Is This The Start Of The 'Third Intifada'?
Israel's security forces have warned that Palestinians in the West Bank may be attempting to start a new intifada, after an upturn in the number of attacks on Israelis.
The most concerning incident came last Thursday when an axe-wielding terrorist broke into the settlement of Bat Ayin in the Gush Etzion block, and killed a 13-year-old boy before injuring a seven-year-old and then managing to escape.
Yesterday, police were still searching for the killer, who only gave up his murderous rampage after he fought with a Bat Ayin resident who managed to grab the axe, forcing him to flee the scene.
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On Sunday, police released images of drawings of a woman holding a gun from the diary of the girl, identified as Awad al-Nabri from the village of Hura near Be'er Sheva.
Al-Nabri had also reportedly written a poem declaring that she wanted to be a martyr and "die for Gaza".
"At the beginning of the operation in Gaza, Hamas tried to start a third intifada in the West Bank, but they failed due to our activity and due to very resolute Palestinian Authority action," a senior IDF officer in the West Bank was quoted as saying by Ha'aretz this week.
Tensions have increased because of the three-week war against Hamas in Gaza in December and January, which was widely covered in the Arab and Palestinian media as an onslaught on innocent Palestinians.
Last month, a potentially disastrous explosion in a busy Haifa shopping mall was averted only because the bomb failed to detonate, rather than police or security vigilance.
The Bat Ayin attack shocked locals in the small, usually quiet settlement. Residents were overwhelmed with grief over the death of Shlomo Nativ which came only two days after new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office.
Netanyahu responded by saying he viewed the attack with "the utmost gravity" and had directed security services to do all they can to find the perpetrator.
The attack was claimed by the Islamic Jihad as well as another terrorist group calling itself the Martyrs of Imad Mughniyeh.
Hamas released their own response, saying that the attack was simply a natural response to the Israeli "occupation".
"This attack was committed in the framework of the resistance," Hamas spokesperson Ayman Taha said. "This is a reaction to the continuing occupation and the continued building of settlements."
"This is a natural reaction", he said, "especially against the backdrop of Israel's attacks. We are a people occupied, and it is our right to defend ourselves and to act in every way and with every means at our disposal in order to defend ourselves."
Israeli police have been put on high alert ahead of Pesach which begins on Wednesday evening, with more checkpoints to be opened near to entrances to cities and increased forces in and around Jerusalem.
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