This latest attack occurred in Bnei Brak, a city populated almost exclusively by ultra-Orthodox Jews. The shooter, who was killed by the police, attacked passers-by with their faces uncovered. The media identified him as a 26-year-old Palestinian from the northern West Bank. Israel is in shock. In one week, three attacks, in three different cities, claimed 11 victims. This is the heaviest toll since 2006.
This is the kind of spark that can rekindle the cycle of violence. The attack on Tuesday March 29 has not been claimed but the two previous ones, on March 22 and 27, were perpetrated by Israeli Arabs linked to the Islamic State. The Israeli police have gone into mode “counter-terrorism”the army deployed reinforcements in the occupied West Bank.
The risk of reprisals is real. Tuesday evening in Bnei Brak, the crowd gathered to cry revenge, “Death to the Arabs” we heard. At the same time, several people went to the home of the terrorist’s family to pay their respects. According to testimonies collected by Agence France Presse, men distributed sweets as a “celebration”. Hamas, the ruling Islamist movement in Gaza, talks about “natural response to the crimes of the occupation”.
Ramadan begins on Saturday, it is a period of greater tension because the large gatherings that take place on the sidelines of the holidays promote slippages. Especially since next month we are witnessing a rare convergence with Passover and it should further increase tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. The Israel Police said it would begin to focus on counterterrorism and presence on the streets, reducing other activities and extending the duration of its services. Even before this latest attack, the Israeli security services were on their toes, increasing contacts with the Palestinian Authority and Jordan to both coordinate their security actions and try to ease tensions.
Last year, the evictions of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, in a district of East Jerusalem, during the Ramadan period had created a movement of anger, leading to clashes on the esplanade of the mosques between Israeli forces and Palestinian demonstrators. Within days, the confrontation had turned into open war between Hamas and the Israeli army. The conflict had lasted 11 days.
The King of Jordan, who administers the Al-Masjid Esplanade in Jerusalem, called on Tuesday “to remove all obstacles to the prayer of Muslims” this year and to prevent provocations that could lead to an escalation. Calls for calm are increasing outside the country. UN boss Antonio Guterres condemned “these acts of violence” just like the head of American diplomacy.
Germany has also warned of a “spiral of violence”. On the spot, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recalls that the murder of civilians – Palestinians and Israelis – only aggravates the situation, while “we all strive, he saidto achieve stability”.