Prime Minister of Israel Naftali Bennett has asked the national security forces to remain on high alert at least until the end of Ramadan against possible terrorist attacks. This decision came after the shootout near the city of Jenin on the West Bank, resulting in the death of 3 suspected terrorists.
On the night of April 3, The Israeli Defence forces killed three suspected terrorists near Jenin, a West Bank city. According to The Times of Israel, the Palestinian terror group was planning attacks in Israel in the near future. As per Israel’s internal security service Shin Bet, the terror group had already carried out a shooting attack near the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Furthermore, the Jewish state witnessed a rise in armed attacks and gunfire incidents in the cities along the West Bank and the Green Line (a demarcated border shared by Israel with its neighbours Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria).
סיימתי כעת מפגש עם צמרת מפקדי השב״כ, וגם שוחחתי עם מפקד הימ״מ ועם מפקד המבצע אמש מטעם השב״כ-
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) April 2, 2022
אין מילים לתאר את המסירות וההקרבה שלהם למען ביטחוננו.
פעולת השב״כ והימ״מ אתמול בלילה סיכלה ״פצצה מתקתקת״ – כלומר פיגוע שבדרך. >> pic.twitter.com/sLAMOSprZf
Taking cognizance of the spike in attacks, Israeli PM Bennett said, “We are in the midst of a joint effort, by all security forces, to stop the string of recent terrorist attacks and to bring back security to the citizens of Israel.” The PM last week met Shin Bet’s head Ron Bar to discuss the deteriorating security situation on the brink of Ramadan. “During Shabbat, the Shin Bet, the police, the IDF and anti-terror units stopped an imminent attack, but we can assume that there will be many more attempts, and we are working to prevent them as well,” Bennett added.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz too proactively addressed security concerns in a statement to Palestinians residing in the West Bank. Gantz said, “We are in a difficult period of terror attacks against Israeli citizens, a situation that we cannot accept. We are considering the measures we can take in honour of Ramadan in order to allow you to celebrate the holiday in the best way possible, while we at the same time maintain security.”
Meanwhile, the threat of terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians remains dire. According to many reports, Shin Bet is said to have received warnings from Islamic state affiliates and intelligence information on probable terror attacks in the coming month. While the agency has filed many attack attempts so far, it is working to identify Arab Israelis who may have connections with the Islamic state. Apart from the Palestinian threat, Arab Israelis were also found involved in two recent attacks – a stabbing and car-ramming incident in Be’er Sheva city in which four people were killed. Another incident involved a shooting attack in Hadera in which two police officers were killed.
