Border Police
Border PoliceIsrael news photo: Flash 90

The current wave of “low grade” Arab terror – through use of rocks, knives etc. – continued Tuesday with two averted knife attacks.

The first incident was at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hevron, in the early evening hours. An Arab who reached the holy site aroused the suspicion of Border Police officers who are stationed there. He was inspected and a knife was found on his body. When interrogated, the Arab admitted that he intended to attack the soldiers and police at the site.

He was transferred to Hevron Police for further interrogation.

On HaGai Street in the Old City of Jerusalem, Border Police arrested a 26 year-old Arab from Ramallah, who was also armed with a knife. Under questioning, he said he had purchased the knife in order to stab Jews as revenge for the IDF operation in which the murderers of Rabbi Meir Chai were eliminated.

The incident at Hevron was preceded, two days ago, by a very similar one at the same location. Two Arabs aged 17 and 15 were arrested after knives were found on them. They admitted they wanted to carry out an attack on Jews inside the Cave of the Patriarchs.

Experts have said that "low grade” terror is achieved by the Palestinian Authority (PA) through incitement of its population in media broadcasts, speeches and the like, thus causing seemingly spontaneous acts of violence. The advantage of this kind of terror, for the PA, is that it pressures Israel but cannot be traced to PA operatives, or to members of terror groups affiliated with the PA.