BICOM

Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon, who is responsible for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Central Command, which incorporates the West Bank, said last night that Palestinian violence in the area is on the rise.

In an interview with Channel Two, Alon warned that, “for months we have identified trends of a potential escalation.” However, he also highlighted the success of Israeli security forces in preventing potential attacks, saying that, “our forces are working day and night” and that, “there are scores of intelligence reports of attempts to execute terror attacks. I am happy that we ended 2012 and the last few months without fatalities [from terror attacks] in the region of Judea and Samaria.”

The Israeli army yesterday stopped a Palestinian in the Jordan Valley region of the West Bank who was carrying four improvised explosives. There were also incidents of stone throwing at Israeli troops yesterday near both Bethlehem and Ramallah, while an IDF soldier was lightly injured during a similar incident north of Hebron. Earlier this month, an Israeli mother and her three young daughters were seriously injured after a rock throwing incident near the major West Bank settlement bloc of Ariel. During the past few weeks, high tensions have persisted in the West Bank, with a significant number of violent Palestinian protests over Israel’s detention of Palestinian prisoners. Earlier this month, a Palestinian was killed near Hebron following a confrontation with Israeli soldiers.

During yesterday’s interview, Alon also addressed the subject of so-called ‘price tag’ attacks carried out by Israeli settlers in the West Bank on Palestinian property. He said that such incidents were unjust and that they only succeeded in helping escalate Palestinian violence in the area.