Shortly after Israel began deploying a system of fences and walls in 2002 known as the "West Bank Barrier," the number of Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians in Israel began plummeting and has stayed at greatly reduced levels ever since. While other factors also played a role in this decline, Palestinian leaders have explicitly stated that this barrier restricts their ability to carry out suicide bombings in Israel. In response to the recent opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, Palestinians are now attempting to blow up this barrier so they can enter Israel and execute terror attacks.