In the span of just 48 hours last week, a glaring moral divide emerged, casting a stark light on the immense metaphorical distance between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Palestinian terrorists – the distance from the city of Jenin to the heart of Jerusalem.

Over the past year and a half, the northern region of Judea and Samaria has evolved into a hub for terrorist arms and infrastructure on a massive scale. From this area, particularly Jenin, daily attacks have been launched against innocent Israeli men, women and children going about their daily lives, resulting in numerous injuries and fatalities.

Tragedies unfolded as three pairs of siblings fell victim to separate attacks. Among them were Yaakov and Asher Paley, aged six and eight, who lost their lives when a terrorist deliberately rammed his car into a group of civilians at a bus stop. The boys’ father, critically wounded in the attack, recovered in the hospital only to learn of his children’s tragic fate. He wasn’t even able to attend their funerals.

In another heart-wrenching incident, terrorists mercilessly murdered two sisters, Maia and Rina Dee, aged 20 and 15 respectively, along with their mother, Lucy. The family was en route to a vacation in their car when the assailants first fired at the vehicle, causing it to veer off the road and crash. They then callously shot the women at point-blank range.

In a third case, Hallel Yaniv, 21, and his 19-year-old brother, Yagel, were gunned down by terrorists in the town of Huwara.

IDF SOLDIERS take up a defensive position in the Jenin refugee camp on Tuesday during this week’s large-scale IDF operation in the area. (credit: YONAH JEREMY BOB)
IDF SOLDIERS take up a defensive position in the Jenin refugee camp on Tuesday during this week’s large-scale IDF operation in the area. (credit: YONAH JEREMY BOB)
Faced with the Palestinian Authority’s inability or unwillingness to address the buildup of terrorist cells within its jurisdiction and prevent the killing of innocent Jews, Israel found itself compelled to intervene. In an effort to dismantle the terrorist machine in Jenin, the IDF targeted command centers purposely situated in densely populated urban neighborhoods.

During the recent operation on July 3-4, IDF troops uncovered bomb-making labs and ammunition stockpiles hidden within mosques and hospitals. Despite the complexity of urban combat in close quarters, their professionalism and precision led to the deaths of 12 armed terrorists and the arrest of hundreds of others, all without causing harm to any civilians.

This operation serves as a shining example of Israel’s unwavering commitment to protecting the innocent and avoiding collateral damage, even amidst the fight to safeguard its own population. As Richard Kemp, former British Army commander who headed the international terrorism team in the UK, recently wrote in The Jewish Chronicle, “The fact that the IDF killed no civilians in Jenin is a marvel. In most operations in urban areas, even those conducted by Western armies, more civilians than fighters are killed.”

Israel targets militants, Palestinians target civilians

In stark contrast, Palestinian terrorists have displayed a complete disregard for human life. While the IDF went to great lengths to prevent civilian casualties, last week a 21-year-old Palestinian, whose brother was previously granted humanitarian entry into Israel and is receiving cancer treatment at an Israeli hospital, ran over pedestrians with his car and proceeded to stab several people outside a Tel Aviv café. This resulted in the injury of five individuals, including a pregnant woman who tragically lost her baby, before he was shot dead.

This highlights the fundamental difference between Israel and the Palestinian terrorists it faces: the former prioritizes the protection of civilians, employing strategies and tactics to minimize harm to innocent lives, while the latter cynically exploits their own people, using women and children as human shields, and deliberately targets Israeli civilians.

It is imperative for the international community to acknowledge and condemn such callousness, including the reprehensible use of places of Muslim worship for illicit warfare. Regrettably, mainstream global media has failed to convey the realities on the ground, often neglecting to mention the grave danger posed to Jews and Palestinians emanating from Jenin.

Indeed, reports frequently omit the terrorists’ preparations for attacks, their acquisition of advanced weapons, and the diversion of foreign funds provided to the Palestinian Authority for civil projects toward mass murder. It is this ongoing threat that has left Israel with no option but to take action.

Despite false depictions of the situation, the IDF consistently demonstrates its commitment to minimizing civilian casualties in its fight against terrorism, while Palestinian terrorists prioritize destruction over society-building. This fundamental truth – that Israel cherishes life while terrorists embrace death – must be reiterated time and again.

International leaders and many journalists, however, tend to create artificial symmetry between the IDF and Palestinian terrorists, inadvertently rewarding the latter for their heinous crimes.

There is no justification for drawing any moral parallels between the IDF and the terrorists. Such comparisons are fundamentally flawed and must be rejected outright. Period.

The writer is a former head of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism’s office in Washington and a senior analyst at Acumen Risk Ltd., a risk management firm.