“May all Arabs die!” Israelis on Facebook express joy at Jordan bus crash that killed Palestinian pilgrims

Ali Abunimah 16 March 2013

Israelis, including at least one person identifying himself as a soldier, reacted with genocidal joy on Facebook to the horrifying news this morning that 17 Palestinians returning from a pilgrimage had been killed in a bus accident in Jordan and dozens more injured. Early reports had put the number of dead at 14.

According to The Jordan Times, the accident occurred as the bus descended toward the Jordan Valley “and slammed into a passenger vehicle causing it to overturn. The bus then slammed into a truck and the two vehicles crashed resulting in the deaths and the high number of injuries.”

Israelis overjoyed at horrifying deaths

“I couldn’t ask for a better morning than this,” wrote Facebook user Kobi Yaacov Saroussi under an item about the accident on the Facebook page of Israel’s Channel 2, “Shame there isn’t another zero at the end [of the number of victims].”

Kobi Yaacov Saroussi is disappointed there weren’t ten times as many deaths.

There were dozens more similar comments. Facebook user Demri Alice wrote “Finally it’s possible to ‘Like’ something,” to which she added a smiley face.

In horrifying deaths of Palestinians, Demri Alice finally find something to “Like” on Facebook.

Many were brief. Tomer Reuven simply commented “Very good.”

“Great! Let’s hope everyone on the bus was an Arab!” said Eitan Wolfer Eifergan.

“I’ve never tolerated Arabs,” wrote Kobi Noga, “I’m an extreme rightist. We should kill them all.”

Kobi Noga, self-described “extreme rightist,” thinks all Arabs should be killed.

Shenhav Sharbit, using the perjorative term “arboushim” – roughly the equivalent of the N-word – said Arabs could “all die” and that was “all good.”

Shenhav Sharbit uses a racist epithet for Arabs to express her joy at their deaths.

Golani Brigade soldier: “May all Arabs die … I am a proud racist.”

In a screenshot from his Facebook page, Chen Shaptiban is seen in a uniform bearing the tree symbol indicating that he is a member of the Israeli army’s Golani Brigade.

Among the most horrifying of the many horrifying comments were those of Chen Shaptiban who, based on a photo on his Facebook page, appears to be a member of the Israeli army’s notorious “Golani brigade” which was recently in the news because some of its members have posted shocking photographs on Instagram. One of Shaptiban’s reactions to the road accident was this:

May all Arabs die. There is no place for Arabs in the land of Israel. Maybe it sounds terrible to some people in north Tel Aviv, but they too do not deserve to live in this state, and yes, I am a proud racist, proud of my state and the soldiers guarding it!

Objections to racism shut down with more racist abuse

Some Palestinian citizens of Israel and Israeli Jews objected to the pervasive racism. Facebook user Marwan Momo, for example, wrote, “You keep crying Holocaust Holocaust but look how you talk!”

Gilad Kapeliuk wrote, “The sickening racism does not surprise me …. I’m ashamed to be part of this nation.”

But Avigail Mishaiv replied to Kapeliuk, “Gaza is waiting for you with open arms. You can go and be proud over there.

Golani soldier Shaptiban also retorted, “Gilad, you leftists are the cancer in the state, traitors to the state, the garbage of Israeli society.”

Regev Cohen, responding to another Facebook user, whom he addressed with a homophobic epithet, wrote, “All the terrorists in the world, all the fucking martyrs, who are they? Arabs and Muslims” before referring to Arabs as “barbarians” and “human waste.”

Ori Avraham reacted to criticism of the racist statements from a user called “Irit” by telling her, “Do you know what the biggest dream of the Muslims is? To exterminate all the Jews by any means, so be quiet.”

Not an isolated incident

It is important to emphasize that the racist comments in this incident were not rare or exceptional, but numerous and pervasive.

While the comments above were collected from the Facebook page of Israel’s Channel 2, many similar racist comments could be seen just as frequently under the news item about the crash on the Facebook page of Walla! News, another major Israeli media outlet.

At Walla! for example, Elior Mizrahi commented, “Sabbath morning, a beautiful day!” and added a smiley face. Shai Hadad expressed the sentiment, “14 is too few, shame it wasn’t more.”

Nor is this an isolated incident. The Electronic Intifada has previously documented numerous examples of Israelis expressing shocking racism and calls for racist and genocidal violence on Facebook.

Today’s disgusting comments are also reminiscent of what happened when some Israelis expressed delight after a number of Palestinian children were killed in a bus accident in February last year.

