Deja vu

I hope I spelled it correctly, since titles can't be changed.

A couple of years before we moved to Shiloh (making it over 25 years ago) there were some "terror incidents" of a different sort. Arabs were attacked by Jews. A few years afterwards, a number of veteran yishuv citizens were arrested, and they admitted it.

The story was that the Jewish cars, especially the vans taking the kids to school and gan (nursery school) were stoned frequently. The Israelis requested that the government take charge of defense and do something. The reaction of the government was:

It's your problem. Take care
of it yourselves.

That's not very pleasant to hear, but the young men considered it a "military order," and that's what they did. They used the only language the Arabs understand. Things did quiet down afterwards, and by the time we came to Shiloh, not long after, it was never mentioned ancient history. At least until a few of our most prominent and respected neighbors were arrested.

I was only reminded of it today when I read what Olmert told Eli Moyal, the Mayor of Sderot. Olmert said:

"the residents of the south are being aided in a way that no other region in the
country has been aided. It's time for the local leadership to stop talking only
to us, but to courageously look at its residents and talk to them."

and Moyal replied:

"I believe that the prime minister should have shut up at this time, even
if he thinks he is right. It does not add him any respect and it is
inappropriate for a prime minister to quarrel with mayors and express his
opinion on their leadership,"

And recently on the roads, where people wait for rides, in my regional council, Binyamin, you see armed civilians standing guard.

Protecting civilians, whether Sderot or Shiloh is not a priority for this Olmert Government.