Palestinians turn to makeshift guns in escalation of street violence

During previous rounds of Palestinian violence, Israeli raids on the occupied West Bank would turn up small arsenals of military assault rifles. Now hauls more often include what look like toy guns and the tools required to make them lethal.
After years of seizures that have choked the supply of unlicensed M-16s and Kalashnikovs in the territory and raised black-market prices, some Palestinians are turning to improvised firearms to carry out street attacks on Israelis.
Five months into a series of killings by Palestinians that have mainly involved stabbings and car-rammings, some are stepping up the assaults by using such makeshift guns.
This escalation could pose problems for authorities on both sides, who are seeking to keep the bloodshed from spilling over into another uprising that could draw in armed Palestinian factions and trigger sweeping Israeli crackdowns.
The shift was illustrated by the haul from an Israeli raid on a foundry in the occupied West Bank this week; photos released by Israel's Shin Bet intelligence service showed a sniper rifle held together by duct tape, a Wild West-style long gun with a silencer welded on, as well as a lathe machine tool.
The foundry may be a testament to the effectiveness of past raids, by both Israeli and Palestinian security services.
"A genuine M-16 now costs 60,000 to 70,000 shekels ($15,000-$18,000) on the street, whereas an improvised gun can cost as little as 2,000 shekels ($512)," one Palestinian with knowledge of the trade told Reuters. "For a young person looking to carry out an attack with limited resources, the choice is obvious."
The crudity of the cobbled-together guns may offer scant comfort to Palestinian and Israeli security officials.
Palestinian leaders and international powers have already said Israel has often used excessive force against assailants, many of them youths, though Israel has rejected this, saying it has prevented lethal attacks on civilians and security forces.
Security experts cautioned that Israel was likely to be even less restrained should its forces or citizens come under regular attack with guns, regardless of how lethal they are.
"It's one thing for a soldier to face someone who is trying to stab him with scissors, quite another to face a gunman - he can never know whether if there is more ammunition, if the gun is still a threat, so he is likelier to shoot," said Amy Ayalon, who headed the Shin Bet between 1996 and 2000, when the last Palestinian revolt against Israel erupted.
"So the response, on site, tends to be harsher, and the political echelon will be forced to back it up."