Between Sarona Market and Paris

The matters of 'inspiration' and 'guidance' were at the base of three attacks that were carried out in ten days by terrorists affiliated with the extreme right: the shooting at the Sarona center in Tel Aviv, the nightclub massacre in Orlando and the murder of a high-ranking police officer in Paris. 'Inspiration' refers to an attack carried out by individuals who were motivated by the instigation of Muslim organizations (especially ISIS), and even instructed how to kill via popular online videos. A 'guided' attack, however, is designed and managed by a certain command, such as the 9/11 attack by al-Qaida or the Hamas suicide bombings during the second intifada.

It seems that the recent attacks in Tel Aviv, Europe and America were on the basis of 'inspiration' rather than 'guidance'. In Tel Aviv, 9 days after the massacre at the Max Brenner Cafe, the investigation is focused on the two cousins, the ​​murderers from the southern Mount Hebron region. Most of the details of the investigation are still under gag order, though by analyzing the details that were cleared for publication, it can be concluded that this was a textbook 'inspiration' attack. It is possible that the cousins ​​decided to act on their own, and it is doubtful that they shared their scheme with anyone else. Since the Hamas infrastructure in the Judea and Samaria is shattered, it is likely that a local infrastructure provided the murderers with Carl Gustav rifles, made by local Palestinian lathe-shops.

One of the two shooters was apprehended alive and well at the home of a police officer, on the day of shooting last week. He has been under investigation since then. The investigation of his cousin began only on Wednesday, since he was shot by security guards on the day of the shooting, and was transferred only last Wednesday from a hospital to an outpatient facility of the Israel Prison Service. It would be difficult to expect that the investigation will lead to a startling discovery about what happened before and during the attack at Sarona. Such 'inspiration' attacks can only be detected by running agents deep inside the target population and monitoring every tweet on the internet. Apparently, the Israeli intelligence services have developed tools to do so, as 34 'inspiration' attacks similar to the one in Sarona were foiled since the beginning of 2016.

The means of deterrence against perpetrators of such attacks include the demolition of their houses, performed almost immediately after the attack, but not much more. Even the Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has no magic solutions. Liberman, by the way, started to work. After dozens of hours of briefings by senior officials from all intelligence agencies, who taught him amazing details on the most secret capabilities of Israel, he went out to field, and even held his first meeting with military reporters. The meeting went well, for both sides.

Now, Avigdor Liberman is heading to the United States. Next week he will attend the unveiling ceremony of the F-35 fighter (IAF designation 'Adir'), at the Lockheed Martin plants in Texas. Israel will be the first country to receive the aircraft outside the USA. The first planes will land on December 12, 2016.

Defense Minister Lieberman will also discuss the issue of US military aid to Israel. He will not close the deal, however, since negotiations over the aid agreement are run by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, through the National Security Council. In this context, this week's report on the objection of the Obama administration to increase the missile program budget is not as significant as the aid agreement itself. The "Arrow 3" and "David's Sling" missile projects are jointly developed by both countries, therefore they are financed by a special budget.

Liberman also sent out messages this week, on behalf of the defense establishment, that Hamas would "pay" in the case of an additional round of fighting in the Gaza Strip. Does this mark the beginning of the elimination doctrine of Ismail Haniyeh? In the meantime, a senior security official said that a "confrontation between the IDF and Hamas is inevitable but we are not looking for adventures. We will not initiate a war of choice."

Meanwhile in Paris

The attacks in recent months have changed the atmosphere in Europe. The change is evident in the streets of Paris, which are filled with armed soldiers (designed to give a sense of security to the spectators at the EURO 2016 soccer games), and especially at the Eurosatory 2016 exhibition.

This biennial weapon exhibition is one of the largest in the world. The climate change is also noticeable in the increased defense budgets of European countries, which are looking zealously for other security technologies. Israel has a lot to offer in this field: 42 Israeli companies participated in the exhibition and demonstrated their innovations. The Israeli presence was second only to the hosting state, France. Defense officials say that orders from Europe have been increasing for several months.