It's not the land, it's the neighbors

Or Alon

Last week my friend Evyatar (Napo) Borovsky was murdered at the Tapuach Junction in Samaria. The murderer assailed Evyatar, stabbing him and shooting him with the pistol he stole off him. Evyatar was a man of peace, kind to all and a gentle soul, one who always made sure to put a smile on the faces of all those he met; it was also his profession to do so.

But just like every other case in which a Jew is murdered beyond the Green Line, here too we witnessed a response that should worry not only those on the right of the political map: aside from offering condolences, there were those who pointed their finger at Evyatar, for his decision to live in a "dangerous place," as they call it, thereby placing himself in harm's way.

Maybe it is time to clear things up. Evyatar did not live in a dangerous place. The Himalayan mountain range is a dangerous place. Jungles in South America are dangerous places, if one does not know where they can or cannot travel. A cliff hanging over an abyss is dangerous if one is not careful, and I can go on forever: A bear's cave, a pool of sharks, a lion's den, swampy marshes -- those are all dangerous places. Judea and Samaria are not dangerous places. The area itself does not endanger anyone, only some of the people who live there do.

When someone labels a place as dangerous or not, the definition comes out of the natural circumstances that exist in that area -- predatory animals, disease and others -- factors that raise the likelihood for residents who choose to live there being in harm's way. Calling Judea and Samaria a dangerous place has become almost a knee-jerk reaction. The area is not dangerous, unless God forbid somebody sees the Arab residents as dangerous predators.

I see the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria as human beings, with values, considerations and intelligence, and I refuse to accept the view that this area is a dangerous place. Not at all. The area is perfectly fine, the land is fertile -- hilly but without cliffs, and free of predatory animals or disease. The weather is pleasant, the water is clean, and it is a wonderful place. In this regard Samaria is not different from the Sharon area in central Israel. The only difference being is that all too often some of the Arab populace living here preaches racist murder.

We need to define the real dangerous factors: Arab-Muslim education in Judea and Samaria, which incites violence against Jews; the ruling terrorist parties -- Fatah, Hamas or Jihad -- which promote the killing of innocent people and preach racism; and many of the Arab residents themselves, who allow the hate, incitement and viciousness to trickle down into their homes, to their children and their culture.

Therefore, from now on if a Jew living beyond the Green Line is murdered, don't say: "Why did he choose to live in such a dangerous area," but honestly ask yourselves: "Why do we let such dangerous people roam freely in our country."

That question is likely to bring a more efficient solution, as it begins to deal with the real problem, and not the fabricated one which only serves to push the argument to political lines.

Or Alon was a friend of Evyatar Borovsky, who was stabbed to death last Monday by a Palestinian at the Tapuach Junction.