Posted on 03/06/2004 10:45:35 AM PST by yonif
Police in Jerusalem reduced the severity of a terror alert on Saturday afternoon, after an Israel Defense Forces operation in the West Bank town of Ramallah foiled a suicide attack that was planned to be carried out in the capital on Saturday evening.
Despite the reduction of the level of the alert, police and security forces will retain their high presence in the capital through the Purim holiday.
The road between Jerusalem and Givat Ze`ev was closed to traffic, and there were heavy traffic jams on the road between the capital and Ma`aleh Adumim, the radio said.
Security forces removed some roadblocks from the Sharon region midday Friday, but remained on alert and continued inspecting some vehicles in the wake of a terror threat in the area.
Police and the army have already been placed on "very high alert" for the Purim holiday weekend, amid threats from Hamas of vengeance for this week's assassination of three Hamas activists, and a total closure was imposed on the territories.
At least 56 separate alerts about terrorist plots are active, Shin Bet officials say, but none are pinpointed information. Some IDF officers had reservations about imposing a total closure on the West Bank and Gaza because it disrupts an already struggling Palestinian economy.
Security forces had received intelligence information that at least one Palestinian was making his way Friday morning from the West Bank to Kafr Qasem and Rosh Ha'ayin in the Sharon region to carry out a terror attack within the Green Line.
The Tel Aviv district police were planning beefed up security for Purim events in the region. Some 2,000 police officers, volunteers, Israel Defense Forces soldiers were to be among the security forces deployed in cities as of Friday morning.
The security forces will be deployed in city centers and places that attract large numbers of people, including shopping centers, markets, and central bus stations.
A large police presence will be felt at events taking place in city centers in the center of the country. A large number of forces were deployed in Holon and Ramat Hasharon on Friday during the Adloyada festival. A Purim celebration will be held in Bnei Brak on Saturday evening, and a large police presence will also be felt.
However, there was this rather unfortunate picture in today's NY Post:
The caption reads: "CAN'T BE TUTU CAREFUL: An Israeli policeman, costumed as a ballerina for the dress-up festival of Purim, patrols a Tel Aviv street yesterday."
I just hope he was able to run down impending exploding islamofascists. Then again, any wannabe terrorist getting his ass kicked by a guy in a tutu is gonna wish that he blew up.
Purim is silly season.
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