Analysis The Nightmare Scenario That Has Worried Israel for Months

Amos Harel, haaretz.com

Image from article, with caption: Palestinian police loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas dressed in riot gear, show their skills during an exercise in the West Bank town of Jericho, Feb. 12, 2008.

Sunday’s attack by a Palestinian Authority security service officer on 3 Israeli soldiers underscores the ongoing failure by the IDF and Shin Bet to stop lone-wolf attacks before they happen.

Excerpt:

It’s still not certain that a new trend is emerging, although the assailant’s identity is likely to serve as fodder for Israeli public diplomacy in its attacks on the PA and its demands that PA President Mahmoud Abbas stop the terror. In practice, all the relevant Israeli defense agencies – the defense minister, senior IDF officers, the Shin Bet security service and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories – constantly stress the need to preserve the excellent security coordination with the PA and the efforts the PA security services have made in recent weeks, especially against Hamas terrorist cells in the West Bank. ...