Egged bus (illustrative)
Egged bus (illustrative)Israel news photo: Flash 90

It was a scene typical of the times in Israel. On a Be'er Sheva bus carrying mostly elderly Jews, an Arab boy began singing out loud in a way that seemed calculated to convey his disdain for his fellow passengers.

Repeated attempts by passengers and the driver to get the boy to pipe down only resulted in more disruption, as the boy was joined by another, younger boy, in their annoying song.

Push came to shove, shove came to kick, and the boys were taken off the bus, which drove away – but not before the boys had thrown a rock that smashed a hole in the pane of one of its doors.

A perceived laxness of enforcement by Israeli authorities toward Arab aggression has resulted in countless similar incidents – and much worse ones – in which members of the Arab population appear to be testing the limits of how far they can go in disruptive and violent behavior toward the Jewish population. This mindset filters down quickly from the adult part of the population to the children. Often, the children are purposely sent to harass neighbors, because prosecuting them is more difficult.