Alert Level Raised Nationwide as PA Terrorists Step Up Attacks
29 Shevat 5768, 05 February 08 12:52
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

(IsraelNN.com) Police increased alert levels throughout the country on Monday following a deadly suicide bombing in Dimona and an escalation in attacks on motorists by Palestinian Authority terrorists.

There will be a heavier police presence in crowded public areas Monday and Tuesday, along with intensified law enforcement operations aimed at catching illegal entrants from PA-controlled areas. In the western Negev, IDF soldiers were deployed Monday night to search for two Gaza Arabs who had reportedly managed to penetrate Israel by way of the Egyptian border. Defense officials have expressed concern that additional terrorists may have infiltrated Israel from the Sinai Peninsula.

PA terrorists opened fire on an Israeli vehicle on the road between Kfar Saba and the Jewish communities of Kedumim and Ginot Shomron in Samaria on Monday evening. No one was injured in the shooting, but the incident represents a sharp escalation over previous stone-throwing attacks on Israeli vehicles in the region. Several cars were stoned Sunday and Monday, causing extensive damage.

Jewish residents in the area say they are frustrated by the ongoing attacks. A flier was discovered near the Arab village of Azoun Monday warning the community that Jews will begin shooting if the stonings continue.

An Israeli motorist was lightly injured when PA attackers threw rocks at cars near Hevron on Monday night. The victim, an Israeli Arab, was wounded in the eye by shards of glass from a shattered windshield. In other PA terrorist attacks, Israeli vehicles were targeted by firebombs on Monday northeast of Ramallah and between Yakir and Revava. An Israeli bus was pelted with stones on Monday evening near Ramallah, as well. No injuries were reported in the latter incidents. %ad%

Suicide Bomber Was a Fatah Man
The suicide bomber who blew himself up and killed at least one other person in Dimona Monday morning has been identified as Fatah member Mussa Arafat, a member of the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades and a resident of Khan Yunis, in central Gaza. The Fatah faction is headed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who denounced the bombing and Israeli counter-terrorism operations.

"We succeeded to carry out the attack today and we take responsibility for it, along with the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades and the United Resistance Brigades, in response to the occupation and the killing of children and innocent people in the West Bank and the Strip," Al Aksa official Abu al-Walid told Hizbullah's Al-Manar television satellite network. The other two groups he mentioned are associated with Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The second suicide bomber, who was shot by a police officer before he managed to set off his explosive charge, has not been named.

The terrorists murdered a 20-year-old woman in the bombing and wounded several others. A 74-year-old man was listed in critical condition following the attack.

Defense officials said Monday night that the two Dimona bombers may have infiltrated from the Hevron region, and not from the Egyptian Sinai as was claimed by Fatah. Officials said the terrorists could have entered the Negev from the Hevron area with relative ease, as there is currently no security fence in the area. The bombers might have had some familiarity with Dimona that led them to attack the city, officials added.
www.IsraelNationalNews.com
© Copyright IsraelNationalNews.com

Israel needs to formulate a policy to combat terrorism instead of the ad hoc approach that it has followed until now.

Lastly the actions of police officer Kobi Mor who shot the second terrorist in the head must be praised for preventing a bigger attack from happening.