Finally, the ultimate policeman was found, one with no suspicion of sexual harassment or corruption hanging over him – and our Arab brethren are already protesting because this police chief-designate, Maj. Gen. Bentzi Sao, was involved in killing Arabs in the October 2000 protests.

They have some nerve. Instead of saying thank you to Deputy Minister Yaron Mazuz that those young people were killed with Israeli ID cards in their pockets – issued by the Middle East’s only democracy – the Arabs are brazenly trying to tell the Jews who should fill official posts.

On the other hand, just between us, who’s easier to appoint to an important job: someone suspected of sex crimes or corruption, or someone involved in killing Arabs? The answer is obvious. After all, crimes of the first sort are perpetrated against members of the master nation, and when you’re dealing with them, the rules must be followed. The killing of young Arabs, by contrast, however regrettable it might be, takes place in the cellar, and is of interest to almost nobody among the residents of the upper stories.

Check it out for yourselves. The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, for example, moves heaven and earth – and rightly so – to oppose every inappropriate appointment. But it has never petitioned the High Court of Justice against the appointment of someone because he offended Arab dignity. If there were evidence that a policeman had abused a stray cat, not even a pampered pet, this probably would bar him from even setting foot in the police station.

How can it be that Sao, who commanded the Border Police in the north during the October 2000 protests and was responsible for the deaths of young people in Umm al-Fahm, is being appointed police commissioner? According to the Or Commission, which investigated the incidents, Sao violated police rules when he used snipers against demonstrators, treated Umm al-Fahm as an enemy city and captured three buildings, one of which bore the name “The Red House.” Perhaps he was seeking to restore the crown to its ancient glory. Another “Red House,” in Tel Aviv, is where Plan Dalet, which dealt with expelling the Arabs in 1948, was prepared and implemented.

Moreover, what is this obsession with “opening roads”? It’s reminiscent of the siege of Jerusalem. In their excess of Zionist zeal, police commanders got confused between the road to besieged Jerusalem in 1948 and the Wadi Ara road in 2000. To hell with the road. Let it stay closed for a week, as long as not a single drop of blood is spilled. Let them prove, if you please, that closing the road caused a single victim – from among the master nation, of course.

Furthermore, why go into Umm al-Fahm to begin with? It’s a city whose residents’ fate is bitter due to harsh discrimination, and also because of their brothers’ blood, which has been spilled in the occupied territories. Would the state’s deterrent power be broken if it demonstrated tolerance toward its own citizens? But of course, if you view Umm al-Fahm residents as enemies, that’s another story.

And another naïve question: What is the role of the press in this painful matter? The Arabs say, “Just preserve us from it, and many thanks to God.” In October 2000, the patriotic press covered its front pages with terrifying pictures of Arabs wrapped in keffiyehs and threatening the state’s very existence. They thereby spurred Sao and his colleagues to employ deadly force, which, according to the Or Commission, wasn’t justified in all cases.

So this is the situation: An unwanted kiss ended Haim Ramon’s promising public career; building violations prevented Yoav Galant from becoming chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces; and in both cases, it was because this would undermine the public’s trust. But in Israel, involvement in killing Arabs doesn’t count.

Therefore, this is a golden opportunity for the attorney general. He is hereby urged to make clear that there is one law in this country for Arabs and Jews alike, by disqualifying Maj. Gen. Bentzi Sao’s appointment as police commissioner.