The painful attack in Jerusalem on Saturday evening once again dragged Israel into the constant debate about the effective ways to fight terrorism. All the familiar clichés were thrown into the airspace and social networks: protective wall 2, deportation, demolition and sealing, and the death penalty for terrorists.
Documentation of the attack in the Jerusalem Heights // Credit: Police spokespersons
Even in difficult moments - and an attack in which innocent civilians are murdered is always one of those - the truth must be told.
Israel never had, it does not have today, and it will not have in the future a "once and for all" solution to terrorism.
Whoever spreads such slogans in the air is a blind eye and a charlatan, whose harm outweighs his benefit.
The terrorist's car inside the bus station.
The scene of the attack in Jerusalem, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Decisions are not made on the sidewalk
Let's say when things happen from the opposition (although even in this there is a considerable measure of irresponsibility on the part of elected officials), but when ministers in the government do this - it is a real violation of national security.
The Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, arrived at the scene of the attack on Friday.
His very arrival is a welcome matter, which indicates the degree of responsibility required.
Apart from this matter, he continued to behave like a talkbackist, and taught again that he has zero understanding of the affairs of his office, security or the war on terror.
His announcements on the ground were childish and upset a "senior political official in Jerusalem" (there is only one such), who made it clear, and rightly so, that decisions on military operations are not made on the sidewalk when the blood is boiling, but after formulating appropriate plans and discussion in the cabinet.
Zero understanding.
Minister Ben Gvir is received at the scene of the attack in the Ramot neighborhood, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
A protective wall - then and now
As a minister, some differences between the original Protective Wall operation in Passover 2002, and the empty promise of the "Protective Wall 2" operation today.
So Israel launched an operation to regain security control over the Palestinian cities;
Today, it has full freedom of action in the West Bank, and certainly in East Jerusalem - Israeli territory for all intents and purposes. At the time, the enemy was terrorist organizations armed with hundreds of suicide bombers and sabotage laboratories, which were recruited and financed in an orderly manner; the enemy today is mainly individual terrorists, who operate under the influence of social networks.
A few differences as a reminder.
Operation "Protective Wall" in 2002 to destroy the terrorist infrastructures in the Palestinian Authority, photo: L.A.M.
The preparation of the operation then lasted about two years (even before the intifada broke out) and included the formation of broad international support;
Today there is nothing ready for an operation on such a scale in East Jerusalem, which is under the responsibility of the police and not the army.
This is not a semantic matter.
The IDF does not operate in the territories of the state against Israeli residents, and the police do not have the ability to conduct an operation on the scale to which the minister in charge alluded. In any case, it is not clear what such an operation is supposed to achieve, if the enemy has disappeared and there is no prior intelligence on him, unlike the intelligence-focused raids conducted by the IDF and the Shev. About every night in Yosh.
Ben Gabir upset, and rightly so, a senior political figure in Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Netanyahu speaks on the stage of the Knesset plenum, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
It is doubtful whether the other statements given yesterday also have a cover.
The house where the terrorist lived was rented, and it is not clear if it can be sealed (and this is even before the discussion regarding his mental capacity).
Deporting the families of terrorists is a collective punishment that is unlikely to pass the legal hurdle, and the death penalty for terrorists - which is still possible today - may be a partial deterrent, but at the same time it will turn those sentenced to death into superheroes and focus endless preoccupation around them and the attacks they carried out.
It's not a puncture, it's a danger
Therefore, it is better for Israel to go back to doing what it has been doing with distinction for decades: fighting terrorism with wisdom, determination and coolness, and above all with patience and with the understanding that there is no single step that will solve the problem tomorrow morning.
The public understands this and is mature enough, and precisely the false promises - especially from the rookie minister - cause damage, especially when they are accompanied by irresponsible actions such as the attempt to reprimand the commander of the Jerusalem district, which indicate a basic lack of understanding of the work of the police, the level of command and the minister's areas of authority.
The attempt to rebuke the district commander indicates a complete lack of understanding.
Ben Gabir at the scene of the stampede attack in Jerusalem, photo: Yori Yalon
Ben Gvir's conduct could be dismissed as a flat tire that will be repaired later on in the journey, but these are not days for repair - neither in the domestic arena nor in the fight against terrorism.
Faced with a wave of attacks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, instability in Gaza and Ramadan approaching (not to mention the protests against the legal revolution), Israel needs stable and responsible hands not only in the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Defense, but also in the Ministry of National Security.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us