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Concession to Palestinians & Weak Police: What Triggered Israel's Wave of Violence?
Concession to Palestinians & Weak Police: What Triggered Israel's Wave of Violence?
Sputnik International
In the past week, eleven Israelis have fallen victim to Arab terrorists, an upsurge in numbers not seen in years. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has convened a... 30.03.2022, Sputnik International
2022-03-30T06:42+0000
2022-03-30T06:42+0000
2022-03-30T06:42+0000
middle east
israel
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Five people were shot dead on Tuesday night in the city of Bnei Brak in central Israel, when terrorists opened fire in two different locations, pushing the overall number of victims of this recent wave of violence to 11.Prime Minister Naftali Bennett convened an urgent meeting and instructed his security apparatus to act with an “iron fist” against anyone threatening the security of Israel.Starting Wednesday, Israeli police will focus on patrols in the Israeli cities to bolster security. The IDF will boost its presence in the West Bank, while the government will reconsider its concessions to Palestinians ahead of Ramadan, purportedly in early April.But for many Israelis, these measures are far too little, and too late. Social media and political groups on Telegram are brewing with anger over the conduct of the government, and say that it was their poor decision-making that has subjected Israel to the current crisis.No Preemptive MeasuresIn previous years, Israel had been well-prepared for trouble during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which typically registers a spike in terror activity.In 2020 Israel boosted its police presence in all Arab cities and villages. It set up checkpoints, conducted regular patrols and operated helicopters to supervise the situation from the air.The IDF was also helping out, and Israeli soldiers were often seen assisting the police by patrolling towns and cities or securing key facilities like bus stations and malls.This year, however, these preemptive measures were not implemented and that enabled the assailants to slip under the radar.Serious ConcessionsAnother factor that allowed terrorists to rear their heads was the concessions Israel was giving out to Palestinians.Since June 2021, when the government of Prime Minister Bennett was sworn in, it has strived to ease the restrictions on Palestinians. Israel lent some $156 million to the Palestinian Authority. It increased the number of permits for construction workers and those employed in the hotel business. It also greenlit the construction of 1,300 residential units in area C of the West Bank (an area that's been placed under full Israeli control according to the 1993 Oslo Accords).Palestinians of the Gaza Strip have also been getting concessions. Israel has admitted tens of thousands of construction and agriculture workers into its territory, a record number since 2007, when Hamas - an Islamic group deemed terrorist by the Jewish state, took control over the enclave.Israel has expanded the Gaza Strip's fishing zone to 15 nautical miles. It allowed the entry of construction materials into the Strip, something that has rarely been done before due to fears they could be used for terror activities, and it secured the arrival of millions of dollars of Qatari money, that assists the impoverished population of the area.While many Palestinians have welcomed these concessions, radicals from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have interpreted them as weaknesses. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have continued to incite hatred against Israel. They’ve stepped up their encouragement to wage war against the Jewish state and its people, and their calls have yielded results.Weak Security Apparatus?Last year, the government approved a national budget allocating some $23 billion to the Ministry of Defence. A large portion of that amount went to the IDF. Slightly more than $3 billion went to the country's intelligence agencies, whose role is to make sure such events are not happening.The police force, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security, has also received impressive sums, getting some $4.3 billion, a slight increase from a year earlier.Israel's security agencies have prevented dozens of terror acts within the country and in the West Bank but criticism keeps mounting that they were not doing enough.Most of that criticism is slapped on the police forces, and several reports have already suggested that despite their bloated budgets, they have failed to improve the system.Other reports have suggested that most money was allocated to salaries and the creation of new positions. Not much thought has been given to how to utilise these resources. Additionally, very little was invested in technological solutions and innovations.One of the biggest failures of the police has been the curtailing of illegal weapons, which are dispersed across Israel. In 2021 it was reported that 90 percent of these illicit arms belonged to Arabs.The police have conducted several campaigns to collect and confiscate those weapons, but the general belief is that many of guns and rifles are still floating around.Are They Suitable?In recent weeks, criticism has also been directed at the people, who stand at the helm of the security apparatus, specifically police chief Kobi Shabtai and the Minister of Public Security Omer Bar Lev.As a former border police commander, Shabtai has been perceived as a weak chief of police and as somebody who didn't know the work well enough.Bar Lev has been slammed for being puzzled and unknowledgeable, especially after his comments following last week's Beer Sheba attack. He vowed to find and punish the terrorist behind the deadly assault, even though Israel media had already reported that the assailant had been shot dead at the scene.Political RepercussionsPM Bennett and his government will need to provide answers to the public on why Israel lost 11 people in a week.Even before the deadly assault, his ratings haven't been high, with only 17 percent thinking he was fit for the job of the PM.Now, with violence raging, voices calling on him and his government to resign have become louder, and the general feeling is that it is only a matter of time before the situation spirals out of hand.
