The attack yesterday (Tuesday) in Bnei Brak left no doubt - the fear returns to the streets of Israel.
In just three terrorist attacks in one week, 11 Israelis were killed in three major cities in Israel.
Still, last night's attack in Bnei Brak was slightly different from the attacks in Hadera and Be'er Sheva, since this time it was not an Israeli Arab, but a 27-year-old Palestinian, a resident of the village of Ya'bad in the Occupied Territories, who managed to infiltrate Israel through a breach.
The excuses, perhaps justified by the General Security Service regarding the great legal difficulty of tracking down Israeli citizens with blue IDs, can in no way be valid regarding a Palestinian from the Occupied Territories who manages to infiltrate Israel with weapons and carry out a murderous attack in the heart of a civilian population.
The failure shouts to heaven when this time too it is a terrorist known to the defense establishment, who has been in an Israeli prison in the past, and should have been closely monitored by the General Security Service, especially in light of recent events.
The scene of the attack in Bnei Brak, viewed from above // Photo: Gil Kramer
Until last night, the defense establishment hoped that the severe attacks on the Green Line carried out by ISIS supporters would not spread to Judea and Samaria, but were prepared for this. This was one of the reasons why the IDF decided earlier this week to reinforce four battalions in Judea and Samaria.
The same reinforcement battalions were also deployed in the seam area in order to reduce as much as possible the passage of illegal residents into Israeli territory.
But when there are so many breaches in the fence, even when forces increase along the seam line, it is not possible to hermetically prevent the entry of tens of thousands of illegal residents into Israel.
The issue of GSS should not surprise anyone. For many years, Israel has consciously chosen to turn a blind eye to the phenomenon, partly because the GSS make a living in Israel, and the better the economic situation in Judea and Samaria, the less motivation there is for terrorist attacks. And unsupervised, hostile elements can easily exploit the loophole and infiltrate Israel unhindered.
The policeman who neutralized the terrorist: "Directed at me with M-16, there was a battle of a few seconds" // Police spokeswoman
The defense establishment has in the past recommended expanding the number of work permits for Palestinians from Judea and Samaria and closing the loopholes in the fence, but for many reasons, including political and budgetary, this has not been done.
Last night's attack in Bnei Brak proved that the defense establishment's considerable efforts to keep Judea and Samaria quiet in the near future were unsuccessful, and past experience shows that following the attack, the IDF and GSS will be required to carry out large-scale arrests in the West Bank.
When we add to the equation the atmosphere of incitement on the Palestinian street, as well as the month of Ramadan that intersects this year with Passover and various commemorative events, we get an almost certain recipe for escalation.
Especially when it comes to the fear of "imitators" who may arise even today, to understand how simple it is to infiltrate Israel through one of the breaches in the fence and carry out their plot.
Those terrorists do not even have to make such an effort, and it is enough that they choose to carry out a murderous attack beyond the Green Line.
The immediate solution must be to use all the means of intelligence in the possession of the General Security Service and the IDF's Intelligence Division, both against potential terrorists in Judea and Samaria and regarding Israeli Arab citizens with high risk and security past. In the West Bank, in order to reduce the danger of potential threats and increase deterrence, and having said all that, we must also keep an eye on the Gaza Strip, especially during the day of the land that falls today, and will be a significant test point for the days to come.
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