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Latest Palestinian Attacks Are Motivated by Incitement Combined with Hamas' Interest to Increase Terror
(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser - The recent uptick in terrorist attacks in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria is the result of ongoing incitement among the Palestinian public, combined with Hamas' interest in increasing terrorism to challenge Israel. The central themes of the Palestinian narrative are intended to create a consciousness of struggle, particularly among Palestinian youth. The Palestinians' identity is based primarily on the individual's commitment to fighting Zionism until its disappearance. As the consciousness of the struggle is embedded in their minds, there will always be some Palestinians who will feel they are fulfilling what is required of them by Palestinian society. They believe that even if they lose their lives, it is no disaster since they will become heroic martyrs. If they surrender and are imprisoned, they and their family will receive great respect and a generous salary. There are some Palestinians who are under mental stress and may seek to overcome their personal problems by carrying out an attack. However, this is not the motive for the attack, but the additional circumstances that helped them make the decision to act in this way. In parallel with the ongoing incitement, we are also witnessing Hamas' and Islamic Jihad's efforts to establish organized terrorist cells capable of unleashing attacks with a significant number of casualties. Recently, four such cells, some extensive, have been uncovered. This effort is a permanent part of Hamas' and Islamic Jihad's policy aimed at harming as many Israelis as possible, undermining national resilience in Israel, and demonstrating these movements' adherence to the path of struggle. These steps act to strengthen Hamas' position on the Palestinian street as the leader of the struggle against Israel, dragging the Palestinian Authority into a competition to increase its incitement and heap praise on the perpetrators of the attacks, while accusing Israel of executing the terrorists killed during the attacks. The writer, who headed the Research and Assessment Division of Israeli Military Intelligence, is a Senior Project Director at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.