Yishai urges tough response to terror

Interior minister: Israel must respond more aggressively to terror in order to maintain deterrence

Attila Somfalvi|Published: 03.23.11 , 18:53

Israel must respond more aggressively to terror attacks against it in order to maintain its deterrent power vis-à-vis terror groups, Interior Minister Eli Yishai said Wednesday.

Yishai, who arrived at the site of Wednesday's explosion in Jerusalem before heading to Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek hospital to visit blast victims, said Israel must respond to the escalation in terror in recent days.

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"I see escalation on various fronts – including the southern theater and Itamar," he said. "This combination requires us to act, because otherwise we shall lose our deterrent power. We had quiet for a few years and we must not let it evaporate."

Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni who was visiting the scene of the rocket attack in Beersheba, also addressed the security situation in the south and said: "It needs to be understood that there is intent behind these events."

Commenting on the recent terror attack in Jerusalem she added "The State of Israel must not be seen as the weak side and so, as we have done in the past with factors like Hamas with whom there is no hope for future agreements, we must act forcefully. We must restore Israel's deterrent power."

Defense Minister Ehud Barak was slated to hold a meeting with IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, Home Front Protection Minister Matan Vilnai, and other security and intelligence officials Wednesday to discuss the latest security developments.

"We will not tolerate harm to Israel's citizens, neither in the south nor in Jerusalem," he said. "As far as we're concerned, Hamas is responsible for the Grad rocket fire at Beersheba today, and this responsibility comes with a price."

"The IDF will continue to undertake preventative operations along the Gaza Strip fence. We'll have ups and downs, it won't be over tomorrow, but we're determined to restore the quiet," he said.

Meanwhile, security officials are working to identify the terrorists responsible for the Jerusalem attack. Authorities believe the bomb was detonated remotely using a cellular phone. Hamas has tried to carry out shooting attacks in Jerusalem recently but not bombings. However, the Islamic Jihad vowed "unprecedented revenge" for the killing of some of its men in Gaza, so officials are looking into the possibility that the group carried out the attack with the aid of Hamas cells in Hebron.