SITUATION ANALYSIS -- XXXVIII

THE PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD BID: PREPARING FOR VIOLENT UNREST

This week the world is focused on deliberations being conducted at the United Nations in N.Y., trying to determine the outcome of the proposed Palestinian bid for statehood. Few are paying attention to what will happen after international leaders have packed their bags and gone home. Few are concerned by the increased level of protests by both Palestinians and Israelis living in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and East Jerusalem. The international press corps has paid little attention to the IDF call-up of reservists who are preparing for emergency orders. And, there have been few reports about IDF troops training in riot control in the event of possible violent activity leading to a Palestinian third Intifada (uprising). All eyes, instead, are looking at the diplomatic war currently going on in N.Y., and not the military conflict that could follow closely on its heels.

Behind the scenes in Israel, with tensions running high, the IDF is feverishly trying to coordinate its military operations in the territories because IDF commanders want to prevent an outbreak in hostilities as a result of unmet expectations on both sides of the conflict.

Not only have the Palestinians become emboldened by the prospect of international approval of statehood, Israeli Arabs living inside villages and towns within the Jewish state are showing signs of aggression, too.

While the world observes various statesmen arriving in N.Y., more and more Hamas flags are being raised in Hebron. The city is already at a boiling point of unrest between Israelis and Palestinians living there. The introduction of new terrorist cells into an already fragile street scene in Hebron could cause an eruption that would be hard to contain by IDF troops operating inside the city.

Though there hasn’t been true unity between the Palestinians in the West Bank and those living in Gaza, Hamas has been given greater freedom to roam the streets of Hebron which is under partial Palestinian control. Since the so-called unity agreement between Fatah and Hamas was signed earlier this year, the Palestinians have begun to turn a blind eye towards the formation of new terror cells that want to renew suicide bombings against Israel.

In June of this year, Israel’s security services, in coordination with the IDF, exposed a Hamas terror cell in Hebron that was in its final stage of preparing a terrorist attack against Israeli citizens. The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, a military wing of Hamas, directed the operations of the Hebron terror cell. The cell had been instructed to try and kidnap an Israeli soldier as a bargaining chip. They were also waiting to be equipped with weapons that would help them carry out the attack. These weapons were to be smuggled into Hebron from the Gaza Strip via the Sinai in Egypt. Israeli forces caught wind of the impending attack because there are still IDF troops operating in the West Bank in areas that are under joint Israeli-Palestinian control. These troops are able to get the intelligence needed to stop a terrorist attack, even in its final stage.

Information released by the Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center revealed that the Hebron network also had a branch in Jerusalem. This is the same terror cell that conducted a terrorist attack at a bus station near the International Convention Center in Jerusalem on March 23, 2011. A British Christian was killed and 47 Israeli citizens were injured.

On August 21, 2011, one of the terrorist cells operating in Jerusalem planned to carry out a suicide bombing in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev. The would-be suicide bomber was detained by Israeli security forces on the Temple Mount. In a home in East Jerusalem, the security forces found a large explosive charge that consisted of a fire extinguisher covered in metal pellets and filled with explosives. This was what the suicide bomber planned to use in his assault. The same Jerusalem terror cell he was involved in was planning to conduct shooting attacks in the Gush Etzion area, including attempted kidnappings of Israelis living there.

Dozens of Hamas members operating inside Hebron and Jerusalem have now been detained as a result of their planned terror operations against Israeli civilian population centers. Interrogation of these cell members has shown that some of the logistical assistance was provided by Hamas headquarters in Syria, as well as in the Gaza Strip.

A disturbing factor is that recruiting and operations for the terrorist attacks were being directed by a Hamas military operative currently residing in Saudi Arabia. It proves that these are not isolated plans by lone haters of Israel, but well-developed and coordinated actions conducted by those with ties to Sunni radical Islamists.

It is apparent that these terror groups who support jihad against Israel are planning a hostile takeover of West Bank cities and towns. They could initiate provocations during popular demonstrations by Palestinians supporting statehood, and by Israelis opposing it. They could also try and carry out a suicide bombing to draw attention away from future Palestinian diplomatic activity towards statehood.

What’s important to clarify is that these terror groups, operating under the direction of militant Sunni leaders, want to destroy Israel. They are not interested in a peaceful solution of the Middle East conflict; nor, do they care about a partial diplomatic solution that might help Palestinians living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem fulfill their dream of statehood.

So while international leaders in New York are engaged in discussions at the UN, looking to see which nation will vote in favor of Palestinian statehood, and which nation will not, the world should not lose focus on what could happen the day after these deliberations are completed. It could be an explosive outcome that many aren’t prepared for. It could turn the current diplomacy into a powder keg of violence, furthering instability in the Middle East. This would increase the bloodshed and suffering already being experienced by people living in the region.

“Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace; and do not be still, O God! For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people. And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, ‘Come and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’ For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You.” Psalm 83:1-5

PRAYER POINTS:

1) During these strategic times, it is important to remember that “He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” Pray that Israelis will lift up their eyes to the hills and see where their help comes from. Their help comes from the Lord, who is the Maker of heaven and earth. Thank Him that He will not allow their feet to be moved! Declare that God is the keeper of the Jewish people. Proclaim that He shall preserve them from all evil; that He shall preserve their souls. Pray that as they go in and come out, the Lord will preserve His people from this time forth and even forevermore! (See Psalm 121).

(2) Pray that the Lord will call forth intercessors in the nations to coordinate solemn assemblies, according to 2 Chronicles 7:14. Pray that leaders of nations will come under conviction and repent and turn from their wicked ways so that God can heal their land. Pray that the nations will line up with the Lord’s Kingdom purposes concerning Israel.


(3) Pray that no weapon formed against Israel will prosper. Pray that every tongue which rises against Israel in judgment shall be condemned by God. Declare and decree that this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is from Him. (See Isaiah 54:17).

(4) Pray for protection for Israeli soldiers, reservists, security forces, police units and all those who have been called up to prepare for violence in the land. Pray that God thwarts the plans of the enemy. Proclaim that God will shield His people from harm, and secure the borders of Israel. Pray that within Israel’s borders, there will be an extra measure of protection on the Israeli people. (See Psalm 18:1-3).