The significant increase in terror attacks, even using simple tools such as kitchen knives - among other things - done by simple Palestinian and Israeli Arabs - rather than just by members of terror cells, brainwashed dysfunctional people - is disconcerting, to say the least.

And it makes people nervous and scared, and it makes many more alert and aware of their surroundings.

I don't want to sound paranoid or scared, nor do I want to frighten other people, but I think there is an important issue that needs to be addressed. That issue is local security.

B"H nothing has happened in Bet Shemesh, and hopefully nothing will happen in Bet Shemesh, as well as anywhere else in the country from this point on.

However, in other attacks around the country, some of them were perpetrated by Arab laborers that worked in those communities and areas.

When walking, running and driving around Bet Shemesh at any time of the day, one will notice that there are many isolated areas of the city, often along the edges, that have residents out, such as male and female runners, teens walking or waiting by a bus stop, people hitchhiking, kids riding bikes, and others.  There are many construction sites around the city, especially on the edges of RBS, where Arab laborers are a regular presence.

I have no problem with that. This is the reality. People have been talking for years about replacing the Arab workers with Jewish ones, and it doesn't ever happen. If Jews wanted these jobs, they could have had them a long time ago. So on that end I do not think anything is going to change. Arab workers are part of our reality.

I see, when I am out running early, Arab workers being dropped off, in these quiet areas, for their day of work. They wander around in these quiet areas, where road presence of people is low, but you have a few runners, a few walkers, a few bikers, a few hitchhikers... People are very exposed.

Like what has happened elsewhere, at any moment, a regular laborer could become a terrorist and pull a kitchen knife out of his pocket or backpack, and attack a passerby.

In Jerusalem there are police all over the city. There are IDF soldiers all around the city at any time of the day. There are Magavniks around parts of the city. All that presence of security officers has not prevented the attacks, but it does mean police or soldiers are just moments away and can react quickly.

In Bet Shemesh, and especially in RBS, the police presence is sparse. By the nature of Bet Shemesh, IDF and Magav presence is non-existent. In RBS one can go days without seeing a patrol car, and if one calls the police it can take 10 to 15 minutes for them to arrive (though if a terrorist attack was being reported I am sure that range would drop significantly, but it would still be far more than moments).

So, on the one hand, people have to understand the reality. If you are someone who goes out running in such areas, especially in the early morning or late evening hours when there are even fewer people around, pay attention to your surroundings. If possible, carry a phone with you, carry pepper spray or mace or whatever you might have that can pass as some sort of weapon. And especially be aware of your surroundings.

On the other hand, the city really needs to do something about adding security patrols during these trying times. If you have a connection to authorities, use them and mention this idea. If you don't, you can call the mayor or city reps from your area just like anybody else and say you would like, or demand, more police presence on the streets.
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Another issue is that many schools are complaining that their Iryah-sponsored security guards have been pulled and the schools are left without any security presence.

I cannot imagine who was so stupid to pull the little security available specifically now when we need more. I am sure the reasons are further budget cuts, but it makes no sense to cut this now. The security guards at the schools need to be reinstated immediately.

And what I wrote does not apply just to Bet Shemesh, but it is something I noticed in my travels around Bet Shemesh. Wherever in Israel (or elsewhere) you are reading this, pay attention to your surroundings. Be aware of your environment. Carry a phone with you and/or something like pepper spray if possible. And get your reps on the line to increase security as much as possible.