territories. In a few cases this violence has even been perpetrated against Israeli security personnel. Unfortunately, and consistently, the thugs responsible often enjoy de facto impunity for their crimes.
These price tag attacks take place within a context of an asymmetry of power between the occupying Israeli society and an occupied Palestinian population. A hooligan and fringe element that exists within both the mainstream Israeli and settler communities acts outside the law, and without the approval of the state. Yet the state seems unable, or unwilling, to deploy its full authority against them.
The crucial factor in creating such impunity is the hooligans’ participation in the dominant Jewish Israeli identity group. Palestinians in the occupied territories live under Israeli military rule and are not citizens of any state. The price tag extremists, by contrast, are Israeli citizens with all the concomitant rights and responsibilities. The Palestinians are an exposed and vulnerable population.
These attacks pose a powerful moral and political quandary for Israel and the occupation. No state can allow a condition of uncontrolled anarchy to prevail. But to enforce the law against such hooligans would have the effect of empowering their victims. It implies that the victim population is equal under the law.
in full: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.563707