Israeli Police Raise Jerusalem Security Alert After Intelligence Reports of Possible Terrorist Attack

Veteran journalist Sharona Schwartz is reporting from Jerusalem for The Blaze:

Just days after the terrorist attack in Eilat which killed eight Israelis, the Israel Police have now raised the alert level in this nation’s capital.

Terrorist rockets continued raining on the southern Israeli towns of Sderot, Ashkelon and Beer Sheba throughout the weekend, but intelligence reports guided authorities to put the city of Jerusalem on Level 3 alert, one level below the highest alert which is Level 4.

Update: Late Monday afternoon Israel time police canceled the specific threat alert for Jerusalem.  But the overall threat level remains at Level 3 with an "emphasis" on Jerusalem and southern Israel.

The newspaper Maariv reported officials have received specific intelligence on the possibility of a terrorist attack in Jerusalem.

By contrast, Israel National News reported the intelligence is “of a general, not specific, nature,” adding the timing for the attack was described as "immediate."

A Jerusalem Police spokeswoman told The Blaze the alert means more police patrols in crowded areas, a more noticeable police presence especially along the seams between Arab and Jewish neighborhoods of the city and the predominantly Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, more roadblocks checking suspicious cars and people.

“Police and border police forces with the help of volunteers are patrolling by foot and by vehicle in crowded areas, in markets, and in Arab villages in order to stop any attempt to disrupt the order and to harm the public safety,” said the spokeswoman, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the subject.

Jerusalem Police Spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby told The Jerusalem Post that police had not received any information indicating any threat of violence against Glenn Beck's Restoring Courage shows this week in Jerusalem.

"There has been absolutely no decision to change [the event]," Ben-Ruby told the English-language paper. "We are not going to revoke the permit in any way, shape or form."

A police spokeswoman told The Blaze that the raised alert in Jerusalem was not connected in any way to the Restoring Courage events.

Outside, it was clear there are more police and border police at the malls and the Old City and on the streets. Despite that, the shops and streets were crowded with both Israeli and foreign tourists, this week marking the tail end of summer vacation. It is also an indication of the intrepid nature of Israelis who refuse to let the threat of terrorism disrupt their doing what they want to do and when.

The morning news broadcasts reported some traffic entering the city from the suburbs, a direct result of the more intense security checks at roadblocks.

The police spokeswoman said no arrests had been made as a result of the increased intelligence.

The last terror attack in Jerusalem took place in March when a bomb hidden in a suitcase was left near a bus stop in the area of the city’s central bus station. One woman was killed and 50 were injured in that attack. That was the first serious bombing since 2004.

Since the threat of revenge doesn’t usually deter Palestinian terrorism, it’s unlikely the Israel Defense Minster’s quote in the Israeli press will have much of an impact.

Touring one of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system batteries in southern Israel Sunday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak put out this warning to those seeking to inflict more harm on civilians: "Whoever acts against us, chances are high that his head will be separated from his body."