Nine attacks in Israel after a lull in violence
Over the course of five days, Palestinians carried out or tried to execute nine separate attacks, in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
“The weekend’s terror attacks against Israelis in Jerusalem and Hebron is further testament to the ongoing influence of incitement on the Palestinian street and social media networks,” a security source at the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) told The Media Line. “The motivation and inspiration to carry out attacks against Israelis remains strong.”
These attacks, which came after a significant decrease in violent events over the past three months, occurred after the Muslim Holiday of Eid al-Adha, known as the festival of sacrifice following the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. This, coupled with the upcoming Jewish high holidays of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, and Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, have, historically, sparked tensions in the Middle East.
“Eid and September are always more susceptible to spikes in violent Palestinian activities,” the IDF security source said.
Police said they have increased their deployment and are ready to stop all attakcks.
“It’s normally a tense time of the year. The general tension that exists leading up to the festivals is something we have to be prepared for,” Mickey Rosenfeld, a spokesperson for the Israeli Police, told The Media Line.
The first attacks in the current spate happened last Friday in Jerusalem, when a dual Palestinian / Jordanian citizen attempted to stab a border police officer. He was shot and killed outside of the Damascus Gate of the Old City. Near Hebron, an Israeli soldier shot a Palestinian man and woman after an attempted car ramming, leaving the male attacker dead and the female seriously injured. An Israeli soldier was wounded in a stabbing attack on the same day, which also resulted in the death of the assailant.
Also on Friday, as an Israeli bus driver was driving along Highway 1, which connects Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, he was attacked when an unidentified aggressor threw rocks and a bottle of paint at him, shattering his windshield and resulting in mild injuries sustained by the bus driver.
“What we have seen and what has taken place is an incitement from the Palestinian authority calling for Palestinians and Arabs to carry out attacks,” Rosenfeld said. “(This has also happened) all over social media, which is a platform that has been, unfortunately, used to call on people to carry out terrorist attacks, knife attacks and car ramming attacks.”
On Saturday, another Palestinian was shot and killed after stabbing an Israeli soldier in Hebron. The following morning, an Israeli soldier was stabbed by a Palestinian terrorist, who was shot in the head by other soldiers.
Two Israeli border police officers were stabbed in the Old City of Jerusalem on Monday, and their attacker was shot. Also on Monday, there were two attempted stabbing attacks in Hebron, leaving two Palestinians dead. Later Monday evening, while conducting weapons searches in Bethlehem, the IDF found and seized weapons and almost $35,000 in New Israeli Shekels.
These attacks have been carried out by individuals, known as lone-wolves, and not by terrorist organizations, Rosenfeld added.
On Tuesday a 16 year-old Palestinian youth attempted to stab an Israeli soldier during a routine security check near Hebron. Soldiers opened fire and killed the attacker. Israeli press reports said a family member was responsible for the June stabbing death of Hallel Ariel, 13, in her bed in the settlement of Kiryat Arba, and the youth was inspired by that attack.
According to Rosenfeld, the wave of violence, which began last September, and has resulted in the deaths of some 200 Palestinians and roughly 35 Israelis, had declined over the last two to three months.
“The decrease was due to the fact that we have heightened police operations and IDF operations,” Rosenfeld said.
After a lull in attacks in Israel and following the Muslim holidays coupled with the upcoming Jewish holidays, some Israelis say they expect more violence. Analysts also say that “successful” attacks which get news coverage in both Israeli and Palestinian newspapers inspire more copy-cat attacks.
“I think it is connected to the Islamic holidays and also to the Jewish holidays, which create activity around the Temple Mount,” Shlomo Brom, senior research fellow and head of the program on Israeli-Palestinian relations at the Institute for National Security Studies, told The Media Line. “It’s quite probable that (attacks) will happen during the Jewish holidays,” Brom added.
Israeli politicians say the spate of attacks is another proof that Palestinians are not interested in a peace deal with Israel.
“Yes (they will do it again) like last year and every year before that. It always happens in this season,” Nurit Koren, a Knesset member from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud party told The Media Line. “They do it because they don’t want us here.”
Jamal Dajani, director of communications for the Palestinian Authority accused the soldiers of shooting to kill even in cases where that was not warranted.
“There is a question not only by the Palestinians, but also by human rights organizations as to whether Israel is using excessive force,” Dajani said. “So, there is a question to the Israeli military about whether there were attacks, if these attacks could have been prevented or contained without extra-judicially killing the perpetrator and how many Palestinians have been killed by mistake?”
Katie Beiter is a student journalist at The Media Line