Opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu’s agenda March 31 left no room for doubt: The former prime minister is leading a campaign in which he claims that the Change Government is not capable of dealing with the new terror wave.

The terror attacks in Beersheba (March 22), Hadera (March 27) and Bnei Brak (March 29) had a strong effect on the Israeli public. The sight of the wounded and dead victims who were murdered near their homes on an ordinary day served to bring back the collective trauma of the second intifada in the early 2000s. Many people started to look into the option of buying weapons and security was beefed up around the schools. In short, “fear” returned to the streets.

Netanyahu used this atmosphere as a kind of political weapon against the Change Government leadership. He must have known that he might be criticized for cynically using the violence as a tool to frighten the public, yet he took his chances and went out to the street to make appearances. The former prime minister is an expert in turning a situation to his political benefit.

Back to March 31: Netanyahu began the afternoon with a video he filmed starring Likud legislator Avi Dichter at his side — the same Dichter who served as head of the Shin Bet during the second intifada. With a stern face, Netanyahu announced, “We must restore security and peace and quiet to Israel’s citizens. The way to do this is to operate very severely against terror. The Likud party will advance the bill proposed by Knesset member and former Shin Bet head Avi Dichter to revoke the citizenship of terrorists who are Israeli citizens, who receive salaries from the Palestinian Authority.”