The car after the attack. (Tazpit News Agency)
Malachi Rosenfeld, the latest victim of Palestinian terror, succumbed to his wounds. Meanwhile, the IDF is contending with the growing wave of Ramadan-related attacks.
Malachi Rosenfeld, 26, who was critically wounded during the Monday night terror attack, succumbed to his wounds and died on Tuesday evening at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
Rosenfeld and three other Israelis who were on their way home from a basketball game were shot and wounded by Palestinian terrorists near Shiloh.
The three other victims remain hospitalized. Two are categorized as moderately wounded, and the third is recuperating from light injuries.
This is the second time that the Rosenfeld family was struck with tragedy. Malachi’s older brother, an IAF pilot, died during a hike in the Judean Desert in 2002. “Malachi took the big brother role upon himself. He gave a lot of love to the younger children in the family,” his parents said.
This most recent act of terror is among a rapidly growing list of attacks executed by Palestinian Arabs during the Muslim month of Ramadan. In total, Palestinians have carried out six terror attacks over the course of 11 days.
The IDF decided on Tuesday to strengthen its presence in the region and deployed an additional infantry battalion. The army also suspended most of the goodwill gestures made to the Palestinian population for the month of Ramadan and reinstated most of the security restrictions.
“The moment we get our hands on the perpetrators of the recent attacks, we believe that the attacks will stop,” a high-ranking IDF officer told Ynet.
He stressed that the situation in Israel is very different from the days of the Second Intifada, “notwithstanding recent attacks. The recent attacks are a local group, and there is no connection between the attacks. There is no terror infrastructure behind the attacks.”
Sharp Climb in PA-Incited Terror
Regarding the mounting wave of terror, Yoram Cohen, head of the Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency), said on Tuesday that since 2012, there has been an annual increase of 50 percent in the volume of terror attacks, with 683 terror attacks in 2012 and a staggering 1,834 in 2014. Operation Protective Edge should be taken into consideration when relating to these numbers.
Shin Bet Chief Yoram Cohen. (Flash90)
Most of the attacks were committed by Palestinian terrorists who were acting on their own and were not affiliated with any terror network, he said.
As for the security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), which the Palestinians have repeatedly threatened to suspend, Cohen said that it enables the PA to survive the various threats posed by rival Palestinian factions. He added that the Palestinians in general are interested primarily in their financial welfare.
No PA or UN Condemnation
“Even after all these violent incidents, the Palestinian leadership is silent and refuses to condemn the murder of innocent people,” Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor stated on Tuesday, while demanding that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon denounce the attacks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the Palestinian leadership on Tuesday for not condemning the recent spate of attacks on Israelis.
“The fact that up until now, the Palestinian Authority has not condemned these attacks needs to bother not only us, but also the international community as a whole. Those who do not take an unequivocal stand against terrorism cannot wash their hands,” Netanyahu said.
Israel has repeatedly shown that the official Palestinian media preaches hatred toward Israel and incites to violence. Palestinian officials declined to comment on Netanyahu’s remarks.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel
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