The government’s continuing “goodwill” measures to bolster Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas caused an increase in rock-throwing terrorist attacks on Jews, traffic accidents and crime, Police Commissioner David Cohen said Wednesday. He pointed out that he is not interfering with government policy decisions but simply was presenting the facts.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, under pressure from the Obama administration, has removed more than 150 checkpoints and roadblocks and reduced army patrols. The American government wants more of them taken away to help coax Abbas back to discussions on transforming the PA into a full-fledged state with its capital in Jerusalem.
The police chief said that in the last six months of 2009, the number of rock attacks in Judea and Samaria increased dramatically.
Arabs throw rocks at Jewish motorists with the intent of causing fatal accidents. Rock throwing attacks have become daily occurrences on Judea and Samaria roads in the past three months. Sometimes the rocks themselves cause injury: one small child was wounded last week when a rock crashed through a windshield.
Last month, a rabbi in Samaria was murdered by terrorists from Shechem several days after Barak ordered a roadblock to be removed. The IDF denied there was any connection between the roadblock's removal and the murder.
Many of the assaults with rocks and firebombs have occurred on Highway 60, connecting Jerusalem and Kiryat Arba-Hevron, where major checkpoints have been removed. The checkpoints often enabled policemen and soldiers to catch Arab drivers with stolen vehicles or driving them without a license.
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Topic: ‘Goodwill’ Measures Led to More Crime, Terror, Says Police Chief (Read 1221 times)