It is also notable that while the habitual expressions of joy by Israelis at the deaths and suffering of Palestinians go largely unremarked, an Egyptian activist, Samira Ibrahim, was the focus of worldwide condemnation recently after her nomination for a White House award was withdrawn when it came to light that she had expressed joy on Twitter at the deaths of Israelis in the July 2012 bombing of a bus in the Bulgarian resort town of Burgas among other objectionable and racist comments.

Words lead to killing

This shocking and pervasive racism is not harmless. Many of those expressing it are members of Israeli occupation forces who hold immense power over the Palestinian population.

In at least one case we know about, an Israeli occupation “border policeman,” Maxim Vinogradov, had expressed a desire on Facebook to assist in “annihilating” Arabs just one week before he shot dead Palestinian father Ziad Jilani at a checkpoint in eastern occupied Jerusalem, a killing for which Jilani’s family continues to seek justice.

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Comments

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jack francis winn replied on

Not until you look into the face of every man and every woman and see your brother and sister......only then have you seen the light. All else is still darkness.

An Old Hasidic Tale

Only one life that soon shall pass, Only what is done with love will last.

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Haim Bresheeth replied on

Shocking and disgusting, of course, but hardly surprising. Zionism was always racist, and not just against Arabs (both as Goys, and as the indigenous population of Palestine) but also against Mizrahi and ghetto Jews. The whole tenet of Zionist occupation is anti-democratic and racist, and this is what people get at home, at school, in the media, in the army, in the street... just about everywhere in Israel.

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Pshift replied on

What you are doing is not much different to MEMRI. Idiots and racist exist everywhere. Giving them a stage serves nothing than fuel to their cause.

Haram.

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Marshalldoc replied on

"Pshift", to suggest that the story Ali describes above " is not much different to MEMRI. Idiots and racist exist everywhere. Giving them a stage serves nothing than fuel to their cause" is another means of saying 'none of this matters'. Well, it does matter. To the extent that MEMRI gets their quotes right and is representative of the topic it discusses (which, sadly is rarely) their stories deserve attention. Similarly, unless you're implying that the quotes Ali uses are fabricated or are somehow selected to represent only one pole of a spectrum of quotes in order to fit a political viewpoint (if you were implying it, it's too bad you were unable to just say it) they are different than MEMRI's publications (of which I'm well-familiar) and demonstrate the depth of depravity to which the progressively growing Israeli extreme right (can it be described as such if it's actually representing the Israeli 'mainstream'?) has descended. The worry of course, is that prior to the occurrence of overt racist violence is the occurrence of overt racist rhetoric.

Given this, one is then left asking, 'what was his purpose in posting a comment intended to delegitimize a legitimate concern?' ...Hasbara anyone?

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hiba replied on

as if you don't know that more than 60 % of the population of the state are Mizrach ! you are surrounded by arabs whether you like it or not , you have to learn how to live with each other not how to kill each other .

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Kyle Renner replied on

It's especially funny when western media lies and tells viewers that the only ones capable of such racism are Arabs or Iranians, and then you hear people in Tunisia and Iran saying "we do not hate Jews. We have no problem with Jewish people."

And these sickening examples of Israeli racism go unreported or some idiot tries to justify them.

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Kalson replied on

Joke's on the racists cause if the Palestinians came from Hajj (pilgrimage) then that means they are free of all sins and will go straight to heaven

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Alec replied on

I come from UK, where if articles are about Israel Palestine are published in the mainstream media, (which is very rare) comments from the public are usually not permitted. When they are, and comments such as criticising Israel's expansion of the settlements are made, one is subjected to a barrage of anti-semitism accusations .

The only positive outcome will be that slowly more and more of the public in the US, UK and elsewhere will become aware of incidents like this and realise just how obscene and disgusting the zionist right wing Israeli is, and their hitherto unquestioning support will be further eroded

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Peter Loeb replied on

The claim of racial supremacy of Zionists and of their civilization is not new.
Hundreds of years ago "victims" came to the North American continent to establish a "New Israel". Their victimhood was in their name: "God's Afflicted Saints" (aka "pilgrims" in the US). While they built Harvard as a center of learning they began to exterminate the "uncivilized" Native Americans setting their homes
ablaze, frying men women and children alive, destroying their lands. This was continued across the continent and then around the world. Does this sound familiar to anyone for Palestinian rights?
(Source: FACING WEST... a classic by Richard Drinnon.)

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JOE JOE replied on

(To all,) death is coming to all of us one way or another,they have been called back in the name of Allah,there time is up. they sad thing is , the way they went,but this to show all of us that the death is around the corner form all us,
Arabs/Jews who ever they are pray for them,and ask Allah (God) to have mercy on them,and to have mercy on all of us. 4 sure we will need it

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colin replied on

to joe, joe, yes death is all around us, when you meet a Zionist !

