Terrorism Rising in Israel
JERUSALEM (CNSNews.com) -- Terrorism is a persistent and worsening problem for Israel in 2008, with an increase in mass-killing attacks and a significant increase in rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, according to a new report released in Israel.
Since the beginning of the year, Israel has seen an increase in rocket and mortar fire; more Israeli civilians within rocket range; an increase in mass-killing attacks (such as the shooting at a Jewish seminary); an increase in the number of Israelis killed in terror attacks; an acceleration of Hamas' military buildup in the Gaza Strip; and the rehabilitation and improvement of Hizballah's military structure in Lebanon, said Dr. Reuven Erlich, director of the nongovernmental Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center near Tel Aviv.
Speaking to journalists in Jerusalem over the weekend, Erlich noted that since 2000, Palestinian terrorist organizations have been waging a terror campaign against Israel -- and the methods have changed over time.
"Rocket and mortar shell fire from the Gaza Strip has become the weapon of choice from Palestinian terrorism," Erlich said. "Since 2006, there has been a significant increase in the amount of the rocket fire, its range and the effectiveness of the rockets and the mortar shells."
In 2005, when Israel left the Gaza Strip in a unilateral withdrawal known as the disengagement, some 238 rockets and mortars hit Israel. By the following year the number had jumped to 946; in 2007 there were 896 hits; but already in less than five months of 2008 there have been 839 hits, Erlich said.
There also has been an increase in the number of casualties from attacks, said Erlich. In 2007, 13 Israelis died in terror attacks, while in the first five months of 2008, 25 Israelis already have been killed, he said.
That is partly due to the resurgence in what Erlich described as "mass-killing" attacks. In 2007, there was one suicide bombing in the Red Sea port city of Eilat. In 2008, there has been a suicide bombing in the southern Israeli town of Dimona (only one person died but many more could have been killed); and a mass shooting attack at a Jewish religious seminary in Jerusalem.
Erlich told Cybercast News Service that the increase in "mass-killing" attacks was due to the improved operational capabilities and higher motivation among Hamas and other terrorist organizations.
Iran contributes greatly to the terrorists' operational capabitilies and military buildup in the Gaza Strip, he said.
Impact of Terrorism
"The influence of terrorism can be felt in the constant threat to the security, routine life and damage done to the mental health of about 200,000 Israelis living within the rocket range. The number can be expected to grow," Erlich said.
He said the escalating rocket fire has other costs as well -- including "the damage it does to the Annapolis peace process, the strengthening of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the cost of potential threat of escalation."
The head of Israel's Shin Bet (Israeli security agency) Yuval Diskin told lawmakers on Sunday that Hamas is reinforcing its rocket capabilities and has smuggled hundreds of rockets with a longer range than those currently in use into the Gaza Strip. He warned that Hamas' ability to attack would only increase as Israel delays dealing with the problem, reports said.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Israel would have to make a decision soon regarding the Gaza Strip.
Some Israeli lawmakers have been pressing for Israel to mount a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip, saying the longer Israel waits, the worse the situation will get.
Those who oppose the idea say that Israel could get bogged down in Gaza and not be able to get out. They also are concerned about the number of casualties, both Israeli and among Palestinian civilians, that such an operation could produce.
Any wide-scale military operation would probably also postpone indefinitely or even scuttle U.S.-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, even though Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas is not in charge of the Gaza Strip.
According to the terrorism report, limited Israeli military actions -- such as targeted killings and attacks on weapons and ammunition stores, rocket launching squads and terrorist bases -- has not stopped the Hamas military build-up in the Gaza Strip.
Reserve Brig-Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser, who served as the head of the Israeli military intelligence research and assessment division, said a full-scale military invasion into the Gaza Strip is a political decision. But he also said that ending Hamas' ability to launch long-range weapons without sending the Israeli army into the Gaza Strip would be "extremely difficult."
Originally published May 27, 2008.
