Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz held an unusual consultation on the eve of the holiday about the security escalation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the holiday period is about to end but there are still a high number of intelligence alerts for terrorist attacks. The discussion mainly dealt with the issue of the immediate activity to eliminate the “Lions’ Den” group in the city of Nablus.
The Hamas and Islamic Jihad organizations are encouraged by the success of the terrorist wave, the Hamas organization adopted the terrorist group “Lions’ Den” in Nablus, it finances it and promotes the activity of incitement through the media and social networks, in the center of Gaza city a huge sign of the group’s members was hung.
The Shin Bet works hard in the field and also succeeds in uncovering attempts by Hamas to recruit terrorist squads in the West Bank, but the activity of the “Lions’ Den” group casts a shadow over the other terrorist groups.
This group has become a security concern for Israel which is growing and developing, it has become a symbol and an imitation and a source of inspiration for terrorist attacks, many more than its true size and strength, in total it is a group of about 30 terrorist operatives, some of whom have already been killed or arrested by the IDF forces, the Palestinian media highlight their terrorist actions and the Israeli media is not left behind and it also contributes its part in inflating the media balloon, so Israeli security officials say.
The IDF imposed a tight closure on the city of Nablus, which is very effective in preventing the terrorists from leaving the city to carry out shooting attacks on the main roads.
But it is clear that the closure cannot last long, residents of the city of Nablus began to stockpile food for fear that the IDF forces would enter the city immediately after the holiday. They will impose a curfew on it and begin an operation to kill the “Lions Den” group.
Security officials in Israel say that the decision has already been made, the IDF and Shin Bet are planning the operation and gathering the necessary intelligence.
The danger in the activity of the terrorist group “Lions’ Den” is not only in the security danger it poses but in its influence on the Palestinian street, it began by distributing messages and instructions for commercial strikes in the West Bank, for demonstrations and support for the Shoafat refugee camp and reinforces the ideology of the armed struggle against Israel.
It creates a “consciousness of struggle and terrorism”, and the fear in the security establishment is that terrorist groups in other cities in the West Bank will arise to imitate it.
The PA failed to convince the members of the “Lions’ Den” to hand over their weapons and stop the terrorist acts, on the other hand, it fears that a major operation by the IDF in the city of Nablus will further weaken the power of the PA, that is why the chairman of the PA is working with various officials in order to convince Israel to avoid a massive entry into the city of Nablus, on the other hand, he himself fears a direct and armed confrontation of the PA security forces with the “Lions’ Den” terrorists for fear that this will lead to a civil war.
He continues the policies of Yasser Arafat but in a more sophisticated way, even though the activities of the “Lions’ Den” group also undermine the stability of his rule.
The “Lions’ Den” group is very popular on the Palestinian street, especially among the younger generation and a large part of the Palestinian public obeys its instructions and supports its terrorist activities against Israel.
For months, Israel neglected the fight against the “Lions’ Den” terrorist group that grew and became the symbol of terrorism, the IDF canceled the entry permits to Israel of 164 of the family members of the group’s activists, but it is clear that this will not prevent the continuation of terrorist activities.
Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip fear that Israel may heat up the situation on the border of the Gaza Strip, through a surprise military operation, in order to divert attention from what is happening in the West Bank and calm the situation.
In a special meeting assessing the situation of the factions in the Gaza Strip, it was decided to increase alertness and vigilance.
The high security alert will continue until after the Knesset elections at the beginning of next month, the holiday period in Israel has come to an end, the terrorist organizations have succeeded in escalating the security situation in the Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, but peace is maintained on the Temple Mount thanks to the proper activity of the police.
The task now of the political and military echelon is to eliminate the phenomenon of terrorism of the “Lions’ Den” group, the IDF can do this, the elimination of its activity will certainly contribute to calming the situation in the West Bank.
