The IDF expects the current wave of terrorist attacks, including rock-throwing and firebombings, to continue “in the coming weeks.” In a letter obtained by The JewishPress.com and sent by a brigade commander to residents under his command in Judea and Samaria, he wrote:
The challenge we face is not a short-term issue and from what I know, it will continue in the coming weeks with the understanding that there are many factors that influence the security situation.
The IDF, Border Police, police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and civilian security forces continue to work night and day to return to residents a sense of security. The army has significantly beefed up patrols and guard posts on Highway 60, the major artery linking northern Samaria with Gush Etzion, Kiryat Arba-Hebron and the southern Hebron Hills. The brigade commander also wrote:
I promise we will get through this period and, God willing, return security and the feeling of security.
However, government policy is another matter. Residents of Judea and Samaria have lived for years with the same cycle of calm and violence. The calm is maintained when a large number of soldiers patrol the highways. Then, the United States and European Union work on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and demand that Israel “boost the popularity” of Mahmoud Abbas and reduce the presence of soldiers,. The next step is another escalation of violence that gives Abbas another chance to complain that the IDF is interfering with the daily life of Arabs by patrolling the roads and setting up checkpoints.