This past weekend, during which the wave of terrorist attacks against us continued, taught us three important things: Firstly, we have a human Iron Dome in our security forces, who stopped -- often bodily -- every attempted stabbing attack by Palestinians this weekend. Secondly, the West (U.S. President Barack Obama) still does not understand that the responsibility for the latest round of attacks does not fall on both Israel and the Palestinians, and is even proposing initiatives on the Temple Mount (France) that just play into Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' hands. And thirdly, as far as the Palestinians are concerned, this struggle is not for the 1967 borders, but rather a continuation of the Palestinian battle against the idea Israeli sovereignty in all parts of our country. For two weeks, terrorism by blade has been rife in Jerusalem and other cities. Young fired-up Palestinians are not hesitating to die, as long as they kill Israelis along the way. The cabinet's decision to increase the deployment of security forces was a correct and vital move. The public wants to feel safe. They deserve to. Military and police presence bolsters the sense of safety. The security forces, as we have seen, respond quickly and correctly. We can only hope that this will deter the attackers, even though online incitement continues unchecked, just like the depraved worship of the title "shahid" (martyr.) During last summer's Gaza war, the Iron Dome defense system let us sleep soundly in the face of massive rocket fire from the "liberated" the Gaza Strip. The thwarting of terrorist attacks these past two days should help everyone continue leading their normal lives. We deal with terrorism -- we do not cower before it. We Israelis are already champions in the war on terrorism but would happily forgo that honor, whereas the Palestinian terrorists, who reach maturity by the age of 13, are happy to compete for the title of world champions of terrorism, something in which they take great pride. We can only hope that Obama, after nearly seven years in office, still does not understand our Middle Eastern reality, because otherwise we might conclude that he simply, heaven forbid, does not like us. The American president said this weekend that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abbas had to stop making statements that would cause the violence to escalate. We heard it right. That remark begs the conclusion that we also bear part of the responsibility for the recent wave of terrorism. Instead of attacking the terrorists, the terrorism, the mad incitement and the Palestinian lies about an imaginary Israeli plan regarding the Temple Mount, Obama steps up and calls for both sides to show restraint. That is the last thing we need, especially after a State Department spokesperson said that Israel was using excessive force against terrorists. In Washington, where I'm writing this, there is plenty of criticism of the president's declaration. It has even come under criticism in the media. It appears that the American public, unlike the administration, doesn't draw a distinction between Palestinian and jihadist terrorism. Paris, meanwhile, is also throwing its hat into the ring. Le Figaro revealed that France was working to expedite the placement of international observers on the Temple Mount to ensure that the status quo remains in place. You read that right. The Palestinian lie that the status quo has been violated has taken hold. People are buying it. The French initiative will only cause damage. Why? Because it seeks to internationalize the conflict yet again. Internationalization basically means discouraging Abbas from direct negotiations with us. The French initiative is disturbing because it even spurs on terrorism. Beyond that, history has taught us that international forces flee the moment things heat us. They have apparently forgotten the Italian retreat from the Gaza border. But we have not forgotten that, or the retreat by the U.N. in 1967. International forces? We have seen that play, and the actors ran off in the middle.
