By Ira Sharkansky
JERUSALEM — For more than a week, we’ve been hearing about a Palestinian who raped a seven year Israeli.
But the stories differ, and rely largely on the reports of the seven year old.
First off, she’s a member of an ultra-Orthodox family. Either because of their own contemplations, or the girl’s reluctance to speak, they waited for two weeks to two months to report the crime to the police. Somewhere in that time the parents were consulting with rabbi(s) as to their action. In the background is the girl’s ultimate chances of finding a marriage partner, given her lack of virginity.
And by the time the police got involved, there was no chance of any forensic evidence.
Reports are different about the girl’s stories. Either she was taken to a house nearby her school by the Palestinian, who was a cleaner at the school, and then held down by two other men while the crime was performed. Or she was taken some distance away to where the crime was performed in another dwelling.
There is also conflict about the time of the attack. Recently, or somewhat into the past?
Observers are blaming the police for a poor performance, but they had little and late to go on.
It hasn’t stopped right-wing politicians for calling for a death penalty.
To be sure, such a crime against a seven year old girl is reprehensible. But so are the problems of establishing facts.
The accused has denied all involvement.
It seems to be clear that a rape occurred, but the details are fogged.
We’ve heard that the accused has no record of nationalism or criminality
There is also a report that he may have been involved in other sexual crimes, prior to the one at issue.
He took two lie detector tests, failed one and passed the other.
The family of the girl has hired an attorney to present their case. He tells a good story, but in the background is the mask around everything in the ultra-Orthodox community. We don’t know about pressures on the little girl to stay quiet, or to polish her story. We can assume that for her, the incident was a matter of the highest trauma, with some of it coming from her ultra-Orthodox surroundings.
With all the confusion, we may not be far from the police cancelling the accusation and freeing the person being held.
And while this was in the headlines, so was a rise in tension with Iran. Or more narrowly, between Iran and the United States.
It began with what seemed to be Iranian attacks on oil tankers near the Straits of Hormuz, and then the downing by Iran of an American drone over or near the coast of Iran.
Reports were that Trump ordered an American attack on Iran, but then changed his mind while planes were in the air, but something like 10 minutes from their targets.
Meanwhile, Iran has threatened America and its interests (read that to include Israel) if there is an attack.
Hard to know what’s in the minds of the Ayatollahs. They can’t be happy with Israeli attacks on their interests in Syria, or the possibility of war with the United States. Why haven’t they responded more forcefully to Israeli attacks in Syria, when they have assets among Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas and its allies in Gaza and the West Bank?
Their country is suffering greatly from American sanctions, which have been increased. Cuts in Iranian sale of oil have limited its support for allies, and affected the living standards at home.
We know that Hezbollah has been weakened by its participation in Lebanon. But they have considerable missiles, presumably capable of wreaking havoc across Israel.
Meanwhile, Israel has considerable resources to respond with direct attacks against Iran, as well as with attacks against Lebanon or its allies in Gaza.
We wonder, while the IDF is, hopefully, ready for a variety of contingencies.
Bibi is concerned about this, while he is also concerned about his own political and judicial futures.
Meanwhile, Trump’s Deal of the Century has come in for stiff opposition from Palestinians and their friends among Arab countries. So far the details of the plan are economic, without clarity as to the source of the billions. And the Palestinians want a solution that is political. Presumably close to their dream of 1967 borders and the rights of refugees and their children to return to where they might have been from.
And Bibi has been turned down in his efforts to get approval for loans or gifts to help him pay lawyer fees.
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Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. He may be contacted via ira.sharkansky@sdjewishworld.com