The recent double-suicide bombing in Be'er Sheva (31 August 2004)
reaffirms Israel's claim that the relative quiet of the last few
months was not due to the terrorist organizations' loss of their
desire or motivation to carry out attacks, but rather thanks to two
types of actions taken by Israel:

1. The anti-terrorist fence, which has proven its efficacy in
   the sections where it has been completed (the northern section) by
   saving many Israeli lives.
2. The intensive, ongoing activities of the security forces to
   prevent terrorism, in the absence of any cooperation or comparable
   effort on the part of the Palestinian Authority.

The following facts and figures demonstrate the preventive actions
of the security forces:

1. From January through August this year, 205 would-be suicide
   bombers were arrested, 193 of them before they even started out on
   their missions. Twelve were intercepted on their way to carry out
   attacks.
2. In the past year, 80-100 terrorists have been killed during
   confrontations with security forces. Dozens of attacks were thwarted
   in various stages of planning or implementation.
3. Security forces receive and respond to dozens of warnings
   every day (40-50 a day over the past few weeks).
4. Since the beginning of Operation Defensive Shield, 6,207
   terrorists have been taken out of action: 5,275 of them have been
   arrested and questioned; 932 of them were killed.
5. From January through 23 August, the General Security Service
   has questioned 1,407 suspects.
6. Lately, security forces have arrested more than 100 suspects
   a week.