In the absence of Palestinian Authority efforts to disarm and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in accordance with signed peace agreements, Israel Tuesday gave a green light to its security forces to go on the offensive against Islamic Jihad.
IDF soldiers arrested over 50 members of the terror group during predawn raids in Judea and Samaria, less than a day after Islamic Jihad gunmen murdered an Israeli motorist in northern Samaria.
The detainees included the local Jenin-area Islamic Jihad commander, who security officials said was involved in the manufacture of rockets and in planning a series of attacks against Israeli Jews.
Israel had refrained from acting against the Palestinian¯ terror groups outside of arresting ticking bombs¯ for the past several months, following the announcement of a one-sided ceasefire brokered by PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas.
That ceasefire, however, was marked by unabated Arab aggression against Israel's Jewish population, while Abbas demanded additional Israeli concessions in return for the purported truce.
Israel's patience finally wore out Tuesday, after weeks of security officials warning Jerusalem would not sit quiet indefinitely in the face of escalating terror.
Defense Ministry Sha'ul Mofaz told Israel Radio that after months of restraint, Israel had no choice but to now go on the offensive as a result of Abbas's continued failure to eliminate the threat of anti-Jewish terrorism as stipulated in the Road Map peace plan.
Lt. Col. Erez Winner, the IDF operations officer for Judea and Samaria, said the renewed anti-terror activity would focus on Islamic Jihad, for the time being.
Anyone we know who is affiliated with this organization is a legitimate target,¯ Winner told reporters.
Following the early morning arrests, Palestinian¯ terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired mortar shells and a Kassam rocket at area Jewish communities, damaging several homes and vehicles.
About the Author
Ryan Jones is Co-Editor of Jerusalem Newswire.
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