We will defeat terrorism together

Even if life in the Qalandiya refugee camp isn't easy (and it's not), it still does not give Anan Hamad, 20, and his friend Issa Assaf, 19, the right to kill Jews like they did on Wednesday. Hamad and Assaf, however, like many of their friends lately, claimed for themselves the right to take life (thus becoming heroes in the eyes of their people), embarking on a killing spree near Jaffa Gate outside the Old City of Jerusalem, armed, of course, with knives.

The incident yesterday ended in the deaths of two Israeli civilians, residents of the capital, Reuben Birmajer and Ofer Ben Ari. Jerusalem may have already seen it all -- but every terrorist attack comes with its own trauma, anger, frustration and, like we saw on Wednesday, its own tears.

In Paris and San Bernardino, where two terrorist attacks have taken place recently, residents are still trying to recover and return to normal life. It is much easier said than done. The residents of Jerusalem don't have the same luxury as Parisians and Californians. In the City of David, the people return to their normal routines right away.

As we have already understood, we must defeat terror together. The security forces are tasked with thwarting terrorist attacks (not an easy task against lone attackers, particularly compared to Wednesday's success in exposing an entire Hamas network in Judea and Samaria), and when these lone attackers have already put their plans into action, it is the job of the soldiers and police to neutralize them (as the two border policewomen did yesterday). Israeli civilians, however, also do their part by quickly returning, as stated, to their everyday lives. Again, it is not an easy task but it is one in which Israelis, who are also willing to confront the attackers instead of fleeing, have excelled.

Jaffa Gate, like every other corner of this country, is tied to our conflict with the Palestinians. Our Jaffa Gate is their Hebron Gate (Bab el-Khalil). For each side, the gate leads somewhere else. How symbolic the gate is. In every enchanting photograph of the Old City, one can see just how impossible it is to detach the Tower of David from Jaffa Gate, and in the exact same way, it is impossible to disconnect the State of Israel from its eternal capital. And this is precisely what Hamad and Assaf were unable to understand or accept. They didn't go to Jaffa Gate armed with knives because they were fed up with life in Qalandiya. They came to kill Jews because in their mind's eye, Jewish sovereignty in the City of David is out of the question.

I was invited to give a lecture in Jerusalem on Friday. On the way back home to Tel Aviv we will pass by Jaffa Gate, just like our forefathers did.

טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו