It was nice to have a few weeks of relative quiet on the terror front, but no sane Israeli was under the illusion that Palestinian terrorism has been eliminated. It was calming to see that the Intifada of knives – like previous Intifadas – is a passing phenomenon. It was a wave, and then it somehow ceased from being a wave. Better security made it more complicated, the response of Israelis made it less appealing to Palestinians, and it had zero positive impact on Palestinian lives or their prospects for progress.
So, for now – and one should be careful not to make any predictions about future trends of Palestinian violence – knives are out, guns are back in. Four innocent Israelis were brutally killed by guns yesterday, in central Tel Aviv, on a balmy evening. They were shot from short range, as they were sitting to sip coffee or have an evening sandwich, or chat, or flirt, or daydream. One was a mother of four. One, an ex-commando member, worked for Coca Cola. His two children were reportedly with him when he was shot. His wife was wounded. A few days ago, his photo appeared on street boards as part of a campaign thanking Israeli reserve soldiers. He was not killed when he was serving as an elite soldier. He was not killed when he was an outstanding reserve soldier. He was killed sitting in a cafe in central Tel Aviv. Unarmed, unsuspecting, enjoying his last moments with his family.
Hamas took responsibility for this heinous crime. In some Palestinian towns and villages people celebrated as the news of the attack began to spread. In Israel there was relative calm. The cabinet has convened to weigh its options and hear from security agencies more details about the attack.
This is the first test for the newly installed Defense Minister, Avigdor Lieberman. And what will be a test for him is a relief for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: following this attack there is no one to his right that can criticize his policies and supposed lack of resolve in fighting terrorism. All the right-wing parties are members of his coalition. His main former critic – the man who said not long ago that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh will be dead within 48 hours of him becoming Defense Minister – is now in charge of crafting the response to the attack.
What can Lieberman do – what can the cabinet do? They can ask the intelligence agencies and the security forces to thoroughly investigate how and why the terrorists were able to slip through the security net. They can ask them to be more thorough in working to stop unauthorized Palestinians from getting into Israel. It is a well-known fact that Israel is doing a lousy job in stopping infiltration of illegal workers from the West Bank. It is a well-known fact that not just workers get in. Thieves do – and sometimes terrorists do as well.
The attack serves as a painful reminder that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not over. It serves as a reminder that terrorism is not over. It serves as a reminder that the Israeli government, as hawkish as it is, as aggressive as it might be portrayed, as resourceful as it attempts to be – is not necessarily better, nor worse, in fighting terrorism than many previous governments. The Prime Minister promised a “decisive” response to the attack. And decisive it should be. Not PR decisive – but rather inherently decisive. That is to say: measured, professionally sound, not populistic. The Israeli public will respond to the attack with a simple gesture – today, a Thursday, the cafes in Tel Aviv will be packed as they are every Thursday night.
