Terrorism In Israel – Defending Ourselves

By | March 30, 2022
0 Comment

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem, Israel — March 30, 2022 … The Bnei Brak terror attack, which took place next to Tel Aviv, was the third fatal attack in a week and brought the death toll to 11, the highest number of people murdered by terrorists in recent years.

Sarah Tuttle-Singer, one of Israel’s finest writers penned the following: “Last May we had a war — and relatively speaking, my kids and I were lucky: Israel has a missile defense system. We have bomb shelters. And we have sirens. And as soon as those sirens went off, we would run for our lives.

For those living by the Gazan border, it’s a lot harder — there isn’t the luxury of time. And too many people died in rocket attacks down south , and have over the years — including sweet little Daniel Tragerman who was murdered in a rocket attack in 2014. He was the same age as my son. My kids and have 90 seconds to get from our door to the public shelter — and during the war in 2014, we still didn’t make it on time every time, before the ground shook and the air shimmered. But still — I DID know when to run and when to drop to the ground and cover my children with my own body. And the war ended. (But we still have nightmares).

But this is different now — there is no missile defense system against stabbings and shootings. We can’t lock ourselves in a shelter all day. Stabbings and shootings have no siren so we don’t know when to run. Stabbings and shootings can happen anywhere at any time. They can happen in a park on a quiet bench. They can happen in the market, with soldiers standing just a few steps away. They can happen in front of a school or in a synagogue or on the street.

Everyone is on edge right now — most of us feel that prickle of fear just below the neck or deep in our stomachs — because when these attacks are random, everyone is a potential target. Everyone.

The young rabbi at the Western Wall. The barista with the dirty laugh. The soldier who still wears braces. The guy who sells the best pomegranates in the Ramle Shuk. The single mother with two children. The young father who will die for his son. This mother. My children.

The headlines you’ll read outside of Israel or the Jewish world won’t tell you this — but I will. Even though we live in a complicated part of the world, murdering innocent people isn’t complicated: It is wrong, pure and simple.

And while we are a resilient people — after all, we’ve survived THIS long despite devastating odds — It’s hard right now. Please hold the thought — and if you have questions, talk to me. I’m still here.”

Thank you Sarah. Your words could not be more accurate or profound.

The Israel News Agency totally agrees with an editorial in the Jerusalem Post: Israel’s mission for the foreseeable future: Halt terrorism. The Post states that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held consultations with senior security officials, vowing to the citizens of Israel that his government and security forces will do all they can to fight terrorism “with persistence, diligence and an iron fist.”

Bennett said it “requires the security establishment to be creative and for us to adapt ourselves to the new threat and read the tell-tale signs of lone individuals, sometimes without organizational affiliation, and to be in control on the ground in order to thwart terrorism even before it happens.”

The Jerusalem Post and the Israel News Agency totally support the following:

  • Continue to boost security forces with the IDF, police, MAGAV, MAGAV volunteers and keep them on high alert as well as tighten security at checkpoints and in urban centers throughout the country, especially as Muslims approach their month-long holiday of Ramadan that starts next week.
  • Work together with the PA and friendly countries in the region to gather intelligence on ISIS operatives and other terrorist organizations in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
  • Demolish the homes of the terrorists as a punitive measure to deter future attacks.
  • Demand that the PA stop its so-called “Martyrs Fund,” which pays monthly cash stipends to the families of Palestinian terrorists killed, wounded or imprisoned.
  • Urge all citizens to be vigilant, particularly at sites that are vulnerable to terrorist attacks – markets, malls, synagogues, cafés and other places where crowds gather – as well as on public transportation throughout Israel.

Israel has never lost a war. Not against an army from nations with borders, not against an army of Jihadist terrorists who communicate and coordinate on the Internet. Israel has the INTEL and the manpower to protect it’s citizens.
This is a time to embrace and thank the men and women of the IDF, the Shabak (internal security forces) and the Mossad. This is a time to take pride in seeing thousands proudly wearing the uniforms of Israel and for those whose uniforms you do not see.

We do not have the luxury of losing a war nor living in fear.

Leave a Reply