On Sunday, seven Israeli civilians were wounded after Palestinian terrorists in a white sedan sprayed a group of people waiting at a bus stop with automatic machinegun fire. The attack occurred near the community of Ofra, which is situated north of Jerusalem in the Samaria district.

The injured included a pregnant woman, identified as Shira Ish-Ran, who was hit in the abdomen and was initially listed as critical, though her condition has improved somewhat. Her unborn child, who was 30-35 weeks old, was delivered by emergency cesarean section and placed in the neo-natal intensive care unit. His condition is listed as critical and doctors fear he may have incurred a brain injury as a result of the attack. He is currently in a medically induced coma. Both mother and son are at Shaarei Zedek Medical center in Jerusalem.

The attack was captured on CCTV and Israeli security officials believe that there were at least two perpetrators. The Israel Defense Forces in combination with the General Security Service have launched an intensive dragnet for the terrorists, conducting sweeps of nearby hostile villages, including Silwad and al-Bireh. The Palestinian Authority-controlled Wafa propaganda outlet in the nearby city of Ramallah was also raided.

When I saw the headline, I was naturally shocked by the indiscriminate heinous nature of the attack and saddened for the fates of Mrs. Ish-Ran and her newborn baby boy, who were among the most seriously wounded. This bestial act of violence perpetrated by lowly cowards, was praised by Hamas, who referred to the attack as “heroic.” The Palestinian Authority has yet to issue a statement condemning the attack but judging by their past actions, they will likely name streets and squares after the perpetrators and issue hefty stipends for their families, a repulsive practice known as pay for slay. Under the leadership of Donald Trump, the United States has curtailed aid to the Palestinians, citing among other things, the Palestinian practice of pay for slay. The Europeans seem oblivious to this practice and are still lavishly funding the Palestinian Authority, courtesy of EU taxpayer.

For me, this attack has personal ramifications. I am personally acquainted with Shira Ish-Ran’s father, Chaim Silberstein. Mr. Silberstein can best be characterized as a selfless individual who has dedicated much of his life’s work to strengthening Israel’s bonds to Jerusalem and raising awareness for those uninformed about Jerusalem and its historical, spiritual and religious nexus to the Jewish people.

Blame for the attack rests squarely with the Palestinian Authority’s unelected, Holocaust-denying octogenarian leader, Mahmoud Abbas. Aside for implementing the practice of pay for slay, Abbas utilizes his official state propaganda outlets to feed his constituency with a steady diet of base Jew-hate and blood libels. The most recent example of this occurred on November 23, when PA TV Host Dana Abu Shamsiya praised a Palestinian who went on a stabbing spree in Jerusalem before being mortally wounded by a policeman. As documented by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Shamsiya recited a demented monologue in which she stated that the terrorist would be rewarded with “black-eyed virgins” for his act of barbarity.

Israel has been forced to fight an enemy devoid of any semblance of morality. Their guiding principles are racism and hatred, which is taught from birth. Their children are imbibed in it and the message is constantly reinforced through official state-sanctioned media outlets as well as unofficial media outlets, which are carefully monitored by the Orwellian-like PA communications ministry. Those advocating for Palestinian statehood should be cognizant of the fact that they’re advocating statehood for a death cult steeped in anti-Semitism, a death cult that revels in blood and gore, and a death cult that is dysfunctional to its core.