(RNS) — It was always going to come to this.
Last evening, a gunman, Elias Rodriguez, opened fire outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., killing two Israeli Embassy staff members: Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim. The couple had just attended a “Young Diplomats Reception” hosted by the American Jewish Committee. Yaron had recently purchased a ring, intending to propose to Sarah during an upcoming trip to Jerusalem.
As a security officer and civilians subdued the shooter, he shouted “free, free Palestine,” saying that his actions were “for Gaza,” and chanting, “There is only one solution; intifada revolution!”
Why do I think such violence was inevitable?
When protesters chant: “Intifada revolution,” or its evil cousin, “Globalize the Intifada!” what do you think they mean?
Dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis? That is not only laudable; it is necessary. The painful irony: Both of last evening’s victims believed in such dialogue. They believed in the necessity of peace between Israel and the Palestinians — as did, also painfully, ironically, many of the victims of Oct. 7.
Humanitarian aid for Gaza? In fact, the event the couple had attended had featured speakers from the humanitarian aid groups IsraAID and the Multifaith Alliance, which has been on the ground distributing aid to Gaza throughout the war. Moreover, there is a rising tide of American Jews and Israelis who are demanding humanitarian aid for Gaza, as well.
A two-state solution? Many American Jews and a sizable number of Israelis would agree this is an appropriate way out of the morass in which we find ourselves.
But that is not what “Intifada revolution!” means. The Intifada was the organized program of terror against Israel. The First Intifada (1987-1993) was a period of widespread Palestinian protests and acts of terror against Israelis. The Second Intifada (2000-2005) was a time of protests and terror, in which 1,000 Israelis were killed or injured in suicide bombings.
“Intifada revolution!” can only mean one thing — that the only way to “fix” this problem is violence against Israel.
As for “Globalize the Intifada!” — it is a call for violence against Jews everywhere in the world.
In D.C., no less than Israel.
The same is true with “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The “river” is the Jordan River; the “sea” is the Mediterranean — the geographical space that would contain the imagined state of Palestine.
Two-state solution? No.
This is the no-state solution, in which the land of Israel would be judenrein (German for “cleansed of Jews”). As far as I can tell, there would only be three ways for Jews to leave the land of Israel: by plane, by boat (and where, pray tell, would they go?) — or by body bag.
I, and the entire Jewish world, find any of those “solutions” unacceptable. And those solutions should be universally unacceptable.
So, let me be clear. I do not automatically demonize those who are “pro-Palestinian.” Pro-Palestinian can mean many things: believing in the human rights of Palestinians; believing in the necessity of sovereignty for Palestinians; supporting humanitarian aid; building schools, playgrounds, etc; creating economic alliances between Israeli Jews and Palestinians; creating a shared society in Israel.
If that is what “pro-Palestinian” means, I might say: Sign me up. And not only me — but many Jews.
But, the murders in Washington demonstrate a horrific truth — that the “pro-Palestinian” movement is, in reality, much more anti-Israel than it is pro-Palestinian.
And, by being “anti-Israel,” they are — whether they realize it or not — increasingly antisemitic. That is because “anti-Israel” has an eliminationist stench to it. As I often tell my friends: “You and I want a better Israel. We are up against people who want no Israel.”
So, yes: This was always how it was going to play out.
History has shown that hateful ideas and hateful rhetoric always lead to hateful actions, and those actions become violent.
And now, the deaths of two beautiful young people, Yaron and Sarah, whose lives were filled with hope — for each other and for the world.
Let this, then, be a wake-up call.
Antisemitic violence has spread across the entire political/ideological spectrum.
There is blood on the hands of anti-Israel activists.
It is on you to fix this.
