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Written by Rabbi Fishel Jacobs

Anyone with any connection to Israel is wondering: How long can anyone ignore their responsibility? That anyone is Bibi.

For decades, Bibi Netanyahu has run behind the theme of security. It was their campaign slogan in numerous elections. It’s the persona he presents worldwide.

His recent UN speech defended the entire free world: “Israel singly stands in the doorway defending Islamic terror from spreading West.”

“The world stands deafeningly silent as the Iranian deal brings genocide closer to my people.” Then he took his dramatic – how-many-seconds-was-it-pause – to let the historic declaration.

For decades, Bibi has relentlessly carried the Iranian nuclear program into the public limelight. Without those efforts it would probably be a non-issue today.

All said, however, last we saw Bibi was elected prime minister to Israel. That’s his salary, and position. Most citizens of Israel would favorably view Bibi fulfilling his protector-of-the-free world part-time job – on condition that he stops neglecting his day job. Israel.

Israel is a security mess. Internally, Israel is a security nightmare. Jews are afraid to walk around most neighborhoods in the capital city. They’re not afraid of muggings. They’re not afraid of drug deals gone wrong.

They’re afraid of Arabs attacking them throughout Jerusalem, near their homes in Judae-Samaria, in parking lots of late night pubs throughout the country.

Good, law-abiding, tax-paying honest citizens – men, women, elderly and children – in Israel are afraid of attacks by blood thirsty Arabs in Israel – for a good reason. Because they’re being harassed, attacked and murdered.

Because they are Jews.

Two months ago I lost a nephew. No big deal. Somehow Israelis are supposed to take that in stride. His name was Malachi Rosenfeld. He was in his early twenties, driving to his home in Kochav Hashachar from playing basketball one evening. It was an ambush. Local Arab men were armed and waiting. They blocked Malachi’s car with theirs and pumped a magazine of machine gun bullets into four kids. Malachi took four bullets.

There was huge international media coverage. Our entire family, Malachi’s community and people from throughout the country, spent the night the Sharei Tzedek intensive care unit – waiting till the heart beat monitor slowly went silent.

A month later Israel caught the murderer. Guess what, surprise. The Arab young man – let’s not give undo respect by calling someone like that a ‘terrorist,’ really, he’s nothing more than punk – was directed by someone higher up. That someone higher up is a freed murderer expelled from Israel and who now lives in Jordon, Ten years ago, that mentor had murdered Malachi’s friend and neighbor, at the very same place.

Nice story, except that it’s sick and true.

Last week, the Henkin couple were murdered in front of their young children. In the interim a couple more murders occurred in Israel. Today a woman was stabbed in Jerusalem.

Over time the names get lost. That’s not because they’re not important. It’s because there are too many names to remember.

Bibi just came back from an enormously well-received UN speech. It got great reviews. All about Iran and the bad US nuclear deal.

When Bibi returned to Israel local pressure forced him to make some announcements about the ongoing attacks and murders. The weakness of these announcements was shocking.

One statement was particularly insulting. If not verbatim, here is the idea. “Until now police and security forces have only been permitted to open fire when their own lives are in imminent danger. From today, they are being permitted to open fire when other people’s lives are imminent danger.”

Is anybody reviewing these speeches given inside of Israel?!

My gosh, if citizens in Israel are afraid to use their weapons to protect themselves for fear of legal repercussions, and police and security have not been allowed – who is protecting those innocent people!?

Bibi needs to realize that US speaking tours, UN speeches, and safeguarding the Western world from Iran are noble efforts.

But first he needs to take care of his day job. He was elected Prime Minister of Israel.

As the highest taxed country in the world, reputedly the majority of which goes to security, that’s exactly what the citizens there deserve.

Protect the safety of the people living in Israel. That’s not a ‘good’ idea.

It’s an absolute responsibility for Bibi and the absolute right of Israel’s citizens.

About: Rabbi Major (ret.) Fishel served as an officer in the Israel army and prison service, has published numerous best-selling books including on practical Talmudic law, and speaks worldwide.

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