Fighting Terrorism

Israeli Security Force Operation in Jenin and the Jenin Refugee Camp Review and Summary

Shortly before 2 a.m. on July 5, 2023, the Israeli security force operation in Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp ended; it had lasted for 48 hours and led to the destruction of about one thousand IEDs, the exposure and destruction of dozens of sites for the manufacture of weapons, underground shafts, and command and operation rooms. In addition, hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of shekels used to fund terrorist activities were seized. An IDF fighter was killed as the forces left the area. Three "revenge attacks" were carried out during the activity: a combined vehicular ramming and stabbing in Tel Aviv, a stabbing in Bnei Brak and a shooting at the settlement of Avnei Hefetz (southeast of Tulkarm). Five rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at the Israeli communities near the border as the activity wound down. In response to the rocket attack, Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked two Hamas terrorist targets in Gaza. Read more...

Israeli Security Force Activity in Jenin and Initial Reactions As of 1 p.m., July 3, 2023

At approximately 1 a.m. on July 3, 2023, Israeli security forces began a military activity in Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp. It started with aerial attacks on terrorist targets, including the joint operations room used by the military-terrorist wings of the Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Jenin refugee camp as a base for terrorist activities and attacks. During the aerial attacks a large ground force entered the city accompanied by engineering vehicles. The Jerusalem Brigades', the military-terrorist wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) declared the Palestinian name for the activity would be "Jenin's great might." They called on Palestinians in all the cities, villages and refugee camps, especially those near Jenin, to clash with the Israeli security forces and support Jenin and its fighters in all the arenas. It is the most extensive activity carried out by Israeli security forces in the Jenin region since Operation Defensive Shield during the second intifada in 2002. As of 1 p.m. the ministry of health in Ramallah reported eight Palestinian fatalities and 50 wounded. Several dozen Palestinians were detained by Israeli security forces on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activity. Read more...

Palestinian Activity in Jenin in Reaction to the IDF Presence in Judea and Samaria

The Jenin refugee campis controlled by military-terrorist wings, led by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Jerusalem Brigades, and has become a center for terrorism in Judea and Samaria. Their activities include the recent attempts to shoot at Israeli communities near the border and attempts, so far unsuccessful, to manufacture rockets and launch them into Israeli territory. The refugee camp, with its various resident terrorist organizations, operates as one organism and is almost independent; the Palestinian Authority (PA) has virtually no presence or influence in the camp. The Jenin refugee camp is unique in its militancy and organized offensives against Israeli security force activity. The opposition to the Israeli security forces of the Jenin refugee camp inspires the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria. This report investigates the recent events in the Jenin refugee camp and presents information about the methods used by the terrorist operatives; their intelligence and operations, including the development of operational capabilities and weapons; improvement in the ability of their monitoring units to alert the camp to the entry of IDF forces and their locations; the fast, capable identification of the IDF units and even their ability to identify IDF special forces (such as undercover and intelligence units); monitoring the types of weapons the IDF forces use; etc. Read more...

Palestinian reactions to Israel’s decision to outlaw organizations affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)

On October 22, 2021, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz issued an order designating six Palestinian social-civilian organizations (NGOs) as terrorist organizations. The order permits the legal confiscation of the organizations' assets and the legal sanctions to be imposed on anyone participating in their activities. Read more...

Iranian Subversion in Bahrain: The United States designates the Saraya al-Mukhtar as a Bahraini terrorist organization handled by Iran

On December 15, 2020, the American State Department announced it was designating the Bahraini terrorist organization Saraya al-Mukhtar as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization. According to the announcement, the organization receives "financial and logistic support" from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. The organization's "self-described goal is to depose the Bahraini government with the intention of paving the way for Iran to exert greater influence in Bahrain" (State Department website, December 15, 2020). Read more...

More countries have recently declared all of Hezbollah a terrorist organization but some EU countries still refrain from doing so.

On March 1, 2019, Britain designated all of Hezbollah (i.e., both its military and political infrastructures) as a terrorist organization. Thus, Britain joined Israel, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands. In the wake of Britain, a new wave of similar declarations began, with American encouragement, from European and Latin American countries. Read more...

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Fighting Terrorism

One of the global challenges today is the war on terrorism. There are a variety of means and methods available to the war on terrorism, one of which is conventional military force. There are other approaches to the war on terrorism beyond the military, such as preventing financing, enforcing laws, using political and economic measures to cut organizations off from their supporters, and infiltrating counterterrorism agents into terrorist organizations in order to expose them. In addition, a political and PR struggle against the organizations and the countries sponsoring terrorism is also being waged.
There are a variety of entities involved in the war on terrorism, among them military, internal security, judicial and economic bodies. Many countries have established units especially to fight terrorism, whose duties include preventive counterterrorism measures and fighting in real time.

Science and technology can also help in the war on terrorism because the global terrorism environment is constantly changing and the terrorist organizations become more sophisticated as they exploit technical innovations to increase their threats. The cyber arena is becoming more and more prominent in fighting terrorism, both in defensive as well as offensive terms.

The Anti-Terrorism Law, 5776-2016, was passed in Israel. The purpose of the law is to provide the state authorities with the appropriate tools in the area of criminal and public law to cope with the terrorist threats faced by the State of Israel. The Anti-Terrorism Law stipulates serious penalties for terrorists and members of terrorist organizations. The law also stipulates penalties for persons expressing support for terrorism or affiliated with a terrorist organization. The law regulates the issue of declaring an organization as a terrorist organization and the use of administrative detention. In addition to making the penalties for terrorist offenses more severe, the law replaces many regulations that were part of the Defense (Emergency) Regulations. The law was passed by the Knesset in June 2016, and entered into effect on November 1, 2016.