Former ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) Director Yuval District has come out strongly against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s call to relax open fire orders for security forces. Diskin says doing so will result in an increase in terror attacks.

Diskin, who served as director of the ISA under Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert and Binyamin Netanyahu, used Facebook to express his opposition to the prime minister’s plan. He explains that changing open fire orders will lead to additional deaths among the Arabs and this will only fuel the fire of terrorism.

He explains that based on a great deal of experience he knows that anyone who believes that a lighter hand on the trigger will end rock terrorism is mistaken. He adds that the briefings held addressing sterner punishment, open fire orders and fining parents of Arab minors who throw rocks have been discussed hundreds of times in the past.

“A prolonged continuation of rock attacks, firebombs, vehicular attacks, stabbings and more generally signal a difficult atmosphere resulting from various factors including financial distress, response to an event (such as the arson attack that killed the Darawshe family), tensions on Har Habayis, incitement, frustration and most importantly, a lack of hope” state Diskin.

He feels more bloodshed will worsen the situation, especially if the blood is that of civilians. To drive the point home he cites an example from the first weeks of the Second Intifada in October 2000, when the death toll between Israel and the Arabs was 15:1 in favor of Israel. He feels the light handed use of live ammunition against civilians resulted in damage to this very day but adds the rock-throwing will not stop even if blood turns to water but the latter will have an adverse effect. Diskin insists that leaders know from experience that if the death toll rises among civilians, the violence and attacks will escalate. He speaks out strongly against right-wing politicians, especially the prime minister and Justice Minister (Bayit Yehudi) Ayelet Shaked.

He calls on the two senior ministers to reconsider, stressing that a lighter hand on the trigger will have just the opposite effect. He warns that moving forward as planned will result in an increase in terror attacks.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)