WarSclerotic

Nerves of steel, Israel Hayom, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, October 14, 2015

Tuesday was the deadliest day thus far in the wave of terrorism that has been sweeping over Israel in recent weeks. And it is clear who the main instigators of this terror wave have been — Arab residents of east Jerusalem.

Israel’s response to terrorism must be firm and swift. First of all, rapid reactions by security personnel and everyday citizens can limit the damage caused by attacks. When an attack is occurring, no one should be concerned about the consequences of killing the terrorist. These are not criminal incidents, they are terrorist attacks, and decisive action is necessary.

On Tuesday, a foreign journalist asked me why security forces shot the female terrorist at the Afula bus station last Friday instead of taking her down with non-lethal means. In response, I asked the journalist what she would think if her son was one of the security personnel facing the knife-wielding terrorist. She answered honestly, saying she would not want her son to be put in such a dilemma.

So, with all due respect to pencil-pushing critics sitting in their air-conditioned offices, we must let our security forces do their job unencumbered. They deserve our support, even if they make mistakes sometimes. But so far, they have made few, if any, mistakes during the current terror wave. Nevertheless, any operational mistakes that do occur must be probed and corrected.

In the face of these horrific terrorist attacks, we must demonstrate nerves of steel, as well as patience. We must not make populist decisions just to please the crowd.

This entry was posted on October 14, 2015 at 5:57 PM and is filed under Defense of Israel, Islamic jihad, Palestinian heroes, Palestinians. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: Defense of Israel, Islamic Jihad, Palestinian heroes, Palestinians