Israel is on the threshold of a wave of unrest similar to the events that preceded Operation Guardian of the Walls against Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip in May 2021, but security forces are prepared to response "swiftly" to further escalation, a high-ranking security official told Israel Hayom on Tuesday after a Palestinian terrorist murdered five people in a shooting in Bnei Brak.
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The attack took place the night before the Palestinians mark the 46th "Land Day."
Land Day events will kick off with thousands of Arab Israelis marching from Sakhnin to Kafar Dir Hana in the Lower Galilee. In honor of Land Day, businesses in the Arab sector will be closed.
The official said, "This day [Land Day] has the potential to light up the street. We hope that everything will go quietly, but we have prepared large forces, on both sides of the Green Line, and if we see that there is unrest, we'll attack it quickly."
Meanwhile, the IDF is preparing to help the Israel Police with domestic security work, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz instructed the military to help bolster forces in Israeli cities. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi ordered the army to increase its intelligence efforts and prepare for operations in the village of Ya'bed, near Jenin, the home village of Bnei Brak shooter Diaa Hamarsheh.
Additional security will also be provided to Jewish settlements, and random checkpoints will be set up on roads. Security forces were also making preparations to handle ethno-religiously motivated crimes. Israel's security establishment intends to discuss aid to the Palestinian Authority as a means of restoring calm.
On Tuesday night, after a situation assessment, defense officials also decided to increase forces in the IDF's Judea and Samaria and Gaza divisions. Kochavi decided Tuesday to deploy four more battalions to patrol the border area.
Apart from tactical preparations for escalation, Israel is trying to head of terrorist incidents through civil benefits for Palestinians and calming messages. Gantz's visit to Jordan on Tuesday, where he met with King Abdullah II, was part of those efforts. Gantz informed the king of a series of steps Israel intended to take to ensure freedom of worship in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, and stressed the importance of security coordination between Jordan and Israel.
Gantz's office said the meeting with Abdullah had been planned before the most recent terrorist attack.
Meanwhile, Land Day could indicate which way the winds will blow for the next month or so, during which Ramadan will coincide with Passover and Easter. A high-ranking Israel Police official told Israel Hayom that the recent attacks by terrorists from Umm al-Fahm and the attack in Beersheba were unusual, and could very well lead to copycat attacks.
"We have made arrests, and anyone deemed to be a potential terrorist will be arrested," the official said.
