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To France from Israel: Lessons on Living with Terror
(New York Times) Isabel Kershner and James Glanz - For many Israelis, the horrifying images of a truck plowing through crowds in Nice, France, struck a familiar chord. In a 2014 Palestinian attack, a tractor flipped over a bus with its bucket, killing an Israeli. In 2011, an Arab-Israeli man's truck barreled down a Tel Aviv street for a mile, killing one and wounding 17. Since October, 32 Palestinians have rammed vehicles into people at bus stops, intersections and checkpoints. That the Nice attack occurred at a mass gathering for Bastille Day, France's national holiday, had Israelis shaking their heads. Micky Rosenfeld, an Israeli police spokesman, said that to secure a major event like Independence Day celebrations, officers gather intelligence for weeks beforehand, and erect a 360-degree enclosure of the area, with layers of security around the perimeter. Main roads are typically blocked off with rows of buses, and smaller side streets with patrol cars. In addition to a large uniformed and undercover police presence, counterterrorism teams are strategically placed to provide a rapid response if needed.