Friday, July 09, 2010

9-Jul-10: The unbearable ordinariness of terrorist threats to ordinary people

As the summer travel season gets into full swing, there's yet another reminder of the growing role of terror in the lives of ordinary people.

An official “concrete, high risk” warning of terrorist attacks directed against ordinary Israeli civilians was made some hours ago by Israel's National Security Council Counter-Terrorism Bureau. Its general advisory warns all Israelis traveling abroad to increase their customary alertness, particularly businesspersons and Israelis who previously served in public service roles. They're all targets, "at a high risk for kidnapping or murder” according to the dry government office statement.

The background is that Hizbullah is reliably reported to be seeking vengeance against Israelis for the demise of the notorious terrorist mastermind Imad Mugniyeh in 2008. In addition, the Iranian regime blames Israel for the untimely passing of one of its nuclear scientists.

Things are not altogether better for Israelis staying home for the holidays. Statistics just released for the month of June show the number of terror attacks in Israel reaching 62, about the same as the number for May (63 attacks). June's data show a decline in terror attacks in the Jerusalem area (7 in June, 14 in May), but an increase in terror originating in the Hamas-dominated Gaza Strip (34 in June, 32 in May). Terror in Judea/Samaria rose to the level of 21 attacks in June (17 in May). June's Israeli victims of terrorism include a soon-to-be-married police officer killed and 2 others injured in a South Mt. Hebron area drive-by shooting; and two Border Police officers injured when attacked by a man-and-his-motor-vehicle attack in Jerusalem.

No comments: