Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

Benjamin Netanyahu Says No Quick Fix for Outbreak of Violence

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday there was no quick fix for the latest wave of Palestinian lone-wolf attacks the Jewish state has faced in recent days and that strong steps would be taken against those inciting to violence.

“We are in the midst of a wave of terror … the actions (we are taking) do not yield instant results like a magic but with methodical determination we will prove that terror does not pay and we will defeat it,” Netanyahu said in a primetime news conference, with top security officials by his side.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed incitement by Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and others for the recent wave of attacks on Israelis.

At a news conference Thursday night broadcast nationally, Netanyahu said the past two days of terror attacks throughout the country were a direct result of incitement by those entities as well as neighboring Arab states and the Islamic movement in Israel.

At least eight stabbing attacks have taken place over Wednesday and Thursday.

“Terrorism didn’t start today, it’s been here since Zionism began. We will defeat it,” Netanyahu asserted, praising the “strong country of strong people.”

Netanyahu spoke directly to the mothers of Israel, telling them that their fear of sending their children outside is “natural,” and called on citizens to be “alert.”

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said that terror in Israel has been ongoing since the second intifada that began in 2000. He said of the current terror wave: “We will not allow harm to the security of Israeli citizens and for their lives to be disrupted.”

Yaalon called the recent “lone wolf” attacks a “more complex challenge” that requires citizens to be more alert.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan praised the “heroism on the part of police and citizens.”—With JTA

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.