We must all calm down. Things are not yet out of control. The IDF and the Shin Bet are continuing their work to thwart terror, while the settlement enterprise in the West Bank is at its peak – new settlements are approved, construction is promoted and budgets are being allocated. So what is happening here, and why do things seem out of control?
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This is primarily due to a growing and widening rift between security experts and the political echelon. This abyss consists of many variables. However, in the meantime, reality is collapsing into it, along with a sense of security.
Violence against innocent people must be condemned, without question. But the context is important: The acts of violence carried out by Jews against Palestinians in the past week occurred primarily in reaction to terrorist attacks but also, and perhaps mainly, in response to the daily and routine dangers.
I have reported hundreds of times about stone-throwing incidents, clashes and firebomb attacks that occur daily throughout the West Bank. The number of incidents, the danger they pose, their frequency, and the fact that there is no reprieve all contribute to the loss of a sense of security. If a resident of the area has to think twice about driving by Nablus or Huwara, worried about a rock attack, there is a problem. And this reality affects every Israeli resident of the West Bank.
It is difficult to see someone throwing stones at you and not react. It is very difficult to see your child injured by the rocks being hurled or even just crying out of fear, in the back seat and continue driving without taking any action. IDF soldiers and Shin Bet personnel save lives every day – by countering terrorism, making arrests and putting their own lives at risk – but they cannot stop every rock-thrower.
Currently, being a victim of this form of silent, popular terror is a matter of fate. Sometimes it is more obvious and heard more loudly, and other times it remains under the radar. But for those who live beyond the Green Line, it is a continuous ringing in the ears and that is how the recent acts of violence comes into play.
These events were not carried out by a small band of settlers who attack Palestinians as part of their ideology but by the broader community. The young men who rampaged in Palestinian villages are heading to anarchy, and they must be punished, but events do not occur in a vacuum. In order for the country and the authorities to stop such violence, they must understand their root causes, strengthen the sense of security for all settlers and create a safe living environment.
There is an emerging gap between the IDF and members of the security apparatus and some of the politicians, and it is manifested in public and off-the-record comments from both sides, along with an obvious and mutual lack of respect.
After senior security officials called the riots carried out by settlers nationalistic terrorism, one government minister – Orit Strock from the Religious Zionist Party – branded them Wagner Group's mercenaries who undermine the government's authority. She later apologized but her sentiments echo those who feel they lack support from those in power.
This growing gap is a danger to everyone. IDF officers are unjustly attacked, and politicians fail to implement their policies. The military, Shin Bet and Border Police all work tirelessly to combat terrorism. They must implement the policies set forth by the government but must be supported in their efforts.