Sunday, December 16, 2018

Latest wave of terrorism can be contained, defense officials say - Efrat Forsher, Lilach Shoval, Daniel Siryoti and Ariel Kahana


by Efrat Forsher, Lilach Shoval, Daniel Siryoti and Ariel Kahana

As hunt for Givat Asaf killers continues, IDF official says it is "only a matter of time" before they are caught.

Defense officials said over the weekend that the ‎latest wave of terrorist attacks can probably be ‎contained, and that while ‎copycat drive-by shooting attacks are a matter of ‎concern, it is unlikely they will spread outside ‎Samaria. ‎

Meanwhile, the hunt ‎for the terrorists who carried out ‎the shooting attack that killed two Israeli soldiers in Givat Asaf on Thursday continued ‎on Sunday.

‎"It's only a matter of time before we get our hands ‎on the cell's members," one IDF officer said.‎

A source familiar with the operation told Israel ‎Hayom that military activity was focusing ‎on thwarting future terrorist attacks, protecting ‎Jewish settlements and roads in the region, and ‎conducting raids and arrests.‎

The recent spate of terrorist attacks has prompted ‎the IDF to increase deployment across Judea and ‎Samaria, setting up 120 roadblocks in the area. Dozens of Hamas members suspected of terrorist ‎activity were arrested across the West Bank over the ‎weekend, the IDF said. ‎

The Diplomatic-Security Cabinet was expected to ‎devote most of its meeting Sunday to the uptick in ‎Palestinian violence. ‎

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also currently the ‎acting defense minister, has ordered the IDF to ‎expedite the demolition of the homes of the ‎terrorists involved in last week's ‎attacks, as well as step up military ‎counterterrorism activities across Judea and ‎Samaria.‎

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud ‎Abbas is slated to visit Jordan on Monday, where he ‎will discuss "recent developments in the Palestinian ‎arena" with King Abdullah. ‎

An Israeli defense official told Israel Hayom that ‎Abbas has instructed Palestinian security forces to ‎crack down on the armed factions in the West Bank to avoid further escalations. ‎

As part of these measures, Abbas' security forces ‎barred Hamas operatives in the West Bank from ‎marking the terrorist group's 31st anniversary over ‎the weekend. ‎

In the Gaza Strip, which Hamas ‎rules, the event was marked with mass rallies. ‎ ‎ ‎


Efrat Forsher, Lilach Shoval, Daniel Siryoti and Ariel Kahana

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/12/16/latest-wave-of-terrorism-can-be-contained-defense-officials-say/

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