The [Palestinian] Islamic Jihad [PIJ] has claimed responsibility for a stabbing attack which left an Israeli man dead on Sunday night.
The body of 42-year old Erez Levanon, of Gush Etzion, was found in an alleyway in the Palestinian village of Beit Omar, north of Hebron. On Monday, the IDF arrested two Palestinians for the murder…
In the past five years, Islamic Jihad has carried out a series of deadly suicide bombings, including a 2005 bomb attack in Tel Aviv, in which four Israelis were murdered. In 2003, an Islamic Jihad suicide bomber killed 21 and injured 60 people in an attack on the Maxim restaurant in Haifa.
[PIJ was also responsible for the recent suicide bombing in Eilat which killed three. Overall, one hundred and sixty-three civilians have been murdered by PIJ since 1995 — ed.]
Islamic Jihad’s leadership is based in Damascus, Syria, and terror analysts say it is heavily subsidized by Iran.
Proportional to population, this would be equivalent to 8,150 Americans. And this is just one ‘minor’ terrorist faction!
It goes without saying that Israel should do her best to wipe out this organization to the last man (or woman, if any). But action should also be taken against Iran and Syria, for whom the PIJ is a proxy. As long as this kind of activity is allowed to stand unchallenged, it makes a statement that Israelis are fair game.
As a starter, perhaps Israel could go to the UN security council and demand that the countries sponsoring PIJ immediately cease or face sanctions. It should be made clear that the alternative will be military reprisals against the sponsors.