BICOM

What happened: The Security Cabinet met yesterday and resolved, “to strike at the terrorists and whoever dispatches them, and authorised the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister to act accordingly.”

• The Prime Minister’s Office added, “The Security Cabinet backs the commanders and soldiers of the IDF and the personnel of the security services in their actions against terrorist elements.”
• According to Israeli media accounts the meeting included angry exchanges, reflecting the alternate world views of the security establishment opposing the agenda of right wing minister Ben Gvir and Smotrich.
• One security official who attended the meeting told Channel 12 News, “The meeting was surreal and unprofessional. It featured disagreements between the ministers and wasn’t issue-oriented.”
• Defence Minister Gallant raised the issue of Jewish nationalist hate crimes that has forced the security forces to divert resources and increased tension among the Palestinians. Ben Gvir reportedly responded angrily, saying, “Have you lost your minds? Israelis are being murdered and you’re focusing on those issues?”
• Another issue raised was the recent campaign of incitement against IDF officers by some right wing settlers, with the support of right wing ministers. Gallant said, “The campaign of verbal attacks on the IDF needs to be stopped immediately, and that’s connected to you and your parties (addressing Ben Gvir and Smotrich)….The attacks are irresponsible and make us look weak to our enemies. This is a security danger.”
• Ben Gvir responded, “I love the officers. You’re to blame for the situation. I have a problem with your policies as defence minister.” Gallant said, “Focus the fire on me. Take me to task.”
• In the course of the meeting, Ben Gvir demanded that restrictions be imposed on the Palestinians in the form of checkpoints and closures, and to resume targeted assassinations. He also demanded that the conditions of security prisoners’ incarceration be downgraded, for example restricting the range of television stations they can watch and by ending the policy of housing them according to organisational affiliation.
• Ben Gvir continued, “People were murdered. A mother in front of her daughter. A few days ago a father and son. And you keep talking about the danger of friction, the danger of nationalist crime. Have we lost our minds? I’m starting to think that we’re in Switzerland, that that’s our only problem. The discussion here is about terrorism. We need to come up with operative steps against terrorism.”
• Meanwhile the security professionals support further strengthening the Palestinian Authority (PA), with economic relief measures and supporting their security apparatus inside Palestinian cities as the best way to restore quiet.
• Earlier yesterday security forces arrested two suspects in the murder of Bat Sheva Nigri, the Israeli woman who was killed in the drive-by shooting attack Monday in the southern Hebron hills.

Context: The meeting followed three Israelis killed in two deadly shooting attacks this week.

• The latest victim was Batsheva Nigri, a 42-year-old mother of three and Kindergarten teacher, killed near Hebron on Monday while driving in a car with her 12-year-old daughter, who witnessed her death. The male driver of the car is in serious condition.
• Since the start of the year 34 people (32 Israelis, an Italian tourist and one worker from Gaza) have been killed in terror attacks. This is now more than all of 2022, which was already the highest year of fatalities since Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
• According to a recent assessment of the Shin Bet security service, there are around 200 active intelligence warnings of potential attacks. The Shin Bet has prevented over 350 shooting attacks this year.
• So far this year 1,560 Palestinians have been arrested and 750 guns have been confiscated.
• Whilst the vast majority of attacks have emanated from Jenin and Nablus in the northern West Bank, the most recent attack occurred in the Hebron region in the south.
• There is concern that this represents a wider embrace of terror tactics; Hebron has been a hub for terror in the past and known to have an established Hamas infrastructure.
• The majority of attacks this year have not been led by traditional terror organisations, but rather by individuals with no terror background, or new locally organised groups.
• The latest phenomena of roadside shootings are difficult to prevent as Palestinians and Israeli settlers use the same roads. This compounds the challenge of the policy of distinction: how to maintain quality of life for the Palestinian civilian population whilst targeting the terrorists.
• Contributing factors behind the attacks continue to be:
  • Large proliferation of weapons available in the West Bank, primarily smuggled from Jordan.
  • Online incitement, filming and glorification of attacks, particularly engaging disenfranchised young men on TikTok.
  • Erosion of the legitimacy of the PA.

Looking ahead: At present, the policy remains the pinpointed targeting of terrorists and their infrastructure based on intelligence, whilst causing minimum interference with Palestinians civilians.

• However there are calls, particularly among the settler population who feel the most vulnerable, to reinstate internal checkpoints or to launch a larger scale operation to target terror cells, and their weapons.
• The manhunt continues for the terrorist responsible for the deadly shooting of the father and son in Huwara on Saturday.
• Whilst there is continued concern that these recent shootings will inspire copycat attacks.