The Israel Defense Forces are set to call up the reserves in January in order to enable drafted troops to train for combat, the defense ministry announced on Monday.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon told reporters at a briefing at the ministry in Tel Aviv the move would also take place to help address the current wave of terror, which is likely to continue for some time, “I don’t know for how long.”
Although Israel has blocked efforts by Hamas and other terror groups to organize any major operations there have been dozens of lone wolf stabbings, shootings and ramming vehicle attacks.
It is also possible the terror groups could gain strength, Ya’alon warned. “More significant hostile action is possible,” he said, pointing to the widespread radical Islamist anti-Israel incitement filling jihadist and social networking sites.
“The deeper background goes back to what is being taught in the Palestinian Authority,” Ya’alon noted, referring to murderous images flashed by Da’esh (ISIS) in Syria and Iraq. “[The PA] education system does not prepare the next generation for co-existence.”
Israel, however, is “safeguarding the economic routine” for Arabs in the Palestinian Authority, because it is in Israel’s interest, Ya’alon said.
The bottom line rests with Israel’s policy of punishing terrorists while enabling Arabs living in the Palestinian Authority to live their lives in dignity.
