The fact that Palestinian terrorist Kamel Abu Bakr, who murdered Israeli father of three Chen Amir on Saturday evening, came from Jenin should surprise no one, despite the recent anti-terrorism campaign in the West Bank city, which the IDF said was successful.
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During the operation, the vast majority of the terrorists hid underground and did not confront the Israeli security forces. Abu Bakr likely did the same, which allowed him to evade arrest and eventually arrive armed in the heart of Tel Aviv, the soft underbelly of Israel.
Video: Footage of the Tel Aviv shooter being neutralized
As expected, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad praised the attack and the attacker and said that Tel Aviv was their main target. They cited the al-Aqsa mosque as the reason for the shooting rather than the death of a 19-year-old Palestinian in clashes with settlers on Friday.
Shortly after the clashes, the IDF expressed concern about further violence in Judea and Samaria following the settler violence, saying it was the main reason that prompts Palestinians uninvolved in terror to perpetrate an attack.
The Tel Aviv shooting, however, is not such a case as Abu Bark was a wanted person affiliated with a terrorist organization.
But the two incidents indicate that the atmosphere is likely to be sensitive in the near days. "Successful" attacks in the heart of Tel Aviv are known to inspire further such attacks.
From a security point of view, Israel will have to take significant steps to minimize danger and create a strong deterrent to protect the lives of civilians within and beyond the Green Line.
However, the political climate is such that even if the government's considerations are purely security-related, it will be suspected of ulterior motives. Such as with the Jenin anti-terrorism campaign itself, when political and security officials were accused of seeking to disrupt protests against the judicial reform.
The entire security system, especially the Shin Bet security agency, is now required to split its attention and efforts, both with the aim of thwarting Palestinian terrorism as well as preventing violence by settlers that only exacerbates the situation.
This is a complex and complicated challenge, especially against the background of the political chaos in Israel.
The bottom line is that in view of the challenging security situation in the Palestinian arena – not to mention the tumultuous northern border – Israel cannot afford to continue the infighting.
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