by Yoav Limor
The problem is that Israel cannot deal terrorism a clear-cut, one-time decisive blow. All it can do is use the tried and true carrots-and-sticks approach: penalizing terror sympathizers and rewarding those who fight it and, in the absence of a diplomatic horizon, waging a war on Palestinian incitement.
As hard as it is to
admit, the options available to Israel in the wake of last week's deadly
terrorist attacks in the Hebron sector are limited. In the absence of a
direct link between incidents, or a clear directing hand to target, all
Israel can do is spare no effort to thwart new terrorist attacks during
the last leg of Ramadan.
Since Friday, the IDF
has focused its activity on Hebron, the epicenter of last week's terror
surge. Hebron has always been a hotbed of radical terrorist activity in
Judea and Samaria. The combination of a religious, Hamas-affiliated town
and the constant friction between Jews and Palestinians has proven
volatile time and again, inspiring countless terrorist attacks, each
sprouting its own string of copycats.
This was most likely
the case last week as well, as there is seemingly nothing linking the
bloodthirsty youth who stabbed to death Hallel Yaffa Ariel, 13, in her
home in Kiryat Arba on Thursday and the terrorist cell that gunned down
Rabbi Michael Mark on Friday, other than their desire to exploit the
volatile atmosphere.
The steps taken by the
military since Friday seek to separate Palestinian civilians from
terrorists and zero in on targets, thus foiling future attacks.
Disrupting Hebron's routine is also meant to rattle the situation on the
ground in a way that could produce new and valid intelligence that
would further facilitate counterterrorism measures.
This is doubly
important ahead of this week's Laylat al-Qadr ("night of power") and Eid
al-Fitr ("festival of breaking of the fast"), which mark the end of
Ramadan. These two festivals have always been volatile, and having an
armed terror cell, which has already crossed the psychological threshold
of killing Jews, running around free, will only make it doubly tense.
Contrary to what some
politicians would have you believe, IDF activity in Hebron is not
punitive in nature. Israel has gone to considerable lengths to ease the
Palestinians' lives during Ramadan, a move backed by -- until last
Thursday -- an ebbing wave of terrorism.
Still, Ariel and Mark's
horrific murders meant that the public is not interested in statistics
indicating an overall decrease in terrorist attacks. The public expects
the government to take serious countermeasures.
The problem is that
Israel cannot deal terrorism a clear-cut, one-time decisive blow. All it
can do is use the tried and true carrots-and-sticks approach:
penalizing terror sympathizers and rewarding those who fight it and, in
the absence of a diplomatic horizon, waging a war on Palestinian
incitement.
The various suggestions
made over the weekend by government ministers, such as the expulsion of
terrorists families or blocking access to social media in Palestinian
cities, fail to meet legal and practical standards, and all they do is
inflame the situation. It seems unlikely that extensive settlement
construction will follow either, as Israel has no interest in evoking
harsh international criticism.
As things stand, Israel
will continue its painstaking war on terror, focusing on
counterterrorism measures aimed first and foremost at preventing any
escalation from igniting the southern sector.
Friday's rocket fire at
Sderot -- the handiwork of a radical, Gaza Strip-based Salafi group --
is seen by defense officials as an anomaly that does not indicate Hamas
is gearing up for a fresh confrontation with Israel.
This was, however, a
very close call, as the rocket hit a child care center, which was empty
at the time. Had that not been the case, things could have spiraled out
of control very quickly.
Yoav Limor
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=16577
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