Palestinians punish Arab who rescued Jewish terror victims

A Palestinian man has lost his job for the “crime” of rescuing the surviving Jewish victims of a deadly terror attack, and Israelis are now urging their government to help him find employment.  

By: Atara Beck, World Israel News

In early July, Palestinian terrorists murdered Rabbi Michael Mark, a 48-year-old father of 10 who was driving with his wife and two teenage children along route 60 in the South Hebron Hills.

It was later discovered, to the dismay of the bereaved family, that the terrorist who shot Mark to death, Mohammed Pakia, was a member of the Palestinian Authority security forces.

A Palestinian man who helped the surviving victims at the scene of attack, however, has lost his job for the “crime” of helping Israeli Jews, and some Israelis, upon hearing about it, are urging their government to give him a work permit and help him find employment.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Yochai Damri, head of the Mount Hebron Regional Council, wrote, “I met with him and he asked me to help remove any obstacle preventing him from receiving a work permit [in Israel].”

“This week I wrote a letter to the defense minister [Avigdor Liberman], requesting help in getting a work permit for the two of them,” he continued, according to Times of Israel. “I met with them, I am aware of the difficulties, but I think that in cases like this it is our obligation as the Jewish nation to show our thanks to people who behave as upstanding people and act in a way expected of them in situations like this.”

“In this dark attack, two Arab residents acted to help and rescue the family until the Israeli teams arrived. These actions were extremely important in preventing much more serious damage,” Yochai said, Ynet reported.

Laura Ben-David, a writer and photographer from the community of Neve Daniel in Gush Etzion, told World Israel News that when Mark’s family was helped by a Palestinian Arab couple, she initially admired them, but she “didn’t think it was anything extraordinary because I do not expect all Palestinians to be terrorists.”

Palestinian society ‘prohibits humanity’

The piece of information she was missing, she now acknowledges, was that the Arab man “was fired for daring to help pull terrified and injured children out of a car that had flipped over after being hit by bullets. For daring to try to save the life of a father. For daring to help protect innocent people from more would-be terrorists.

“What I was missing was that Palestinian society does not tolerate their own people being kind or caring – or human – to Jews or Israelis. So yes, there may be other Palestinians who would have liked to help; perhaps even most. But we’ll never know, because their society prohibits this natural act of humanity.

“So please, Israel, reward this true hero and provide him the work permit he needs. It is the least we can do.”

Avigdor LibermanLaura Ben-DavidMichael MarkPalestinian terrorYochai Damri