The Cutting Edge

Israel's decision to build more apartments for its citizens in Judea and Samaria is undoubtedly unpopular with the Palestinian Arabs and their sycophants in the international community. Nevertheless, to argue as the Los Angeles Times did that this construction is part of the "cycle of violence" that "provoked" last week's bloody massacre of a Jewish family reveals a shattered moral compass. Their editorial repeated the canard that the Jewish settlements violate international law. There is no legal treaty that prohibits Jews from living in any part of Israel. Further, such an accusation becomes grist for the incitement to murder. Israel's decision to build apartments may be controversial as a matter of policy. To compare it to killing children, however, is to rationalize evil. 

The writer is national vice chairman of the Zionist Organization of America.