Terrorist attacks against Israelis halved in August

The number of terrorist attacks targeting Israelis more than halved last month from July, constituting the sharpest decrease in incidents since 2015.

The Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet, recorded in August 110 terrorist attacks on Israelis compared to 222 the previous month, when tensions around the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem generated a major hike in incidents, the agency said in its monthly report published earlier this week.

The decrease brought the number of attacks back to a level similar from before the July conflagration, which resulted in the highest number of incidents in any month since December 2015. From January 2016 onward, Israel saw on average 121 attacks against its citizens per month.

The attacks in August resulted in two injuries, both from stabbings, to victims. There were no fatalities in August from terrorist attacks against Israelis. July was one of the deadliest months in terms of Israeli victims of terrorist attacks since 2015, with five dead.

The decrease in terrorist activity was especially steep in Jerusalem, where attacks fell in August by 73 percent to 24 incidents. The decrease in the West Bank was less dramatic: A 36-percent drop to a total of 83 incidents.

In July, three Arab terrorists killed the two officers before being shot dead. Israel placed metal detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount, a compound that is holy both to Jews and Muslims. Riots ensued, leading Israel to dismantle the metal detectors two weeks after installing them.