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Hugh Ekeberg replied on

More and more, slowly but surely, the occupation corrupts the occupier.

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Kyle Renner replied on

What, Palestinians should cry when their oppressors in the "IDF" die? I don't see why they shouldn't be happy.
And your "30-80 percent of Palestinians justify attacks on civilians as opposed to only 5 percent of Israelis doing the same" sounds like propaganda to me.

It's worth noting the only people who reacted with horror to the racism displayed on the Israeli news sites were either Palestinians living in Israel (so "traitors" to your mind) or "extreme leftists". Most of the Israeli mainstream seems to have bought the lies that they are the "victims" and that the Palestinians are angry because they're just "stupid unproductive homogenous Arabs who can easily live somewhere else."

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Niall replied on

In your mind anyone who doesn't support you is an oppressor. If you look at other news sources, you will see that Palestinians/Arabs/Muslims also express joy when Israelis and Jews die. This isn't a new revelation. If you choose to ignore the prejudices of the other side, then you simply look foolish.

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colin replied on

nail, what you say about both sides is being pleased when others die is correct. yes there are prejudices on as you say the other side, but I think they have far better resions to have these prejudices. I have seen myself how arabs are treated in all parts of life, and how it goes on every day.

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Niall replied on

Really? So killing a tour bus full of Israelis in Bulgaria (by Hezbollah) is a better reason than shooting someone attempting to detonate a bomb? Let's not deal in generalizations here. There are instances when both sides killing is legitimate, and others not. What I'm saying is that this article completely ignores instances when Palestinians expressed joy at the death of Israelis.

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Kyle Renner replied on

the bombing. It is possible that Israel bombed the bus in order to further push for a war with Iran. The only evidence against this is that Israel holds the lives of Jews above all others, so killing fellow jews would be very hard for them.

This website isn't dedicated to moaning about how "awful" the Palestinians are- and all oppressed and marginalized people probably at some point say something about their oppressors that may seem harsh.

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Lucia replied on

Who yells "anti-Semitism" when this happens? Why are all discussions that merely state facts surrounding Israel's actions cut off by accusations of anti-Semitism, when Israelis and Zionists can write any manner of horrific, dehumanizing sentiments about Arabs and nobody in this world give's a damn? (One difference of Israeli racism is that they actually make good on their sentiments, by killing Palestinians, among other things, while most accused of anti-Semitism against Jews would ever actually harm a Jewish person, or any other person in many cases)

Explain why there is no one to yell anti-Semitism here...while you're at it, maybe someone can also explain how Jews have acquired a monopoly on being Semitic? Do any people who use that term even know where it comes from?? Semitism will NEVER cease to include Arabs. Look it up, ARABS ARE SEMITES.

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Niall replied on

(One difference of Israeli racism is that they actually make good on their sentiments, by killing Palestinians, among other things, while most accused of anti-Semitism against Jews would ever actually harm a Jewish person, or any other person in many cases)

Wow, you must have done a lot of research to come to such a broad conclusion. I would love to see your evidence.

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Kyle Renner replied on

Hezbollah was behind the bus bombing. Also, you seem to be one of those people who think that Israel is "the light" or full of innocents who have problems with the state policy towards all Palestinians, be they Christian or Muslim.

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Lucia replied on

As for the evidence that Israelis make good on their sentiments and opinions by abusing Palestinians, I follow the news from different sources (including this one). As for my evidence that those accused of anti-Semitism (regardless of whether or not they actually are anti-Semitic, which is highly debatable in most cases I've seen) only give verbal and NOT physical expression to their allegedly anti-Semitic sentiments or opinions, I and others I have met on my path are that proof.

Count the number of reports in the last five years, for example, of peace activists (among whom are even plenty of Israelis) bombing the living daylights out of Israelis or Jews. Then count the number of reports of Israelis bombing the living daylights out of Arabs or Palestinians in the last five years. And bombing is only one of a vast multitude of methods by which Israeli anti-Arab racism and hatred finds expression in the daily life of Palestinians.

The fact is, and the reason for this discrepancy, is that most of us who are accused of anti-Semitism are not in the least anti-Semitic and, for example, in my case, wouldn't even squash a fly, let alone another human being, while the Israeli government and military, and many Israelis are sincerely violently racist against Arabs--but even in being so, avoid any flack for racism.

Ali Abunimah

Co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine, now out from Haymarket Books.

Also wrote One Country: A Bold-Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. Opinions are mine alone.