Troops operate in Tul Karem (Archive photo)
Photo: AP
Weapons recovered in Palestinian village (Archive photo)
Photo: Adi Segal, IDF
Analysis / Uprooting terror
IDF to fight terror like it did during Arafat era; infantry units prepare for large-scale operation
Yesterday, after the terror attack in Hadera, we came back to where we were in 2004, before late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s departure. The IDF received the green light for a large-scale military operation, as if Arafat was still in charge.
After living in a state of a semi-agreement with the Palestinian Authority, the suicide bomber from Hadera reminded us there are no remote-controlled solutions. In order to successfully fight terror, we must come in close contact with it. We must be, physically, where terror infrastructures are being organized and dismantle them before they produce a “ticking bomb.”
The army will return to act in full force and without time limits in the northern West Bank - which it evacuated only two months ago.
Terror Attack
Ynet reporters
Terror returns to Israel’s cities: Suicide bomber strikes in market in Hadera, north of Tel Aviv and scene of several previous attacks
Indeed, this is what will be happening from now on: The IDF is preparing to operate like it did during Arafat’s days, even at the price of hurting the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian civilians, and the diplomatic process.
The Islamic Jihad infrastructure in northern Samaria that sent the suicide bomber to Hadera has been operating for almost a year and carrying out complex, painful terror attacks. A year is plenty of time, too much time, for this kind of cell to exist.
What’s more, the army and Shin Bet know about it all this time. They even knew about preparations undertaken by the terrorists, with a suicide bomber ready, to carry out an attack within the Green Line.
The army and Shin Bet acted against this infrastructure but something apparently did not work quite right. Now they will attempt to engage in a concentrated effort until this infrastructure, which has spread to the West Bank town of Tul Karem too, will be dismantled – as long as the politicians will have enough staying power to withstand the international pressures sure to come.
Jenin area to be isolated
Security officials are talking about “uprooting” the Islamic Jihad infrastructure: Tul Karem and Jenin will be “cleaned up” exactly as was done in the West Bank town of Nablus more than a year ago.
On Wednesday already special forces began operating in Jenin and its vicinity. The IDF Central Command will receive reinforcements of regular infantry units that will engage in both open and secret operations, including arrests and ambushes.
Jenin and its environs will be disconnected from the West Bank – the entire area will be isolated.
The upgraded offensive response in fact comes to cover up the ongoing security fence failure. Instead of a barrier, we have Swiss cheese. The fact we do not see attacks within the Green Line at least twice a week stems from the regular military activity.
Israel built an impressive fence, invested millions, but also built no less than 30 crossings. Half of them are designed for Israeli vehicles only. The Palestinians already learned that in Israeli-only crossings the security checks are terrible, unprofessional, making them a highway for terrorists and illegal aliens.
There’s no need to look for breaches in the fence – one can just take the main road.
A day will come and someone will have to go to jail for this failure, to pay for the dumb decisions that led to the fact that even after four and a half years of huge investment, residents of Israel still do not enjoy reasonable protection from terror.
