Israel Arrests Man Planning Suicide Attack

Latest Developments

Israeli police said on March 21 that they arrested a Palestinian man in the West Bank who intended to carry out a suicide attack. According to law enforcement officials, an undercover force closed in on the terrorist’s family home in Aqbat Jaber, near Jericho. A firefight broke out as other terrorists began escaping the building, during which Israeli forces shot and killed three of them, according to an Israeli Police statement. Israeli forces handed over the arrested terrorist to the Shin Bet for interrogation.

Expert Analysis

“While the world is asking Israel to halt its fight against terrorism in Gaza and the West Bank, Palestinian terrorists are trying their best to show Israel that they will prevail, whether Israel stops the war or not. These terrorists are making Israel’s choice an unmistakable one: fight to the end of terror.” — Hussain Abdul-Hussain, FDD Research Fellow

“A dangerous trend is emerging in the West Bank as Palestinian terrorists employ old tactics used during the Second Intifada. Terrorists resorting to suicide bombings underscores the danger of the more than two-year-old uptick in violence led by Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank. As the Israeli military continues to eliminate Hamas and its allies in Gaza, other fronts will continue to remain active and quite possibly destabilize further.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Bloody History of Suicide Attacks in Israel

Suicide bombings against Israelis by Palestinians were common prior to and during the Second Intifada. Their targets included buses, cafes, and other civilian venues. Israel’s construction of the 440-mile-long West Bank security fence drastically reduced the number of terror attacks carried out in the Jewish state, making it much harder for members of Palestinian terrorist groups to infiltrate and carry out attacks in Israeli cities.

Police on Alert During Ramadan

On March 11, Israeli forces intercepted and killed 34-year-old Muhammad Jaber in the West Bank town of Zeita close to the security fence, saying that he was en route to commit a suicide attack in Israel. In recent weeks, Israeli police have been on alert against Palestinian terrorism coinciding with the monthlong celebration of Ramadan, which is now in its second week. Violence has marred this period in previous years. On March 3, Abu Hamza, a spokesman for the Iran-backed terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, called for this year’s Ramadan to be a “month of terror” and for terrorist groups to “unify” against Israel.

Related Analysis

“Israel Thwarts Suicide Attack in West Bank,” FDD Flash Brief

“Palestinian Cop Murders Two Israelis in West Bank,” FDD Flash Brief

“Two Islamic Jihad Terrorists Killed by Israeli Airstrike in Jenin,” FDD Flash Brief