Sunday, December 16, 2018

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

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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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