The deadly terror attack near Ariel in the West Bank on Tuesday took place just hours before the swearing-in ceremony for a new parliament, as a prelude to the formation of a new government.
Some members of the emerging coalition have been coming out with combative rhetoric when it comes to the current terror wave, raving about how they would deal with it, if only they were in power. But, and I have said this before, the next government will not be able to think of anything that the outgoing government hasn't thought of.
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Troops on West Bank mapping home of terrorist ahead of demolition
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
It would be advisable for the new coalition members, including those intending to assume ministerial positions or become members of the security cabinet, to avoid making unfounded promises and declarations.
Mohammad Souf, the 18-year-old terrorist who killed three Israelis in the Ariel attack and wounded three others, had no prior security offenses and had a valid Israeli work permit.
The issue is that there is no way for Israeli security agencies to stop lone-wolf attackers, who had been cleared by the same security agencies and the West Bank Civil Administration. The only solution is for the military civilian forces on the ground to have better professional response when such an attack occurs.
A lone-wolf terrorist armed with a knife is not a terror cell, such as the Lion's Den in Nablus, which the Shin Bet and the IDF all but eliminated with the help of the Palestinian Authority's security services.
The military cannot pour more forces into the West Bank because most have been there since last March, at the start of the recent wave of terror. Meanwhile many of the military units stationed there have suspended training and their preparedness is compromised.
One of the most urgent decisions for the incoming military chief of staff, who will assume his post next January, will be whether or not to call-up reserve soldiers in order to free some of the active service troops, which would come at considerable cost to the economy during a financial crisis.
According to military sources, the attack in Ariel came after two weeks of relative calm, with a reduction in shooting attacks, terror threats and fatalities - especially after the challenging October, which saw the most violence since the beginning of 2022.
Military commanders even estimated that perhaps a there was a shift in the trend. They were careful to keep their optimism at bay because similar "quiet" last August only led to more violence.
Reality on the West Bank teaches us we are in a new, longer and more exhausting predicament, which is a result of internal processes happening in the Palestinian society. Palestinians who are not affiliated with any terror group, are motivated by social media to launch attacks, in some cases only to become "famous."
The unfortunate result of Tuesday's attack could empower others to take action in the hopes of killing as many Israelis as possible.
Since the terror attack, senior military officers have justly claimed that the killing spree could have been prevented quickly had a civilian security guard at the entrance to Ariel's industrial zone chased after the assailant instead of tending to his partner who had been wounded.
This is the second time that the military criticizes the civilian security guards stationed in Ariel for failing to adequately respond to an attack. But those officers should remember that their own forces had also failed in some instances.
Although no one is fond of criticism, there should be a careful review of the actions taken on the ground.