News of Terrorism and the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict (September 21 – October 7, 2015) The scene of the shooting attack near the Jewish community of Itamar in which two Israeli civilians were killed (Arabsola website, October 3, 2015) Overview During the past two weeks the wave of popular terrorism (the "popular resistance") increased and worsened, with shooting attacks which exceeded the "popular resistance's" modus operandi. The events began on the Temple Mount and east Jerusalem and spread to other locations in Judea and Samaria. On October 6, 2015, popular terrorism crossed the Green Line into Israel with a stabbing attack in Petah Tikva, the snatching of a soldier's rifle in Kiryat Gat and riots carried out by Israeli Arabs (the most prominent was a violent demonstration in Jaffa organized by the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel). Hamas plays a central role in inciting Palestinians to carry out terrorist attacks with the objective of initiating a "third intifada" in Judea and Samaria (while at the same time maintaining quiet in the Gaza Strip serves its interests). The Palestinian Authority (PA) provides a tailwind for popular terrorist attacks while also trying to prevent the situation from spinning out of control, which would serve Hamas' interests. To that end the PA continues its security coordination with Israel and at the October 6, 2015, meeting of the PLO's Executive Committee Mahmoud Abbas issued a message to calm the situation. During the past two weeks two rocket hits were identified in the western Negev. An ISIS- affiliated network claimed responsibility. The IDF responded by attacking Hamas targets. 209-14 2 The Situation on the Ground – Overview During the past month there has been a wave of terrorist attacks which began on the Temple Mount and in east Jerusalem. The attacks later spread to Judea and Samaria and even crossed the Green Line into Israel under the battle cry of "Al-Aqsa mosque is in danger." So far five Israelis have been killed by the latest wave of Palestinian terrorism: two Israelis were shot to death at close range by Hamas terrorists near the Jewish community of Itamar (southeast of Nablus), two were murdered by a Palestinian in a stabbing attack in the Old City of Jerusalem, and one was killed when Palestinians threw rocks at his car in the southern part of Jerusalem, causing the car to crash. An estimated nine Palestinians were killed while carrying out terrorist attacks and rioting against the Israeli security forces. The wave of terrorist attacks continues and has spread to Israel. The current wave of terrorist attacks is part of the PA's strategy of "popular resistance" (i.e., popular terrorism) adopted by the PA and Fatah at the Sixth Fatah conference in August 2009.1 The PA and Fatah support the attacks, most of which involve throwing stones and Molotov cocktails and carrying out stabbing and vehicular attacks. However, neither the PA nor Fatah condemns the shooting and other "military-type" attacks, although they do not regard them as part of the "popular resistance." Since the inception of the "popular resistance" the PA has attempted to control the level of violence and prevent it from spinning out of control. That is because such a situation would serve Hamas and harm the PA's overall policy and strategies of political and propaganda struggle waged in the international arena. Therefore, during the current wave to terrorist attacks the PA continues its security coordination with Israel, and Mahmoud Abbas publicly tried to calm the riots spreading throughout Judea and Samaria from Jerusalem, where they started. During the six years since the inception of the "popular resistance," the waves of popular terrorism have risen and subsided, following internal and external influences. Compared with previous waves of terrorism, the current one is not exceptional in any way, neither in nature, extent or degree of deadliness. For example, from September to November 2014 there was a wave of Palestinian 1 For the main points of the Palestinian strategy, see the ITIC's in-depth study issued on May 25, 2013, entitled "The Palestinian 'Popular Resistance' and Its Built-In Violence;" and the February 26, 2014 bulletin " Violence and Terrorism in Judea and Samaria, 2013: Data, Characteristics and Trends." 