After a series of Israeli crackdowns in Gaza, a suicide bombing killed at least 15 Israelis in Haifa Wednesday. The deceptive calm created by Israel’s firm grip on the Palestinian territories shattered Wednesday afternoon. Images of a street littered with charred and smoking ruins once again flashed across TV screens here after a massive bombing shredded a bus in a leafy residential neighborhood in the northern port city of Haifa. The bombing, which killed at least 15 and injured dozens, was the first since early January. It bolsters analysts who argue that Israel’s reoccupation of the West Bank, and repeated strikes against the militant group Hamas in Gaza won’t end Palestinian violence. Instead, these analysts argue, Israel’s actions simply serve to boost militant groups’ support, popularity, and determination. “The harder they are hit, often the more benefit they gain,” says Hisham Ahmed, a professor at Bir Zeit University in the West Bank who studies militant groups. “There are short-term losses – infrastructure, financial, human – but after that they tend to capitalize by further mobilizing their constituencies and the public at large.” Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.