Israeli government links increase in Palestinian attacks against Israelis to PA incitement

Levels of Palestinian terrorism against Israel have risen considerably since the start of Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic talks, with a growing number of attacks coming out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Senior figures in the Israeli defense establishment have linked some of this violence to ongoing diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians, while also stressing that there is no direct connection between most of the terrorism occurring in the West Bank and the attacks from Gaza.

The Palestinian Authority's systematic incitement to hatred and violence, combined with the media's now shining its spotlight on diplomatic talks, has led to a wave of incidents by lone terrorists – individuals who are not part of a wider, organized cell. Such attacks against Israelis have been launched in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and in Israeli cities...

A look at official terrorism figures, as presented by the Shin Bet, confirms that since Israeli-Palestinian peace talks began in July, there has been a rise in violence. In July, the Shin Bet recorded 82 Palestinian attacks. In November this year, that number rose to 136 attacks, the majority of them occurring in greater Jerusalem and the West Bank...

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said about recent events: "In recent months, we witnessed the growth of terror attacks stemming from the atmosphere in Judea and Samaria. This in turn stems from the severe incitement in the Palestinian Authority, and the unwillingness of its leaders to educate the young generation about coexistence, a culture of peace, and a recognition of the State of Israel's right to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people, in any borders."

Ya'alon accused the PA leadership of paying lip service to peace when communicating with the outside world, while continuing to teach Palestinians to idolize suicide bombers and issuing calls for the destruction of Israel in messages to the domestic audience (exposed by PMW).

The result, Ya'alon said, can be seen in the spike of lone-wolf attackers, who "leave their homes in order to kill Jews, only because they are Jews. This is an intolerable situation from our perspective, and despite the difficulties in dealing with a lone attacker... we will act decisively and in various ways to harm those who try to harm us."

The defense minister added that Israel would not tolerate any levels of attacks from Gaza, and put Hamas on notice. As a sovereign regime, Hamas will be held responsible for any further attacks on Israelis from the Gaza Strip, he warned, adding: "If it won't be quiet in Israel, it won't be quiet in Gaza."