Yesterday Eitam and Na’ama Henkin were murdered in front of their children in a disputed area of Samaria, in the West Bank. Most people are shocked and horrified that such an event like this could happen and their responses have been full of sympathy for their family, including their four children who witnessed the murder.
Not everyone responded as most would to a murder. Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, whose organization, Fatah, claimed responsibility for the attack, has said nothing, even after talking about making peace with Israel.
Another person who responded to the murder inappropriately was notorious anti-Israel activist, Electronic Intifada founder, and frequent speaker for Students for Justice in Palestine, Ali Abunimah. His tweet about the two murders was not surprising, given Abunimah’s stance on Israel, however it was incredibly unsettling.
Abunimah appears to justify the murder of these two Israelis.
Some Twitter users were quick to bring up the inaccuracies in his post.
Abunimah doesn’t see the difference; he wages false charges of “colonialism” not only against the state, but against the people. This is why he feels that these “colonialists” were murdered, to Abunimah this was not a young couple, this was a symbol of the State of Israel.
Below are the victims. As of the time of publication, Amnesty International has not yet condemned these murders.
Palestinians in Bethlehem celebrated the murders on the streets. The sparse coverage by the media of this is concerning.