(JTA) — Israel had a dramatic drop in terrorist attacks this year, Israel’s internal security service said in its annual review.
For the first time in a decade, there were no suicide attacks and the number of Israelis killed dropped from 36 in 2008 to 15 in 2009, the Shin Bet reported this week.
The security service attributed the drop in attacks in the West Bank both to Israeli and Palestinian security services; the United States has led a group of nations training the Palestinians in security techniques as part of a plan to encourage Israel to temper its presence there.
The Shin Bet attributed a drop in rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, from 2,048 in 2009 to 566 in 2009 to Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s war against Hamas last winter.
