Israeli Security Officer Killed Halting Larger Palestinian Terrorist Attack

Latest Developments

A Palestinian gunman killed a municipal security officer in Tel Aviv on August 5 before being shot dead, in an interdiction that appears to have prevented a much larger terrorist attack in the Israeli metropolis. The Palestinian, in Israel without a permit, was a member of the so-called Jenin Brigade — the West Bank branch of Islamic Jihad. He was spotted in Tel Aviv’s Nahalat Binyamin neighborhood, his unseasonably heavy clothing and handbag raising the suspicion of municipal security officers who were patrolling as police auxiliaries. Challenged by them, he shot one in the head with a pistol and was shot dead by another.

Israeli officials said the terrorist left a note saying he wanted to become a “martyr.” The incident’s proximity to Kaplan Street, where Israelis have been demonstrating for more than six months against the government’s judicial changes, suggests he may have been intercepted while enroute to attack a weekly demonstration convening there. The terrorist had been involved in a shooting attack on a West Bank checkpoint earlier this year, Israeli media reported.

Expert Analysis

“Last month, Israel carried out ‘Operation Home and Garden’ in Jenin to root out Palestinian terror groups. It may soon have to return. This latest outrageous attack in Tel Aviv — which could have been much bloodier — shows that the West Bank city continues to serve as a springboard for long-range murders. The Palestinian Authority, which has belatedly been arresting terror suspects in Jenin, must step up such measures if it wants to stem escalation.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“That this terrorist was stopped in time, at the cost of an innocent security officer’s life, to prevent a massacre is yet another reminder of the threats that Israel faces from Iran-backed terrorist groups and others who seek to massacre Israelis.” — Joe Truzman, Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Related Analysis

“Palestinian Terrorists Fire Rockets at Israeli Community,” FDD Flash Brief

“Iran and Its Network of Nineteen Terrorist Organizations on Israel’s Borders,” by Joe Truzman

“Post Jenin Operation, Questions Linger About the State of the West Bank,” by Joe Truzman