“It’s not enough to deal with the security aspects of this wave of terrorism. At the same time, we must intensify our supervision and control over the school system and media in East Jerusalem. Otherwise we cannot fight against the shaping of ideas that lead to terrorism,” said Immigrant Absorption Minister Zeev Elkin, a member of the diplomatic-security Cabinet, in an interview with Al-Monitor.
Elkin, a Likud member, also proposes punitive measures against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for his anti-Israel incitement, for example by pulling his VIP pass or imposing economic sanctions against him.
The interview with Elkin was conducted on Oct. 15, at the end of a tumultuous week for security issues. The week started with a dramatic spike in terrorism in the heart of Israel and ended on a more subdued note. According to Elkin, no conclusions can be drawn as yet from the decline in recorded attacks. He claimed that we are facing a new type of terrorism, one not orchestrated by an organized leadership, as was the case in the second intifada, but rather by pervasive sentiments on the street and on social media that prompt young people to act, much like the Arab Spring. “We should be asking ourselves what influences this atmosphere and what builds it up,” said Elkin. “If we want to get a handle on this, beyond dealing with the security aspects, we have to deal with the root cause.”
The full text of the interview follows:
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
