Israel's Terrorism Threats
Due to ongoing conflicts in the area, Israel has experienced terrorism threats from both within its own boundaries as well as from its neighbors. Iran and Palestine are among the antagonistic countries. The most prominent hostile country is Palestine, which has been attacking Israel with terrorism since 1948.
Methods Used by Palestinian Terrorists
The most popular tactic is suicide bombing by Palestinians, which is thought to be hostile reprisal on the part of the Palestinian leadership. Many suicide bombings have been carried out in Israel and the casualties are in the hundreds to date: "The terrorist attacks which have been concentrated in greater Jerusalem spread to other locations in Israel, including Kiryat Gat in the south, Tel Aviv…" (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2016, p.1). In March 2017, it was reported that there were a total of ten stabbings by lone Palestinian terrorist nationals, 243 stone throwing, and widespread car ramming. Another means used by terrorists is random shooting of civilians, which are mostly carried out using cars. Cyber terrorism has also been evident in Israel with hackers tapping into mobile phones in parliament and disrupting computer networks by use of viruses. There have been several successful attempts against Israel leading to the crippling of communication systems such as the internet and mobile phones.
Extremist Groups in Israel
There are also many extremist groups in Israel who carry out terrorist attacks on civilians. An example is the Lehava, who are against the integration and assimilation of Jews and non-Jews in Israel. It is a religious minority who use terror and threats to foster anti-assimilation in Israel. The former Prime Minister, Tzipi Livni, is reported to have said that the classification of the Lehava as a terrorist organization should have been done a long time ago. Another extremist group is the Sikrikim who harbor violence against Orthodox Jews. They conduct violent attacks against Orthodox organizations in Israel, such as schools and hospitals. It is important to note that these terrorist organizations are still functional despite efforts to eradicate them by the government and international organizations such as the United Nations.
Counter Terrorism Methods in Israel
A great many things have changed in the counter-terrorism methods used by Israel: "Counter tactics used by the government to fight suicide terrorism include non-lethal preventive measures, for example, intelligence-driven arrests of terror suspects, and lethal offensive measures, for example, targeted killings of terrorist operatives" (Kaplan, Mintz, Mishal, 2006, p. 2). The Israeli government has also banned extremist groups related to terrorist activities, such as the Sikrikim and the Lehava. Over the years, people linked with terrorist activities have been imprisoned. The Israeli constitution also allows capital punishment in the case of treason, war crimes, and several terrorists have faced the death penalty. Cyber terrorism has been countered in Israel as well. The Israeli government has increased the budget used in defense against cyber terrorists following successful attacks on communication networks by terrorist organizations. The Israeli armed forces have been instrumental in stopping terrorist organizations throughout the country.
The Ongoing Fight Against Terrorism
The fight against terrorism is an ongoing struggle. Terrorists have evolved from multinational organizations with massive funding to individual people with misconstrued views of life. It is important for every person to report any suspicious activities that may result in terrorism to report to relevant authorities and to stay safe.
References
Edward H. Kaplan, Alex Mintz, Shaul Mishal. 2006. Tactical Prevention of Suicide Bombings in Israel. Retrieved from http://faculty.som.yale.edu/EdKaplan/documents/tactical prevention of suicide bombings.pdf
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2017. Palestinian Terror and Incitement. Retrieved from http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Terrorism/Palestinian/Pages/Wave-of-terror-October-2016.aspx
