Once again, we fell into the trap: Even before the bodies of the dead from Saturday's terrorist attack were laid to rest, it had already been described as a "lone-wolf" incident that was part of the "atmosphere."
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This definition is misleading because there is a hand that rocks the cradle for such perpetrators. Such attacks are not created out of thin air. The atmosphere that creates "atmosphere attacks" – the prevailing sentiment from where would-be attackers get their inspiration for their "lone-wolf attacks" – is part and parcel of the multi-year campaign to glorify terrorists and make Jews legitimate targets regardless of where they are.
The attacks are no lone-wolf incidents – the perpetrators are part of a wolf pack in every possible aspect. The attackers may decide on their own where to strike and they do it on their own, but they drink from the same poisonous well that makes the killing of Jews kosher, be it because "Al-Aqsa Mosque is being desecrated" or just in the name of Islam or the Palestinian cause. The incitement and hatred have no organizational affiliation, it runs across the board. It is the common denominator for practically all the "lone-wolf attackers."
The Palestinian street is drunk - but not with wine. It is high on the wild incitement that has become a hotbed for terrorists. The inciters – whether on radio or on television, the print media, or the social networks – should face the same punishment as those holding a gun or any other arm. They and their ilk share indirect responsibility for sending the terrorists and for the atmosphere that made it possible.
The Palestinian Authority, for its own reasons, may be assisting Israel in capturing dozens of killers but it has not lifted a finger in an effort to stop the worshiping of death and martyrdom. It has not stopped the explicit incitement to kill Jews for being Jews. It has allowed the continuation of terrorist glorification; it continues paying families of terrorists and has been memorializing them upon their death. Perceptually, it has been breeding terrorists and helping them grow, while occasionally helping Israel detain them in extreme cases. This is a new version of the revolving door from the days of Yasser Arafat, but instead of terrorists who enter prison only to quickly be released, in this case, these are terrorist hotbeds that produce attackers at a much quicker rate.
Just last week, the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center published a study showing that in the Palestinian textbooks issued by the PA, Israel doesn't even exist. The study noted that the Palestinian prime minister recently took part in a ceremony honoring parents of "martyrs" who were killed during the past year, and vowed that the PA would not bow to pressure by altering its subject matter, regardless of whether the donor countries will stop the funding spigot.
During the ceremony, there was even a picture shown of a "lone-wolf terrorist": Ramzi Fathi Hamed, who was recently engaged in throwing Molotov cocktails. This is how the PA has been treating the "lone-wolf terrorists' there is no need to elaborate on how Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad view them. We keep falling time and again into this trap by using this misleading terminology."
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