A Significant Turning Point for Israel’s Security

Ma’ariv, Israel, April 1

A murderous terrorist attack that took place in Bnei Brak joins the terrorist attacks that took place last week in Hadera and Beersheba. There is no doubt that the security escalation is severely shaking the public and shocking the system in Israel. The frequency of terrorist attacks, their level of daring, and their locations in major cities shatter the sense of security and rekindle the practice of terrorism. The hard facts speak for themselves. What began as an indiscriminate killing spree by a lone terrorist in Beersheba led to a shooting attack and continued into a deadly killing spree by a Palestinian terrorist, who fired wildly in the streets of Bnei Brak. These severe attacks, despite the differences between them, join a long chain of terrorist incidents that have taken place since the beginning of the year in Israel, including in the West Bank. They point to a significant and alarming increase in the number of deadly attacks across the country. However, it is important to understand that, despite the differences in the identity of the terrorists (a Bedouin citizen from Hura, Arab Israeli cousins from Umm al-Fahm, and a Palestinian resident from a village near Jenin) and their political, organizational and personal motives, there is a connecting line between these attacks. From a broader perspective, carrying out terrorist attacks inspired by ISIS, and taking responsibility by the organization while emphasizing the struggle against Jews, only contributes to the deteriorating sense of security. Indeed, ISIS extracted the demon from the bottle and gave a boost of encouragement to Palestinian terrorists, who could carry out terrorist attacks, both under the direction of Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Competition for attention through attacks between local terrorist organizations and factions operating in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, along with power struggles against ISIS, also may increase the level of tension and cause further deterioration to the security situation. In the midst of all this, the fragile fabric of relations between the Jewish population, the Arabs of Israel and the Palestinians, is being put to the test.  It is important to note that, despite the fact that ISIS is considered at the time to be the most cruel, murderous and wealthy terrorist organization, Israel has not been on its target list to date, and Jews have not been a major victim of ISIS attacks. Therefore, the difficult events in Beersheba and Hadera constitute a significant turning point and a step up for Israel. The timing of the terrorist attacks is not accidental. ISIS takes advantage of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and especially the great anger that has accumulated against the Abraham Accords and the convening of foreign ministers of moderate Arab countries in Israel. In the cycle of hatred that has been created, Palestinian terrorism and ISIS are growing stronger. – Anat Hochberg-Marom (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)