Today on International Holocaust Day comes news of an attack against worshippers attending the Shabbat service at Neve Yakov Jerusalem. Palestinian man Alkam Khairi killed at least 7-8 Israeli settlers and injured others during the shooting operation according to Israeli media.
What prompted Alkam Khairi to pick up a gun and why did he choose that synagogue?
Background – On the 29th of December 2022, the Netanyahu coalition government was sworn in, the coalition is the most far-right government in Israel’s short history. Netanyahu’s coalition partners come from the ultra-orthodox and ultra-nationalist fringes of Israeli politics, to accommodate his new partners Netanyahu has had to make agreements that have been described as a sellout of Israel’s democratic values.
Provocations- 24 hours before Alkham Khairi picked up his gun the IDF raided Jenin killing 9 Palestinians, and wounding 20 others, ambulances were shot at and prevented from reaching the wounded, and homes and a youth center was bulldozed. A large amount of tear gas was released near a school and hung in the air like a thick carpet, sending children choking to the hospital.
Sometime during or shortly after the raid MK Almog Cohen sent out a message congratulating the IDF on the 9 deaths and urging them to kill more,
This first month of Netanyahu’s far-right regime has seen the deaths of 30 Palestinians killed by the IDF or Israeli settlers, many more injured and arrested, and numerous homes and businesses bulldozed. Then there are the ‘minor’ but just as toxic provocations, for example, National Security Minister handing out awards for the murder of Mohamed Salah. The reappearance of the King’s Torah in a recent article. The Kings Torah, published in 2010, is a book that advocates for the preemptive murder of non-Jews, including babies and children ”since it is clear they will grow to harm us”.Another provocation was an Egged company bus in Jerusalem with an advertisement stating ”The goy has no free will – he waits for the Jew to give him orders”.Another MK Orit Strook has called for the demolishing of hundreds of more Palestinian homes. MK Smotrich has stated that if Palestinians do not accept to live under the yoke of Israel they should either be cleansed from the land (voluntary deportation) or killed (the IDF knows what to do ”in war as in war’). Last but not least MK Ben Gvirs storming of Al Aqsa and his threats to keep doing so.
In the days and weeks before Alkham Khairi picked up his gun and headed to the synagogue, how many times did he feel dehumanized by what he was seeing and hearing? How many funerals had he attended? Was he grieving for a lost friend or a loved one? Why did he choose to attack near a synagogue?
Or perhaps it was revenge for the murder of his grandfather Khayri Alqam, whose name he bore, who was murdered by a zionist settler in Jerusalem in 1998. Wounds run deep in Palestine, and those wounds last for generations.
When the news broke of the attack near the synagogue at Neve Yakov, it was reported as the killing of 7-8 settlers and others. Who were these ‘others’ they were speaking of? Located in Neve Yakov is Central Command which is an IDF military base that guards the peak of Ze’ev Neve Ya’akov and the surrounding area. The commander there is responsible for the units and brigades located in the Westbank, Jerusalem, Gush Dan, Sharon, and Shepelah. Neve Yakov is located in occupied East Jerusalem, despite Israeli claims to the contrary that it’s not occupied and is part of Israel, East Jerusalem remains occupied territory pursuant to principles of International Humanitarian Law.
The Israeli media news report sent around the world refers to Alkam Khairi as a terrorist. But according to International Humanitarian Law UNGA resolution 37/43, which reaffirms “the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial and foreign domination and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle”, he is not. It may never be known exactly why that time and spot were chosen, but the possibility that Alkam Khairi’s target was intended to be the military is a strong one. The Israeli military will most likely not let on whether or not this was the case, or whether any of the victims were their own.
While writing this I have seen a report of a revenge attack by armed Israelis, who shot three Palestinians in Beita, and Netanyahu has made a statement that the cabinet would convene on Saturday, adding, “We have decided on several immediate steps that will begin tonight.”, and so the cycle of violence continues.
The Palestine Activists Handbook 
