Israel's defense establishment is increasingly concerned about a significant deterioration in the security situation in Judea and Samaria following a series of terrorist incidents over the past week.
According to a report by military correspondent Doron Kadosh on Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio), security officials have identified a change in Palestinian Arab behavior and warn that "the barrier of fear has been broken."
According to the officials, the common thread in the weekend's incidents is the growing willingness of Palestinian Arabs to confront Jews entering Arab villages in large numbers, particularly in response to Jewish visits to the villages and what Arabs describe as provocations. The defense establishment believes this trend carries the potential for significant escalation.
According to the report, one of the scenarios being examined in security discussions is a broad popular uprising by Palestinian Arab villages against Jews, involving mass violence, the seizure of weapons, and attempts to attack nearby Israeli communities and farms.
Security officials say their concerns are more comparable to the patterns seen during the First Intifada than those of the Second Intifada.
The report also noted that the previous night saw at least five incidents of what it described as Jewish nationalist crime, including the arson of mosques, the burning of vehicles, and an attempted arson attack on an occupied home in the village of Beit Furik. According to the report, the family noticed what was happening and managed to leave the house before it caught fire, preventing a disaster.
The defense establishment also views Friday's terrorist attack as another indication of changing patterns on the ground and warns that, if the trend continues, it could lead to a much broader escalation.