The Israeli army, intelligence, commandos and the border police are conducting extensive reprisals against the Palestinians, while Israeli security sources in the army and the Shin Bet warned against “events turning into a third intifada in the West Bank” but stressed at the same time the need to “deal firmly” with operations carried out by Palestinians.
This warning came at a time when the leaders of the settlements and far-right groups in the Israeli government are trying to exploit the escalating tension by expanding settlements and annexing additional territories to Israeli sovereignty.
“The Palestinian operations in the West Bank are the result of the weakness of the government in confronting Hamas in the Gaza Strip,” wrote former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on his Facebook page.
In turn, Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni blamed the government and its president for the deterioration of the security situation.
During a tour in the northern border, she said: “What is happening in the West Bank is the result of the government’s erroneous security-political approach.”
“We declare our absolute support for the army to carry out counterterrorism operations and apprehend the perpetrators, but there is a need for a political process that will restore hope to the Palestinians,” she said.
A senior Israeli army officer said that Israel should facilitate the Palestinians’ lives in the West Bank, instead of tightening its measures against them.
According to the officer, undermining the Palestinian Authority will affect its ability to prevent the public from adopting a violent approach.
