The morality of MURDER

Several months ago, I wrote posts about terrorism and heroism. I feel that the two posts need to be re-read in light of a recent brutal murder of an Israeli settler near Hebron. This person, Erez Levanon, was stabbed to death by two Israeli teens. Islamic Jihad is claiming responsibility. The crime of Mr. Levanon? Existing. Levanon was not a soldier. He was not a warrior. Rather, all he wanted to do was pray in peace. But Mr. Levanon was a 'settler,' and hence inherently 'evil,' merely by existing. The justification for the attack was that Mr. Levanon was simply living in land that never was 'Palestinian' to begin with, and at the very MOST could be considered disputed territory. (Please read my earlier column explaining why I support Israel's 'settlements.') Yet the world swallows this 'justification' as if there is a moral equivalence. The fact that Mr. Levanon was living in land that Israel has every right to, mind you, is seen as morally equivalent to his brutal stabbing death. It's 'understandable' that 'Palestinians' would brutally slay a settler, because, goshdarnit, the settler is the original evil by trespassing, anyway! OR, it's understandable why an unarmed man would be killed, because it's logical 'retaliation' for Israel's killing Palestinians who are engaged in active warfare with Israel. (please visit Aussie Dave's analysis of the inconsistency in the media reports concerning the death of one such 'Palestinian') Let's see some examples of the MSM's 'reporting' of the issue... United Press International - Spends time going over the IDF activities in Nablus, and then mentions in passing that Erez Levanon was killed, implying that it was linked to Nablus activities, justified by it, or generally insignificant compared to the harm caused to 'Palestinians.' Boston Globe - Spends time discussing activities in Nablus, and then mentions in passing about Levanon, after it goes into detail about the death of Anan Tibi, and 'delays of Palestinian medical trucks.' (this ignores the Red Crescent link to terror, of course) BBC - Oops, no coverage of the Levanon death! L.A. Times - Almost word for word the same as the Boston Globe. N.Y. Times - Spends many paragraphs discussing Tibi's death, as well as the Nablus activities of the IDF, and a passing sentence about Levanon. You get the point. I could do a wider analysis of every single MSM outlet that discusses the death of Erez Levanon, but they are all very similar. Please note how the MSM spends so little time discussing Levanon's death, and so much time discussing Tibi's death. Please also note how Levanon's death is framed - as if it is a justified retaliation to the IDF's activities in Nablus. (activities that are necessary for Israel's security!) Far leftists (and far 'rightists') will openly proclaim Levanon's death as justified because of the mere fact that he is a settler. But the MSM, in the way it covers things, is subtley saying the same. There is no moral equivalence. And there is no justified link between the murder of people like Levanon, and the 'Palestinian' dreams of statehood. While we are NOT fighting a war on 'terror,' (we are fighting a war against Islamofascism), this terror is NOT justified under ANY logical form of reasoning! These Palestinians are NOT heroes or 'martyrs' for some higher cause! Rather, they are the WORST ENEMIES OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE! And by acknowledging this, I am one of the few truly 'pro-Palestinian' people out there.