Police searching for barrels on beach
צילום: AFP
Hamas driving us crazy
Alex Fishman fails to understand authorities' panic in wake 'explosive barrel' terror bid
Six primitive explosive-filled barrels were washed to shore recently. Two others exploded on their way. Israel's southern beaches were paralyzed for a few days. No damage was caused, yet terror won. It managed to destabilize life in a wide region and determined our agenda, even if for a limited period of time.
This, precisely, is the objective of terrorism. It matters less whether the barrels exploded or not. The achievement lies in the psychological effect. Our Navy went into barrel alert. The next time, they will not be hurling eight barrels into the sea and praying for strong currents in the right direction – rather, they'll be using 100 barrels.
The people on the other side know that this is the way to drive our country crazy, without making an effort and without paying a price.
In the face of Qassam attacked, we developed something akin to Tylenol, at the cost of tens of millions of shekels: The Iron Dome system. Perhaps our armament authority should now start developing anti-barrel torpedoes or accelerate, through immense investment, the development of a maritime robot.
This is the absurdity here: The more primitive terror is, the more panicked we become.
So what in fact happened about two weeks ago? A few Palestinian fishermen loaded eight barrels with floating devices on their boats and headed out to sea. The boats that leave Gaza are monitored electronically, yet small black barrels are difficult to spot in the dark. On the other hand, the floating devices were bright orange. That is, the people who carried out this operation wanted to draw attention.
The sealed barrels were hidden underwater, below the floating devices. Each barrel contained 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of TNT. The detonation device was reportedly based on a cordless phone. The idea, apparently, was to draw the attention of Navy forces and remotely detonate the bomb once they approach, thereby blowing up a ship. This is an old idea that had been attempted in the past with explosive boats, booby-trapped dolls resembling swimmers, and other means.
In order to blow up the barrel near an Israeli target, whether it is a vessel or a crowded beach, someone had to maintain eye contact with the bomb – and it's unreasonable to assume that Palestinian fishing boats followed the barrels all the way to Ashkelon, Ashdod, or the Palmahim beach. The moment the barrels were a few kilometers away from Gaza, the people who carried out the attack could no longer see them.
Preparing excuses?
So why did officials here shut down our beaches for so many days? Is it possible that all this commotion was no more than a desire to prepare excuses, just in case? And imagine this happening in summer, when the beaches are truly crowded. What would officials have done then? Imposed a closure?And what would Israel do tomorrow if some crazy people in Gaza release hundreds of balloons – with or without explosives – into the sky? Will we shut down the entire Negev desert? Place the Air Force on alert? Order residents to enter bomb shelters?
And what will the boys in Gaza, Beirut, and Damascus be doing? The answer to that is clear: They will be watching television and bursting out in laughter. They don't need to make an effort to drive us crazy; no need to fire even one bullet or risk their own lives.
Hamas makes sure to curb small terror groups in the Gaza Strip, so they remain disciplined and refrain from firing Qassams at Israel. It knows that any rocket fire would be followed by an IDF response. It may be effective or ineffective, yet it shall come. On the other hand, Israel did not respond to the barrels, and Hamas can understand that it is therefore allowed to drive us crazy via the sea.
And so, authorities in Gaza did not detain the people who masterminded the barrels, even though the groups that stood behind the operation claimed responsibility. By doing so, Hamas in fact conveyed the following message: Qassams are not allowed, but maritime operations are ok.
Or in other words, Hamas is again dictating the rules of the game for us.
