Ari Fuld was murdered in cold blood by a 16-year-old Palestinian terrorist.
Ari was a dual citizen, he held both American and Israeli citizenship.
Ari was a hero. At the age of 45, he was cut down in the prime of his life. This happened to him while standing in the parking lot of a shopping mall in Gush Etzion, a spot frequented by both Palestinians and Israelis.
A shopping mall located in the West Bank that was, by all accounts, the ideal example of coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. By all accounts until Sunday, Sept. 16, the day that Ari Fuld was, literally, stabbed in the back, and peaceful coexistence —figuratively — suffered the same fate.
Ari grew up in America. In moving to Israel he fulfilled his dream as an American Jew. His first home was in Jerusalem, with his parents and brothers. After marrying and establishing a family he lived in the city of Efrat.
Ari Fuld's murder left a widow and four orphans.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad of Gaza both issued statements supporting the murder of this father of four. They proclaimed, "We welcome the stabbing attack in Bethlehem, which coincided with the killings of our people during the March of Return . . . The attack makes it clear that our people wish to continue the Jerusalem intifada. To resist the occupation, by using all means necessary, is our legitimate right . . . The attack is a natural response to the aggression and crimes perpetrated by the Zionist terrorists against our people, our land and our holy places. We praise our people in the West Bank and call for a continuation of resistance against Israel and attacks against the settlers."
These are the official, thought out and carefully crafted responses of these avowed terrorist organizations — not off the cuff comments.
These terrorists want to stimulate more terror and to murder more innocents.
They take pride in, and justify, the murder of Ari Fuld. They may think of themselves as freedom fighters, but they are nothing more than cold blooded killers.
Then again, they are terrorists.
These proclamations by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, while despicable, are de rigueur for their organizations and are to be expected. But what about the Palestinian Authority (PA), the governing body of the Palestinians, those charged with acting as Israel's partner in peace.
What did the PA have to say after Ari's murder?
The official Palestinian Authority daily, al Hayat al Jadida, turned the entire story upside down. According to al Hayat, the boy terrorist was an innocent boy shot by two Israelis.
On Sept. 17, the day after the murder, their headline read, "The Shooting and Wounding of the Boy Khalil Jabarin, and His Arrest Claiming That He Killed a Settler Next to 'Etzion'".
The article, translated from the original Arabic byPalestinian Media Watch, reads this way, "The boy Jabarin was wounded by a number of bullets fired by the occupation's soldiers (sic., by two Israeli civilians, one of whom Jabarin had just stabbed and mortally wounded) next to the '[Gush] Etzion' Junction, and this was after he stabbed a settler according to the Israeli occupation's version.
"He was left bleeding on the ground for more than 20 minutes, and then was transferred to the hospital. Jabarin is an 11th grade student in a science study track."
By referring to the terrorists as "an 11th grade student in the science track," the PA humanized him. And they de-humanized Ari Fuld and Israelis in general, depicting them as evil because they shot a child with great potential. Calling Ari and the other witness who shot the terrorist "occupation's soldiers" is one of the biggest slurs in PA vernacular, demonizing them in the eyes and hearts of people who already believe that Israel is an oppressor.
Propaganda masquerading as news is as deceitful as it is insulting. But it is effective.
Most Palestinians believe what they read in their official paper of record. So too do many other people.
Not every story has two sides. Facts are facts. A 16 year old terrorist named Khalil Jabarin stabbed Ari Fuld in the back and ran off. It was captured on video. Ari chased after his assailant and shot at him. Another Israeli, witness to the stabbing, also pursued and shot at the terrorist. He was wounded. Ari collapsed, he was taken to the hospital but was non-responsive and could not be revived. The terrorist is healing and in custody in an Israeli hospital.
The boy Jabarin's mother tried to warn authorities that her son was about to commit the terror attack.
Her message arrived too late.
Micah Halpern is a political and foreign affairs commentator. He founded "The Micah Report" and hosts "Thinking Out Loud with Micah Halpern" a weekly TV program and "My Chopp" a daily radio spot. A dynamic speaker, he specializes in analyzing world events and evaluating their relevance and impact. Follow him on Twitter @MicahHalpern. To read more of this reports — Click Here Now.
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