169-15 3 terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of 11 Israelis, including four in a synagogue in Jerusalem's Har Nof neighborhood. In ITIC assessment, the current wave of terrorist attacks is the result of several factors, among them the sharp decline of Mahmoud Abbas' and the PA leadership's status and popularity, the sense of purposelessness among the Palestinians because of the perceived lack of chances for political progress, and increasingly serious friction between the Israeli settlers in Judea and Samaria and the Palestinians (the worst example of which to date was the Jewish terrorist attack against the Palestinian family in the village of Duma). All of the above have been accompanied by aggressive incitement to violence from Hamas and other terrorist organizations and networks seeking to have the situation on the ground deteriorate and turn into a "third intifada." The Shooting Attack Near Itamar Overview On the evening of October 1, 2015, Palestinians shot at a passing Israeli car on the road between Elon Moreh and Itamar near the Palestinian village of Beit Furik in Samaria (southeast of Nablus). In the car were parents and their four young children. The shots killed the parents, Naama and Eitam Henkin. The initial investigation revealed that Naama Henkin was killed instantly and her husband was wounded. He got out of the car and was shot again. The terrorists then approached the car and shot both parents again. They then fled the scene (IDF Spokesman, October 1, 2015). The children were not harmed, apparently because one of the terrorists mistakenly wounded another, causing them to flee. A Hamas terrorist squad from Nablus carried out the attack. Apprehending the Terrorist Squad On October 5, 2015, the terrorist squad of five Hamas operatives from Nablus was apprehended. Interrogation revealed that it was headed by a terrorist operative who in the past had been imprisoned in Israel. During interrogation the terrorists said that on the evening of the attack two of them had chosen its location. They were then joined by the rest of the squad. When they identified the Henkin's car they carried out the attack. Once the car had stopped two of the terrorists left their own vehicle and fired additional rounds at the parents at close range. One of the terrorists mistakenly shot and wounded another, causing him to drop his gun, which was later found by the Israeli security forces. 169-15 4 the wounded terrorist was located in a hospital in Nablus and removed by an Israeli force disguised as Arabs. During interrogation the terrorists admitted that they had recently been involved in two other shooting attacks, one of them on August 30, 2015, at Beit Jit, in which an Israeli civilian was wounded (Israel Security Agency, October 6, 2015). Pictures of the terrorist operatives who carried out the terrorist attack near Itamar, issued by Hamas on its official Facebook page (Facebook page of PALDF, October 6, 2015). Israel's Response Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon praised the Israeli security forces for acting quickly and apprehending the murderers. He said, "We are acting with a strong hand against terrorism and against inciters. We have brought an additional four IDF battalions into Judea and Samaria, and thousands of police into Jerusalem… We are allowing our forces to take strong action against those who throw rocks and firebombs… [and] there are no restrictions on the action of our security forces. We will also lift restrictions regarding action against inciters" (Website of the Israeli prime minister's office, October 5, 2015). Stabbing Attacks in the Old City of Jerusalem On October 3, 2015, on Hagai Street in the Old City of Jerusalem, a Palestinian terrorist stabbed four Israelis, three of them family members. He took the gun of one of the wounded Israelis and used it to shoot at Border Policemen who were called to the scene. The Border Policemen shot and killed him. Two Israelis died. The wife of one of the murdered Israelis was seriously wounded, as was her infant son; they 169-15 5 were evacuated to a hospital (Facebook page of the Israel Police Force, October 3, 2015). The Palestinian terrorist was Muhannad Halabi, 19, from the village of Surda (near El-Bireh), a student at Al-Quds University. The day before the attack he used his Facebook page several times to protest the events on the Temple Mount. He wrote that "the third intifada has already begun." The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) issued a notice claiming Muhannad Halabi was one of its operatives (Aljazeera.net, October 5, 2015). A PIJ banner hung at the mourning tent erected for Muhannad Halabi in the village of Surda (Aljazeera.net, October 5, 2015) On October 7, 2015, another Palestinian terrorist carried out a stabbing attack near the same spot on Hagai Street in the Old City of Jerusalem. An 18 year-old girl attacked an Israeli civilian with a knife she had apparently hidden in her clothes. Seriously wounded in the upper part of his body, he took out his gun and shot her. She was evacuated to a hospital in critical condition. Israel's Response On his return from the United States, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a meeting of the security leadership and ordered a series of steps to prevent and deter additional attacks.