There are those who describe the events of the past few weeks as a “wave of violence” sweeping Israel. Channel 10 prefers “wave of terror.” Some consider the terror attacks throughout October a third intifada. No one knows how long it will continue, how many names will be added to the list of those killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how it will end. But one thing is already clear: The forces of darkness have overcome the forces of good. Everyone is losing in the war being waged these days on Israeli city streets, except those who love land and hate people, false prophets and mindless small-time politicos.

The smallest loss is the damage to the Israeli economy. In an interview with Al-Monitor's Mazal Mualem, the president of the Israel Manufacturers Association, Shraga Brosh, described the impact of terrorism on the economy as "very significant." Economists foresee a significant drop in growth and GNP and an increase in unemployment. The price is being paid by Jewish merchants left without an income now that the stabbing attacks have emptied the malls of shoppers. The price is being paid by Palestinian citizens of Israel who are being asked to stay away from their work at schools, where they are suddenly perceived as a threat. The price is being paid by Palestinian laborers who are staying away from their places of employment at the hotels and construction sites of west Jerusalem for fear of being targeted by Jewish thugs.

Another loss is that of security. Absent diplomatic tools to douse the flames and restore a sense of personal safety to the Jewish public, the government has to resort to the usual measures: more police, more soldiers, more roadblocks, more speeches. Aside from the last, all require the allocation of additional funding and cuts in training by the various defense forces. That, in turn, means a decline in the combat capability and readiness of the Israel Defense Forces, burnout for the border and national police forces, increased criminal activity and less law enforcement in general. By the way, anyone still remember the Iranian threat?

The third loser is the rule of law in Israel. The current wave of violence is characterized by a new phenomenon: shooting to kill at Palestinian assailants or at people suspected of being terrorists, even when there’s no need for the sake of self-defense. On the other hand, in all the incidents involving suspected Jewish perpetrators, not a single shot was fired. While trigger-happy conduct should be avoided under all circumstances, the number of Jewish assailants who were arrested is negligible.