Will Jerusalem Mayor Barakat Protect Jews?

ערב שבת קודש פר׳ בראשית תשע״ו

Ha'Aretz: Jerusalem Mayor Calls on Civilians to Carry Weapons in Wake of Terror Attacks Proposal will lead to anarchy and shows government has lost control, charges Member of Knesset Tzipi Livni.

Nir Hasson, Oct 08, 2015

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat called on civilians who own firearms to carry them at all times in the wake of a spate of stabbing and shooting attacks by Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and various places in Israel. “I think that carrying a licensed pistol and knowing what to do with it is imperative; it’s like doing reserve duty,” said the mayor in an interview to Army Radio on Thursday morning.

“In retrospect, we can see that statistically the neutralization of terrorists was often done by capable people who weren’t necessarily policemen,” said Barkat, explaining his call for “weapon owners who know how to use them should carry them.”

Ashdod police commander Noam Shekel echoed that call at a town council meeting, where he urged city residents who own weapons to carry them “in order to increase the sense of security in the city.”

Criteria for licensing weapons were eased last year in the wake of a series of terrorist attacks. According to Knesset statistics, in 2013 there were 157,000 legal weapons in private hands in Israel, with 43,000 additional ones in the hands of security guards and another 130,000 rifles and pistols held by different organizations. These numbers do not include military firearms, or guns used by police or prison services. In addition, there were 7,000 unlicensed guns in 2012.

However, the Knesset Interior Committee demanded that the police prohibit security guards from bringing their weapons home, citing figures showing that at least 30 people were murdered over the last decade by weapons belonging to off–duty security guards.

MK Tzipi Livni (Zionist Camp) said during a tour of the Old City in Jerusalem that “transferring responsibility to the citizens of Israel and calls for carrying weapons indicate a loss of control by the government and will lead to total anarchy.” (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):

Mayor Nir Barakat with his "Glock"
(Screen Shot: "Mabat," Channel 1)

Mayor Barakat is right to encourage citizens to carry weapons. He is of course, careful to say "citizens," and not "Jews." Either he is still in denial of the reality of Israel's Arab "citizens," or he believes that he should keep quiet about it, for the sake of his political career.

In another report from Ha'Aretz (Hebrew), he suggests that we should see ourselves as being on reserve duty. However, I also think that someone needs to tell Mayor Barakat that the State of Israel has been disarming its citizens, for years now. After declaring that the criteria for licensing weapons were eased last year,"

Living in Yehudah and Shomron (Judea and Samaria), where it would supposedly be easier to procure a weapon's license, weapons are being taken away for the slightest infraction. Security companies have been taking over the security of Jewish towns, from its residents. (No doubt, due to collaboration of local councils with the State.)

Residents who apply to work for these companies are told that they may not work in their own towns. Even though it would obviously be very convenient for them and their families. Apparently, the State is already looking ahead to the next round of planned expulsions of Jews. A resident of a town working security in his town is a lot less likely to participate in the expulsion of Jews from his own town.

Ha'Aretz's Nir Hasson conveniently omits the number of weapons on the streets today. How much of an increase in weapons licenses has this easing of criteria produced?

But, I digress...

MK Livni (non-Zionist Camp) is right about the "transferring of responsibility to the citizens" to protect themselves. Someone has to protect us, and since the State of Israel isn't, why shouldn't we be allowed, and even encouraged to protect ourselves?

For that matter, in our current state, I am not so sure that "a loss of control by the government" and "total anarchy" would be such bad things.