Tuesday’s massacre at a synagogue in Jerusalem’s Har Nof is not just the culmination of months of rioting, MK Orit Struk (Jewish Home) stated this week – but rather apathy to a culture of incitement in general. 

“Incitement is very broad – not just from Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas – ed.],” Struk stated, adding that measures against it “are not unenforceable.”

Struk, speaking at a Hebrew University panel on the “silent intifada” in Jerusalem, added that legal processes must be enacted to prevent the incitement from worsening.

“Only those who are blind, deaf and dumb don’t see the incitement here,” she said,” and [believe] there is no need to change a single word of existing laws.” 

Struk cited a number of recent examples, noting that the entire Fatah party is to blame for the recent attack. 

“On Fatah’s Facebook page, there is a light rail map of east Jerusalem, and caricatures of [terrorists] running over Jews with cars,” she stated. 

Recently, there have been a number of car rampages in Jerusalem and Judea-Samaria, which have killed at least four people over the past two months; Fatah, along with Hamas, have encouraged the attacks through a social media campaign, including posts and even a music video. 

Moreover, she said, “the [official PA] Al-Jadida Al-Arub newspaper includes official cartoons that call for throwing rocks, as part of the preparations before [Muslim] prayer.” 

“Abbas, as well as two of his advisors, also praised the attempted assassination of Temple Mount [rights activist] Yehuda Glick,” she added.

Struk urged decision-makers to consider a series of legal motions proposed by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (Hatnua) recently, which would lower the threshold for filing an indictment over acts of terror.

But she also warned that the problem is due to a lack of seriousness regarding the Arab rioting in Jerusalem, which she indicated decision-makers underestimate. 

“I propose that residents of east Jerusalem are people to whom we need to apply the rules regarding incitement,” Struk motioned, noting that from a leftist standpoint “they are not considered ‘yours’ [i.e. they are considered the PA’s responsibility – ed.] and that they don’t represent a real danger.” 

“The law is balanced and appropriate; the question is how it is enforced,” she continued. “And when there are whole groups of the population for whom the law does not apply at all, are we actually getting results?”