Police send officers to South, brace for 'spontaneous terrorism'

Officials express concern that Hamas would try to carry out suicide bombings or kidnap soldiers as a result of the Gaza operation.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Border Policemen shhot 248.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Border Policemen shhot 248.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
The Israel Police sent many officers to the South as reinforcements on Saturday and braced for the possibility of Arab rioting and unplanned acts of terrorism across Israel and the West Bank. Police officials also expressed concern that Hamas would try to carry out suicide bombings or attempt to kidnap soldiers as a result of the Gaza operation. Amakim Police arrested three youths in Nazareth for throwing rocks at the local police station. "We will take on incidents of disorder with determination and in an immediate way," the police said in a statement. Unplanned demonstrations by Israeli Arabs against the IDF's Gaza operation were also held in Haifa, Umm el-Fahm and Sakhnin. Galilee Police reported peaceful demonstrations, which ended without violence or arrests. Some of the incidents over the past 24 hours bore a striking resemblance to the simulations drawn up by police planners during the largest ever police drill, held last week, which focused on mass Arab rioting and attacks across the country. Police Commissioner Insp.-Gen. Dudi Cohen held a series of situation analyses on Saturday, and visited the Ashkelon Municipality's Command and Control room. "Our working assumption is to mobilize across a very wide area so that we can respond when the rockets land," Cohen told Ashkelon Mayor Benny Vakin. "We have had disturbances in the North, in Wadi Ara. Our aim is to provide a sense of security and to prevent incidents of spontaneous terrorism. The tractor attacks in Jerusalem are an example of spontaneous terror attacks," he explained. Judea and Samaria Police told The Jerusalem Post that they were on standby in the West Bank for a host of incidents of mass rioting. The IDF, meanwhile, had dealt with rock throwing in the area on Saturday.