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middle east, israel
Concession to Palestinians & Weak Police: What Triggered Israel's Wave of Violence?
In the past week, eleven Israelis have fallen victim to Arab terrorists, an upsurge in numbers not seen in years. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has convened a series of urgent security meetings to address these incidents.
Five people were shot dead on Tuesday night in the city of Bnei Brak in central Israel, when terrorists opened fire in two different locations, pushing the overall number of victims of this recent wave of violence to 11.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett convened an urgent meeting and instructed his security apparatus to act with an “iron fist” against anyone threatening the security of Israel.
Starting Wednesday, Israeli police will focus on patrols in the Israeli cities to bolster security. The IDF will boost its presence in the West Bank, while the government will reconsider its concessions to Palestinians ahead of Ramadan, purportedly in
early April.
But for many Israelis, these measures are far too little, and too late. Social media and political groups on Telegram are brewing with anger over the conduct of the government, and say that it was their poor decision-making that has subjected Israel to the current crisis.
In previous years, Israel had been well-prepared for trouble during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which typically registers a spike in terror activity.
In 2020 Israel boosted its police presence in all Arab cities and villages. It set up checkpoints, conducted regular patrols and operated helicopters to supervise the situation from the air.
The IDF was also helping out, and Israeli soldiers were often seen assisting the police by patrolling towns and cities or securing key facilities like bus
stations and malls.
This year, however, these preemptive measures were not implemented and that enabled the assailants to slip under the radar.
Another factor that allowed terrorists to rear their heads was the concessions Israel was giving out to Palestinians.
Since June 2021, when the government of Prime Minister Bennett was sworn in, it has strived to ease the restrictions on Palestinians. Israel lent some $156 million to the Palestinian Authority. It increased the number of permits for construction workers and those employed in the hotel business. It also greenlit the construction of 1,300 residential units in area C of the West Bank (an area that's been placed under full Israeli control according to the 1993 Oslo Accords).
Palestinians of the Gaza Strip have also been getting concessions. Israel has admitted tens of thousands of construction and agriculture workers into its territory, a record number since 2007, when Hamas - an Islamic group deemed terrorist by the Jewish state, took control over the enclave.
Israel has expanded the Gaza Strip's fishing zone to 15 nautical miles. It allowed the entry of construction materials into the Strip, something that has rarely been done before due to fears they could be used for terror activities, and it secured the arrival of millions of dollars of Qatari money, that assists the impoverished
population of the area.
While many Palestinians have welcomed these concessions, radicals from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have interpreted them as weaknesses. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have continued to incite hatred against Israel. They’ve stepped up their encouragement to wage war against the Jewish state and its people, and their calls have yielded results.
Last year, the government approved a national budget allocating some $23 billion to the Ministry of Defence. A large portion of that amount went to the IDF. Slightly more than $3 billion went to the country's intelligence agencies, whose role is to make sure such events are
not happening.
The police force, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security, has also received impressive sums, getting some $4.3 billion, a slight increase from a
year earlier.
Israel's security agencies have prevented dozens of terror acts within the country and in the West Bank but criticism keeps mounting that they were not doing enough.
Most of that criticism is slapped on the police forces, and several reports have already suggested that despite their bloated budgets, they have failed to improve the system.
Other reports have suggested that most money was allocated to salaries and the creation of new positions. Not much thought has been given to how to utilise these resources. Additionally, very little was invested in technological solutions and
innovations.
One of the biggest failures of the police has been the curtailing of illegal weapons, which are dispersed across Israel. In 2021 it was reported that 90 percent of these illicit
arms belonged to Arabs.
The police have conducted several campaigns to collect and confiscate those weapons, but the general belief is that many of guns and rifles are still floating around.
In recent weeks, criticism has also been directed at the people, who stand at the helm of the security apparatus, specifically police chief Kobi Shabtai and the Minister of Public Security Omer Bar Lev.
As a former border police commander, Shabtai has been perceived as a weak chief of police and as somebody who didn't know the work well enough.
Bar Lev has been slammed for being puzzled and unknowledgeable, especially after his comments following last week's Beer Sheba attack. He vowed to find and punish the terrorist behind the deadly assault, even though Israel media had already reported that the assailant had been shot
dead at the scene.
PM Bennett and his government will need to provide answers to the public on why Israel lost 11 people in a week.
Even before the deadly assault, his ratings haven't been high, with only 17 percent thinking he was fit for the job of the PM.
Now, with violence raging, voices calling on him and his government to resign have become louder, and the general feeling is that it is only a matter of time before the situation spirals out of hand.
