An 84-year-old woman named Rachel Shlomit Ovadya was bludgeoned to death yesterday in the Tel Aviv suburb of Holon in what is suspected to be a terrorist attack. Prime Minister Yair Lapid was updated on the incident during his meeting in New York with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, tweeting that “terrorism is the embodiment of pure evil. This is a shocking attack by a despicable and cowardly terrorist who murdered an elderly woman who could not fight him.” Lapid pledged to handle terrorism with an iron fist and track down all its perpetrators. 

Also yesterday, while touring the Israel Defense Forces' West Bank division base, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, “In the last few months we have arrested and hit more than a thousand terrorists.” He then added that in his talks with the brigade commanders in the sector, he stressed to them that they have full freedom of activity to prevent terrorist attacks but also the need to act responsibly.

Why does it matter? The recent security flare-ups in the West Bank have yet to be classified as a major wave of terrorism. Nevertheless, Israel’s security forces are keeping a worried watch on the changes of mood in the region and a concurrent weakening of the Palestinian Authority. The IDF and the Shin Bet have increased their activities in the West Bank significantly, causing friction with local terrorist groups and contributing, so to say, to the escalation in tensions. 

But apart from the security aspect, this recent wave of violence is also likely to impact the internal Israeli political scene. Lapid and Gantz must show they are controlling developments and protecting the lives of Israeli citizens.