Even bulldozers can be lethal weapons for terrorists. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock
Ever since Israel managed to effectively shut down the Palestinian suicide bombing campaign that murdered hundreds of Israelis, the Palestinians have been searching for new forms of “resistance” against Israel—a code word for terrorism. And don’t let the evolving array of weapons fool you: Palestinian terrorism is alive and well, even when it only involves rocks.
Palestinian terrorism has shifted repeatedly, as though the perpetrators were searching for the most effective means of wounding and killing Israelis while still maintaining the façade of “peaceful resistance” to the global media. Here’s a look at some of the changing faces of Palestinian terror that may seem unconventional, but can kill nonetheless.
- Bulldozer Attacks
Starting in 2008, Arab terrorists used the traditional construction vehicle to wreak havoc on Israeli roads. The powerful tractors were used to attack civilian Israeli vehicles and killed multiple Israelis along the way. Thankfully, the damage was limited and took time—and gun-savvy Israelis were able to neutralize the terrorists time and again before the death toll went too high.
- Vehicular Terrorism
As the bulldozer run was proving to be limited in its potential, ramming cars into crowds became a new weapon of choice. Soldiers and civilians alike were targeted as cars have plunged headlong into pedestrians. The death toll for these attacks was also limited by opportunity—as driving into more than one group of people is challenging once the threat is realized—but the numbers of wounded have been plenty high.
While the bulldozer attacks have thankfully died off, the vehicle assaults have not. Between March and August, according to data from the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), one civilian was killed and 12 police officers, four civilians and three soldiers have been wounded in vehicle attacks.
- Stabbings
The knife is an old weapon in Palestinian terror—it was a serious threat in the First Intifada more than 20 years ago and it seems to have revived its popularity among Palestinians recently. November 2014 was the last time a Palestinian stabbing incident has killed Israelis, but that’s not for a lack of opportunity.
The ISA website reported that from April through August of 2015, three civilians and eleven members of Israel security forces were wounded in stabbings.
Every month in 2015 so far, at least one stabbing attack has been attempted—including September according to IDF Spokesman Peter Lerner’s Twitter page. January got the year off to a rough start, as 17 people were wounded in stabbings in that month alone according to the ISA report.
- Rock Throwing
One of the latest methods of Palestinian terror to kill is rock throwing. The full threat of the stone projectiles was seen in the murder of Alexander Levlovich earlier this month in Jerusalem. After the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summed up the threat in comments released by his office.
“A thug and criminal stands here, on a traffic island, takes a stone and throws again and again at the windshields of cars of Jerusalem residents until he manages to cause death—it did not kill, it murdered,” said Netanyahu. “This stone is one too many.”
Did that attack shock terrorists into holding back? Apparently not. Instead, it seemed to inspire another assault as rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus, with damage to the windshield, just days after the murder. The IDF Spokeperson’s Twittter feed reported that the driver wounded in that incident.
The Palestinians like to portray themselves as weak, disadvantaged fighters battling the powerful Israeli army. But in reality, Palestinian terrorists are inventive at finding ways to murder Israeli civilians and launch surprise attacks on Israeli security forces, even as their more powerful weapons of bombings and guns have thankfully been limited.
There’s nothing courageous about intentionally driving a car into pedestrians. There’s nothing peaceful about that “resistance” either.
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, September 17, 2015)