The two terrorist attacks at the Gush Etzion Junction and near the settlement of Eli brought back all at once the terrors of the intifada into Israeli reality. The three youths killed in Gush Etzion attack - Kinneret Mandel, Matat Adler-Rosenfeld and Oz Ben-Meir - are the latest victims of this war, which has been going on for five years already. These attacks confirm the assessment that the withdrawal from Gaza will not alone be able to provide a response, even a temporary one, to the ambitions of the Palestinians - let alone their extremist and violent factions. They also bolster doubts regarding the ability of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his security forces to impose their will fully.

That being the case, the Israel Defense Forces cannot stand idly by and not implement a tough policy, aimed at reducing the horror of attacks at the very least, if not thwarting them completely. In the absence of magical solutions to eliminate terrorism, the defense minister has elected to reinstate harsh measures that were in practice during the worst days of the intifada, such as barring Palestinians from driving on main roads in private vehicles, blocking off dirt roads, encircling locations, and even announcing the continued policy of targeted assassinations. These measures, it should be recalled, did not completely prevent attacks in the past.

These measures rely on the assumption that there is nobody reliable on the Palestinian side, and that apparently also will be the assessment Abbas hears in his upcoming meeting with the U.S. president. After all, condemnations of the attacks cannot be a substitute for truly combating the terrorist organizations. But this presumption, which accompanied Israel's relationship with the PA during the tenure of Yasser Arafat, is not suitable for the Abbas era. When it comes to Abbas, the question can no longer exist: "Does he want to fight terrorism?" He demonstrates his determination at every opportunity, even if the results are not satisfactory. He has proved that he is even prepared to clash with Hamas; he promoted the cease-fire between the Palestinian factions and Israel, and this week he even publicized the total number of attacks the PA has managed to foil. In this context, it is impossible to accept Israel's decision to sever all contact with the PA.

Abbas' difficulties in thwarting all attacks while the occupation remains in effect throughout the West Bank do not call for Israel's forgiving attitude toward terrorists, but do demand viewing Abbas as a worthy partner in the anti-terror campaign: a partner who appears to be willing to adopt the old adage that you should fight terrorism as if there were no peace process, and advance the peace process as though there were no terrorism. Israel, which drew optimism from the political developments in the territories in recent months, therefore is obligated to use an appropriate degree of caution fighting terrorism. Such an attitude is guided not by vengeance for a terrible terrorist attack, but rather by the need to build a powerful Palestinian partner that will be capable of replacing Israel in this war.