Uneasy peace in Israel comes at a cost

The current calm in Israel, marked by a dramatic decline in suicide bombings, is the result of the country's aggressive security efforts, officials say.

An unidentified senior Israeli security official said while violence in Israel has declined in recent months, the relative peace was produced by deadly raids and nightly arrests by Israeli troops in the West Bank, The New York Times reported Saturday.

The anonymous official said the final cost of keeping Israeli security troops out of the West Bank "might be one that we don't want to pay."

The commander of the Israeli army's paratroops brigade, Col. Herzi Halevi, said such aggressive efforts by Israeli troops were the main reason bombings have declined.

Halevi said Israeli security officials do not want to give up their ability to go into Palestinian territory to stop potential terrorists before they enter Israel, the Times reported.

"You cannot play from the touchdown line," the Israeli military official said.

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