There has been no shortage of outraged descriptions and depictions of the recent rampant violence from both Israeli and Palestinian Arabs.
Ironically, one such depiction that has not widely used - not by the government, the media, nor the Israeli in the street, is that the behavior of the Arabs, when distilled to its essence, is the epitome of racism.
Racism is the attitude, behavior and judgment towards people based solely on their identity as being part of a group which they are inextricably part of, and which identity in turn becomes the be determining factor for any conduct directed towards them.
Either racism is a universally unacceptable mode of conduct or it is just another loaded adjective.
The seeming random attacking of people on the street has turned out to be not so random at all. It is directed purely at Jews, and purely for the sake of the fact that they are Jews. There is a process of selection here, one of course that has antecedents in the Nazi death camps. The important common thread is the focus on the victim by the sole criterion of his or her being a Jew.
Why are we not calling the question, pointing the finger and speaking the truth that dares us to speak its name? The Arabs are engaging in pure racism, and to condone such behavior is to countenance racism.
Those who in other contexts decry racist behavior do not recognize extenuating circumstances that would tolerate, let alone forgive racism. Racism is a third rail taboo, not one to be contextualized or explained away.
So we need to make it crystal clear that not only the hateful attacks, but the school curricula, the television shows, the statements that any Palestinian sovereign entity would be Juden-rein, all of these are manifestations of racism.
Any attempt to forgive racism in the name of political resistance, is itself racism, for it is saying that for certain groups racism is permissible as a form of political opposition. Otherwise unacceptable behavior is countenanced solely because it is being applied to certain groups because of their racial identity. In other words, it too is racism.
Surely, this is a morally reprehensible and indefensible position that calls into question the moral bona fides of anyone would propose it.
Either racism is a universally unacceptable mode of conduct or it is just another loaded adjective. Identifying Arab terror as racism in its pure and classic sense is to confront those who are willing to give a pass to despicable Arab behavior for any number of reasons, including what is often called the soft racism of low expectations.
If our moral values are to have any meaning they must be universal in their applicability. If somehow, Arab behavior (which would if practiced by Jews - or Republicans - would by condemned as racism in an instant), is tolerated without condemnation, then the so-called judges and arbiters of such conduct are nothing but hypocrites, forfeiting their right to make any moral judgment.
The recent events provide a crystalline opportunity to demand of the ever sanctimonious critics of Israel some elementary moral consistency. Can they call like it like it is, condemning racism wherever it is to be found?
If so, then the widespread perception of what is going on here might be subject to a more sane revision. If not, then we should just ignore or, better yet, condemn those who would tolerate and excuse racism in the name of ideology.