Palestinians express support for spate of terror attacks in Jerusalem, which killed 11 Israelis
This article was published during a period of high tension in Jerusalem. During October and November 2014, Palestinians murdered 11 Israelis using guns, knives, and cars, and wounded dozens.
“[Palestinian] residents of Jerusalem are noticing that the settlers in occupied Jerusalem have become hysterical and confused following the series of recent individual operations (i.e. terror attacks), which seriously disrupted the settlers’ [daily] lives. [Palestinian] residents of Jerusalem noted that they had not seen the settlers in such a state since 1967, despite the fact that the settlers had faced difficult times during the Al-Aqsa Intifada (i.e., PA terror campaign, 2000-2005) and the [period of the] Shahada (Martyrdom-) seeking operations (i.e., suicide terror attacks). Hussein Al-Rajabi, a Jerusalem taxi driver, said that during his work recently, he has noticed the confusion of the settlers, for Jerusalem is no longer the safe city it used to be for them in the past. He specified two points [in particular] that have contributed to this state of confusion and fear among the settlers of Jerusalem: The nature of the individual operations – especially the run-over operations – which cause the settler to feel that at any moment, he may be the target for any speeding car, and the fact that those who carry out [these attacks] are residents of Jerusalem…
Head of the Al-Aqsa Mosque's Manuscript Department Sheikh Najah Bakirat said: ‘We must salute the culture of resistance and not surrender, in order to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy places, for when the enemy fights us, he will ignore us if we are weak. Therefore, [in confronting] this enemy, we must choose the path of resistance, rather than that of negotiations. He noted: ‘The path of negotiations has led to great losses for us, and I believe that only resistance can make this enemy understand that the [Palestinian] nation is alive, and that its cause will never die.’
Muhammad Abu Ghosh, a young activist from Jerusalem, said that the Jerusalem operations (i.e., terror attacks) dealt a serious blow to the occupation army and its intelligence establishment. He noted that the occupation has not succeeded in thwarting [these operations], as this is a battle between the occupation army and a quarter of a million residents of Jerusalem. He clarified that the Israelis have understood that the invasions of the Al-Aqsa Mosque will not be passed over in silence, and that they will pay a heavy price. He stressed that the settlers’ loss of personal security in Jerusalem has become a concrete phenomenon, and that there are two foundations which, if struck at, would lead to the destruction of the settlement enterprise: personal security and economic benefit.”
Note: The “series of recent individual operations” is a reference to the following attacks:
- On Oct. 22 and Nov. 5, 2014, two separate terror attacks took place in which Palestinians drove their cars into pedestrians in Jerusalem, killing 4 and injuring dozens.
- On Oct. 29, 2014, Islamic Jihad member Mutaz Hijazi attempted to assassinate Rabbi Yehuda Glick, a prominent activist working to assure rights for Jews to visit and pray on the Temple Mount.
- On Nov. 10, 2014, a Palestinian stabbed and killed a soldier at a Tel Aviv train station. On the same day, a Palestinian armed with a knife attacked a group of Israelis at a bus stop in the West Bank, killing one.
- On Nov. 18, 2014, two Palestinian terrorists attacked worshippers in a synagogue in Jerusalem with knives, cleavers, and guns, killing 5:
“[Palestinian] residents of Jerusalem are noticing that the settlers in occupied Jerusalem have become hysterical and confused following the series of recent individual operations (i.e. terror attacks), which seriously disrupted the settlers’ [daily] lives. [Palestinian] residents of Jerusalem noted that they had not seen the settlers in such a state since 1967, despite the fact that the settlers had faced difficult times during the Al-Aqsa Intifada (i.e., PA terror campaign, 2000-2005) and the [period of the] Shahada (Martyrdom-) seeking operations (i.e., suicide terror attacks). Hussein Al-Rajabi, a Jerusalem taxi driver, said that during his work recently, he has noticed the confusion of the settlers, for Jerusalem is no longer the safe city it used to be for them in the past. He specified two points [in particular] that have contributed to this state of confusion and fear among the settlers of Jerusalem: The nature of the individual operations – especially the run-over operations – which cause the settler to feel that at any moment, he may be the target for any speeding car, and the fact that those who carry out [these attacks] are residents of Jerusalem…
Head of the Al-Aqsa Mosque's Manuscript Department Sheikh Najah Bakirat said: ‘We must salute the culture of resistance and not surrender, in order to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy places, for when the enemy fights us, he will ignore us if we are weak. Therefore, [in confronting] this enemy, we must choose the path of resistance, rather than that of negotiations. He noted: ‘The path of negotiations has led to great losses for us, and I believe that only resistance can make this enemy understand that the [Palestinian] nation is alive, and that its cause will never die.’
Muhammad Abu Ghosh, a young activist from Jerusalem, said that the Jerusalem operations (i.e., terror attacks) dealt a serious blow to the occupation army and its intelligence establishment. He noted that the occupation has not succeeded in thwarting [these operations], as this is a battle between the occupation army and a quarter of a million residents of Jerusalem. He clarified that the Israelis have understood that the invasions of the Al-Aqsa Mosque will not be passed over in silence, and that they will pay a heavy price. He stressed that the settlers’ loss of personal security in Jerusalem has become a concrete phenomenon, and that there are two foundations which, if struck at, would lead to the destruction of the settlement enterprise: personal security and economic benefit.”
Note: The “series of recent individual operations” is a reference to the following attacks:
- On Oct. 22 and Nov. 5, 2014, two separate terror attacks took place in which Palestinians drove their cars into pedestrians in Jerusalem, killing 4 and injuring dozens.
- On Oct. 29, 2014, Islamic Jihad member Mutaz Hijazi attempted to assassinate Rabbi Yehuda Glick, a prominent activist working to assure rights for Jews to visit and pray on the Temple Mount.
- On Nov. 10, 2014, a Palestinian stabbed and killed a soldier at a Tel Aviv train station. On the same day, a Palestinian armed with a knife attacked a group of Israelis at a bus stop in the West Bank, killing one.
- On Nov. 18, 2014, two Palestinian terrorists attacked worshippers in a synagogue in Jerusalem with knives, cleavers, and guns, killing 5: