Defense Minister Ya’alon: Israel will be victorious in century-old war on terror

Israel’s struggle against Palestinian terrorism is a century-old conflict which has yet to end, but Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon is confident Israel will ultimately prevail.

By: Atara Beck, World Israel News

Minister of Defense Moshe Ya’alon rejected calls for a broader IDF operation in Judea and Samaria or targeted killings to stem the wave of Palestinian terror attacks saying they were not necessary, while stating he was confident that Israel would prevail in the war on terror.

Speaking to Kol Israel Radio on Sunday, Ya’alon traced the origin of the current wave of terror to the days before the establishment of the state, saying Israel was still in the midst of its struggle for independence.

The wave of terror attacks “did not start today and won’t end [in the near future],” he clarified, saying this has been an ongoing battle for the past 120 years.

He stressed that the IDF was operating every night and arresting dozens of terrorists on a daily basis, while operating in any area the terrorists were hiding, including areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA).

“There is no need for [full military] divisions. Undercover forces move in, make the arrest, and exit. Dozens of such operations occur in a day,” he explained.

Ya’alon again said that the cause for the endless string of terror attacks which have been plaguing Israel for the past two-and-a-half months is incitement by the Palestinian leadership, pointing to the fact that a 13-year-old boy takes a knife and commits an attack because of the “poison he absorbs” in the Palestinian educational system. “Children don’t carry out attacks due to the lack of diplomatic expectations,” he added.

“Our test is not one of immediate results. In these types of conflicts, there is a need for endurance and determination, as well as creativity, and we are doing this. This won’t end immediately, and all of the various ideas or natural expectations for some sort of military maneuver that will deal with the situation and finish it [instantly are wrong],” Ya’alon said.