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Have Israel, PA figured out how to stop attacks?

The Palestinian Authority is using a two-phase approach against potential attackers, first approaching school students and then talking to their parents.

Israeli forces inspect the scene where a Palestinian, whom the Israeli military said attacked Israeli soldiers with an axe, was shot dead at the entrance of Arroub refugee camp, north of the West Bank city of Hebron April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma       TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY      - RTX29Y9E
Israeli forces inspect the scene where a Palestinian, whom the Israeli military said attacked Israeli soldiers with an ax, was shot dead at the entrance of Arroub refugee camp, north of the West Bank city of Hebron, April 14, 2016. — REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) estimate, with great caution, that the wave of terror that broke out in October has been stopped. There are many reasons for the significant decline in terror attacks against Israelis and the motivations of would-be attackers. The most significant reason is Israel’s approach of restraint. This is an essential difference compared with the approach that led Israel to use excessive military force at the beginning of the second intifada (2000-2005), which exacerbated the situation by increasing the motivation of Palestinian organizations to gather forces and respond, and the support of residents of the Gaza Strip and West Bank for acts of revenge against the Israelis.

Israel and the PA don’t talk much about the successful security cooperation between the two sides, which has also helped to stop the wave of terror, at least for now. Most of the security cooperation focuses on the field of intelligence.

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