Use all legal means
The father of the groom was oblivious to what was unfolding at the wedding he hosted, the so-called "wedding of hate." He said that had he realized what was going on, he would have done something to stop the guests' racist, borderline murderous, incitement.
I find it hard to believe he was totally unaware of what was taking place, considering the scale of the horror show. The burden of proof lies squarely on him.
But beyond that, I am deeply concerned. My hunch is that had he tried to intervene, he would have failed. The crowd was awash with messianic and demonic zeal. In the Bible, Aaron's two sons chose to defy God's orders and desecrated His tabernacle with "strange fire." The guests at this wedding distorted God's vision, having long forgotten that Judaism forbids the very tenets they preach. They no longer abide by the Fifth Commandment: "Honor your father and your mother." Had the father tried to stop them, they would have thrown him out of the wedding hall.
The Shin Bet has recently laid its hands on a subversive right-wing manifesto. That document calls for the establishment of a theocratic, anti-Muslim state and describes the Jewish terrorist attack on the Palestinian village of Duma, which killed three people, as a template for future attacks. Many of those at the wedding embraced that manifesto.
They view the Shin Bet security agency as the enemy because it is on the verge of solving the Duma murders. But the culprits have tried to besmirch the agency and throw around baseless accusations, ignoring the fact that this very agency, apart form providing Israel with security, has also protected Israel's reputation by cracking down on Jewish terrorism. They and their supporters will do anything to obscure the truth.
The Shin Bet interrogators, despite what has been alleged, did not spit on or beat those rounded up in the Duma investigation. Nor did they sexually abuse them. But for the sake of argument, let's assume they did. Although such a scenario would have voided the interrogation of any legal value (information gathered from the "fruit of the poisonous tree" is inadmissible in court), but even so, having the detainees undergo this interrogation would have been better than letting them go about their business in illegal outposts in Judea and Samaria.
It now clear that MK Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Hayehudi), MK Miki Zohar (Likud), and Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel must apologize to Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen (especially Ariel, who said the Shin Bet should not deal with Jewish terrorism). They should also go down on their knees and ask for forgiveness from the general public over their attacks on law enforcement (Zohar has already retracted his comments). Their supporters should also apologize.
The police have now stepped into the fray and will investigate what unfolded at the wedding. That is important, but that is not enough. It is the parents of those youngsters who bear the most responsibility for their actions, whether because they encouraged them to act as savages or because they turned a blind eye and shrugged off such behavior. Rabbis and the settler leaders, as well as the party leaders and educators, also share responsibility.
It is now time to tap the full potential of Israel's criminal justice system. Such Jewish youths must see a psychologist or regularly meet with some mentor to help them change course. They must be cured of this terrible virus that has driven them into an abyss of horror. Perhaps some of them will sober up, get their act together, and return to the fold.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו