On Wednesday night, once the Arab League summit had ended in Amman, Israeli helicopters flew over Ramallah and the Gaza Strip and attacked bases and targets belonging to Force 17, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's personal security service. The aerial attacks killed at least three Force 17 members, and damaged Arafat's home in the Gaza Strip, along with other targets. Israel believes Force 17 is coordinating and carrying out terror attacks, while it cooperates with militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Earlier in March, security forces arrested three members of a militant cell with Force 17 ties operating out of the Kalandia refugee camp north of Jerusalem. It said other attacks were planned for gas stations and clubs in the Jerusalem area.
People now fear riding the bus and going to the market.
Bombs have exploded in Petah Tikvah and affluent Herzliya over the last two weeks, but resulted in no casualties. Ordinary citizens have discovered explosive devices in Netanya and Jerusalem, preventing explosions from occuring. The crowds at the Mahane Yehuda market, home to the cheapest deals and best baked goods in the western part of the capital, have all but disappeared. Neighbors tell me there was little more than elbow room between anxious customers before the bombing in November, the first attack during the current intifada. Mahane Yehuda has endured its share of bombings and bloodshed over the last few years.