(Jewish Chronicle-UK) Amb. Tzipi Hotovely - Innocent Israeli civilians have been the target of countless terror attacks, many orchestrated from Jenin. In the last year alone, 50 terrorist attacks have been orchestrated from there. The militant armed groups seek to destroy the State of Israel and fundamentally oppose Western values. Since September 2022, at least 19 terrorists are known to have fled to Jenin after committing attacks. If the Palestinian leadership undertook to counter threats originating from Jenin, then Israel would have no interest in operating there. But in the current reality, Israel has no option but to act. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad delegations recently visited Tehran and met the Supreme Leader, who said the "growing power" of Palestinian groups was "the key to bringing the Zionist enemy to its knees." The ungoverned spaces that exist inside the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), due to years of neglect and a leadership that preferred to invest in terrorism instead of investing in education for peace, has fostered a new and dangerous environment that has allowed terrorists to thrive. Israel has no quarrel with the Palestinian people. Unfortunately, as long as the Palestinian leadership chooses to invest in terror, incitement and incentives to carry out attacks against Jews, we will not be able to move forward and will have to continue to protect our citizens. Only when the Palestinian leadership acknowledges that Israel is an integral part of the Middle East will there be a genuine chance for peace. The writer is Israel's ambassador to Britain.
2023-07-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive