The current wave of terrorism was born from a lie. A lie that contributed to the incitement. Incitement that, regretfully, continues. Incitement that continues just like the lie. And that lie is that Israel is planning to rebuild the Temple and to that end is also planning to demolish Al-Aqsa mosque, which is holy to Muslims. If it weren't for the terrorist attacks, the casualties, the wounded, the worry, it would sound like a joke. A very bad joke, by the way. As far as the people who keep things stirred up online are concerned, lies are legitimate now, just like they were in the past. Lies are allowed if they facilitate the murder of Jews. Lies are allowed if they challenge the Jewish people's sovereignty over their holy sites in the City of David. In August 1929, the mufti, Hajj Amin al-Husseini, preached a sermon in which he decreed that "anyone who kills a Jew is promised a place in the world to come." Can anyone say that anything has changed among the extremists? By the way, that sermon led to the riots of 1929 in which 133 Jews were slaughtered while the British cavalry looked on, indifferent. But something has changed. A good change -- excellent, even. The British officers who stood like statues have been replaced by Israeli uniforms. The helpless Jewish population has been replaced by proud, armed Israeli citizens. That's the difference between then and now, and it's a big one. And that's why we're not buying the lie today any more than we did back then. The problem is that a large percentage of the Palestinian street, including some who describe themselves as "moderate," do believe it. This is where the Arab MKs and the extremist Left should have entered the picture and helped deconstruct the lie. Not only for the sake of our own victims, but for those who are sacrificing their lives for hatred and a lie. Back in 1929, just like today, the Muslim inciters had difficulty accepting the Jews' claim to their holy places. In August 1929, the riots broke out because Jews wanted to pray at the Western Wall -- a great crime. The Muslim rioters marched from the Temple Mount to the Western Wall plaza and burned prayer books. If only they had been satisfied with that. Tuesday was a particularly tough day for Jerusalem. For Raanana, too, which saw its first terrorist attacks. The sights were disturbing. Everything is captured on film nowadays. Everything is recorded. Again and again, the various TV channels broadcast the hard-to-watch images in which the terrorist of east Jerusalem -- using a car from his employer, the phone company -- run over three civilians at a bus stop and then proceeded to slaughter another Jew with a butcher's knife. Such hatred, such hostility, such depravity. How depressing. Yesterday, the cabinet made some decisions, including increased security in the central parts of Israeli cities. These are important decisions. Israeli civilians deserve maximum protection -- it's their right as citizens. It's the army's job. The Israeli public is feeling badly, but we've made it though difficult times. We'll make it through this, together. Yesterday, I went online and was frustrated and worried to see how many "likes" young Palestinians were giving a guide on the most efficient way to stab Jews that appears on the "Intifada" homepage. It's sick. But like we said, something important has changed since the 1929 riots. The British cavalry officers are gone and we now have the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police to protect us.
