It is no longer just a knife intifada. It’s not even an intifada of individuals anymore. Israel’s security forces have begun to note a new type of attack, in which two or three assailants work together, using homemade guns.

For example, two of the most recent attacks near the Old City of Jerusalem — one near Herod’s Gate March 8, and the other near Damascus Gate March 9 — were shootings that used makeshift rifles known affectionately throughout the territories as the “Carlo.” Another attack near the Damascus Gate, which resulted in the death of border police officer Hadar Cohen Feb. 3 involved three perpetrators who also used a homemade rifle.

The Palestinian rifle is a knockoff of the old Swedish Carl Gustav submachine gun, which was developed in the 1940s. The Palestinians are hardly proud of this rather primitive product, which is manufactured using privately owned lathes in Nablus and Jenin. Modeled after an antiquated weapon dating back to the final days of World War II, the Carlo is not known for its dependibility.

The systematic manufacture of the Carlo in the territories began more than a decade ago. In those early days, it was made and used primarily by gangs of car thieves and drug dealers in turf wars.