At a press conference Wednesday, police said that observation balloons they have been flying over the Arab neighborhoods of Beit Hanina and Shuafat have been very helpful in cutting down episodes of violence. The balloons, equipped with cameras, beam high resolution pictures of the areas to police, who can analyze them and take action to prevent small incidents from getting out of hand.
The balloons are just one aspect of new advanced technology police are using as part of a new plan to combat terrorism in Jerusalem. With terror attacks rising in the city in recent weeks, police on Wednesday introduced a new plan to restore calm and security for residents and visitors. The plan includes deploying more police at trouble spots and at sensitive times, new units – both uniformed and undercover - and the institution of new technologies for patrolling, detecting, and preventing trouble.
Watch - rock-throwers nabbed by police:
In what some are calling a “silent intifada,” Jerusalemites and visitors to the city have been subjected to endless rock attacks, riots, and violence. Fatah terrorists have been engaged in gun battles in and around Jerusalem, and were recently filmed firing automatic weapons into the air in the capital. Hamas has also been getting in on the action; another recent video shows terrorists with Hamas headbands shooting at an IDF Border Patrol post with modified sub-machine guns in Jerusalem's Shuafat neighborhood. Aside from the shooting incidents, Jews have been targeted in several ambush lynch attempts, aside from the incessant rock throwing attacks. The Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, has been a focal point of the Arab violence, with Arab riots repeatedly forcing the closure of entry to Jewish visitors.
In addition to the new technology, police are going on a major recruiting campaign, hoping to sign up young Israelis for a career in law enforcement. Television, radio, newspaper, and website campaigns have been kicked off, emphasizing the important responsibility police have in keeping peace in the country, as well as the benefits that police are eligible for.