Israel, PA officials disagree over source of West Bank violence
Despite the recent spate of attacks, Palestinian security officials argue that neither Fatah nor Hamas are interested in escalating the situation with Israel and emphasize that Israeli policies create continuous frustration among West Bank residents.
“We still think that the recent terror attacks in Israel are the actions of lone wolf attackers; they have no organizational infrastructure even though we are seeing a type of activity that is more complex than in the past,” Gen. Adnan Damiri told Al-Monitor in an interview. The Palestinian Authority (PA) security services spokesman's assessment, shared by other high-ranking PA officials, stands in stark contrast to some Israeli opinions that the recent wave of terror attacks may have organizational backing.
In the first 10 days of Ramadan, a number of terror attacks have occurred, including the June 19 murder of Danny Gonen near the Dolev settlement, the June 29 attack near the Shvut Rahel settlement that killed young Malachi Rosenfeld and other drive-by shootings. According to some views held in Israel, these attacks testify to a rather high operational level of planning and organization and are not necessarily the work of a lone wolf who carries out a random attack out of despair and frustration.
