Israel's Ides of March

You get the feeling after the Yeshiva killings in Jerusalem that something nasty is building, slowly, inexorably. A few of the distressing signs: it's springtime here, and droves of Israeli families are heading north to picnic in the fields of wild flowers near the Sea of Galilee. But often now, when they near an Arab village, youths appear on the hillsides throwing stones. The police say there's something systematic to this harassment. Arab kids are being paid by militants to stir up trouble. It's possible, or maybe they're just angry.

Back in Jerusalem, rightwing Israeli demonstrators tried to stampede into the Arab village on Jebel Mukabar and destroy the home of Alaa Abu Dhaim, the Yeshiva gunman. Shouting ‘Death to Arabs', the demonstrators got a lot farther than they should have, considering that the police had advance warning: the night before, posters sprang up around Jerusalem exhorting good Jews to “demolish the home of the murderer and expel his family and supporters.”

The rightwing youth dodged the police barricades with remarkable ease and raced into the village, hurling stones. The police caught them, and arrested 22 protesters. It's not as if Jerusalem police haven't had experience breaking up riots; they've had plenty. They're world-class. Fear and anger are running high among Israelis and Arabs, and the Israeli police are the thin blue line between them. No matter how angry Israeli cops may be over the yeshiva killings, their impartiality is all that prevents an outbreak of far worse violence in these days when the prospect of peace grows ever dimmer.

By Tim McGirk/Jerusalem