Subscribe to Print Edition | Sat., November 21, 2009 Kislev 4, 5770 | | Israel Time: 04:56 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Jewish World Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Focus U.S.A. Strenger than Fiction Business Travel Magazine Week's End Anglo File Books
Share |
Israeli terrorism

An Israeli terrorist cell conducted another attack against Palestinians on Wednesday. Six residents of Yata, south of Hebron, who were on their way to work, were wounded by shots fired at them from an Israeli car. The commander of the Samaria and Judea District Police says he believes the attack was committed as an act of revenge for attacks on Israelis in the territories. It was the sixth or seventh such attack by an Israeli cell against Palestinians since the spring; so far, six people have been killed and more than 20 wounded in these incidents.

The Shin Bet and the security forces believe there are at least two Israeli terrorist cells operating in the West Bank with the mission to kill Palestinians out of revenge or as a deterence. The cells have been operating for several months without the Shin Bet managing to track them down or arrest any of their members.

The length of time and freedom of action these terrorists have enjoyed raises questions about the effort being made to capture them. The Shin Bet has lately recorded many successes in solving the cases of attacks against Israelis and finding their Palestinian perpetrators. The most important of these was the successful probe of the assassination of Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi within hours after the murder and finding the assassins within a few days. There is no reason to suspect that the Shin Bet is deliberately not trying to uncover Jewish terror or that the Israeli government has instructed the Shin Bet to invest less than a full effort to put an end to this terrorism. Nonetheless, one cannot ignore the firm impression that the authorities have failed over and over again in their attempts to uncover the Jewish perpetrators of these attacks.

All terrorists need a supportive environment to operate and find shelter from their pursuers. The community around these Israeli terrorists also knows who they are and where they come from. Presumably, if they are extremist believers, they have a spiritual authority who gives his blessing to their actions. The Yesha rabbis and Yesha council have repeatedly issued condemnations of the attacks and their perpetrators, but their authority is apparently limited and is insufficient to impose a moral or political discipline over the entire Jewish population in the territories. And one can also not expect that these institutions will do everything they can to expose the terrorists.

The Shin Bet must devote all its efforts to uncovering and foiling these terrorists and not assume that their community will reject them or hand them over. The response to Israeli terror attacks against Palestinians must not be only a shrug. Condemnations of these attacks cannot replace capturing the terrorists and punishing them under the law. Success at exposing and foiling Palestinian terrorism cannot cover up the failure in uncovering the Israeli terrorists
PROMOTION: Mamilla Hotel
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Israel and NATO
Marking improved ties, officials say Israel warship to join NATO naval force
Stadium stopped
Israel is demanding that a nearly completed stadium in the West Bank be torn down
Special Offers
Advertisement
Eldan Rent a Car
Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations
Date Local Jewish Singles
Ready to meet your match? Join Jdate today!
Junkyard
Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
 Haaretz Hot Topics
Iran elections
Obama speech in Cairo
The Pope in the Holy Land
Durban II conference
Israel vs. Hamas
More Headlines
02:55 Six powers urge Iran to reconsider nuclear deal
23:12 Israel warship to join NATO anti-terror force
03:12 Twilight Zone / Mourning uprooted olive trees in West Bank villages
18:53 Report: IDF arrests 5 Palestinian intelligence officers
19:48 Abbas prods Brazil to help end Iran support for Hamas
20:37 Aluf Benn / The Netanyahu paradox: All-powerful except in one area
19:08 Convicts help rescue neglected Jewish cemeteries in Poland
00:12 TV ROUND-UP: Suspect charged in horrific murder; Court rules: No private jails
22:49 Netanyahu: Government to choose one of four AG candidates
23:06 What does Israel have against a Palestinian stadium?
13:31 Report: Jerusalem stabbing of Arab nationalistically motivated
14:50 'Fatah officials warn of third Palestinian intifada'
22:48 Rabin-Clinton deal makes East Jerusalem freeze possible
Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Site rules |
| Advert: Recommended Restaurants | Makom: Engaging on Israel
| Search engine marketing
Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved