The publisher of the left-wing Haaretz newspaper, Amos Schocken, has come out with an extremely inflammatory statement regarding the murder of Shalhevet Pass which occurred twenty years ago, in March of 2001.
Shalhevet was then a ten-month-old baby and was shot and killed by an Arab sniper as she sat in her stroller near her family’s home in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood of Hebron.
Writing on Twitter in response to the controversy surrounding the recent visit of President Herzog to Hebron, Schocken blamed Pass’ parents for her death.
“Shalhevet Pass was killed because of the irresponsibility of her parents, who thought that they could bring up their children in a war zone; and also because of the Welfare Ministry, which in any normal country would have removed children from a war zone,” he wrote.
Multiple Twitter-users protested the shocking tweet, but Schocken remained adamant. “There’s nothing terrible about that statement,” he responded. “It’s a statement that is entirely correct. What is terrible is the obstinacy of Jews in establishing a Jewish civilian presence in Hebron.”
One poster replied to Schocken: “You should be ashamed of yourself. Jewish blood is not free for the taking.”
Schocken responded: “Shalhevet Pass’ parents should be ashamed of themselves. Jewish blood is not free for the taking.”
Another poster wrote: “What a shameful post. Shalhevet Pass was murdered in a dreadful and cruel manner while sitting in her baby stroller. How can anyone write such a thing without dying of shame?”
Undaunted, Schocken replied: “When you take your babies with you to a war zone regardless of everything, then you can write that tweet. If you don’t do things like that, then you understand what I’m talking about.”