Ya’alon: Israel combating wave of terror, but it takes time

Defense Minister says security forces are making every effort to thwart attacks, tells public patience is needed

By Adiv Sterman and Judah Ari Gross 17 October 2015, 10:49 pm

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) with then defense minister Moshe Ya'alon during a joint press conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem regarding the recent wave of terror in Israel, October 8, 2015. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon on Saturday assured the Israeli public that while combating Palestinian violence would take time and effort, authorities were working tirelessly to prevent terrorist activities in the West Bank and across the country.

“The fight against terrorism requires determination, patience and judgment,” Ya’alon said after a day of stabbing attacks against IDF soldiers, security personnel and civilians.

“IDF forces, Israel Police and the Shin Bet security service have made every effort to thwart and prevent terrorist attacks. The State of Israel is employing a heavy hand against the terrorists and their dispatchers, whether they are associated with groups or [acting] as individuals,” Ya’alon said, according to the Ynet news site.

By 10 p.m., there had been five Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilian and targets military targets Saturday. Each attack ended in the assailant being shot dead.

In Hebron, a frequent flashpoint where a few hundred Jews live in close proximity to tens of thousands of Palestinians, three Palestinians were shot dead when they each tried separately to stab Israelis. A Palestinian teenager was also killed when he tried to stab Border Police officers in the Armon Hanatsiv area of Jerusalem. And at the Qalandiya crossing near Jerusalem, a fifth Palestinian was shot dead when he also tried to stab a Border Police officer.

The incidents were the latest in a spate of near-daily attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces across Israel and in the West Bank.

Since October 1, seven Israelis have been killed and dozens injured in at least 30 separate stabbing or attempted stabbing attacks by Palestinian assailants.

On the Palestinian side, at least 40 have been killed so far, including at least 18 attackers. The rest died in clashes with IDF troops either in the West Bank or along the Gaza border. Two of the casualties, a pregnant woman and her two-year-old daughter, were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on October 11, which came in response to an earlier rocket attack.