The Israeli army announced Tuesday (December 22) that it had deployed reinforcements in the West Bank after the murder of a Franco-Israeli woman whose funeral brought together hundreds of people in a Jewish settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Read also: West Bank: the long march towards an uncertain annexation
"
It was decided to strengthen the division of Judea and Samaria (name given by Israel to the West Bank, editor's note) in order to improve the defense of communities and roads,
" said the Israeli army, without specifying the number of soldiers. deployed.
These reinforcements were announced the day after the remains of Esther Horgen, 52, a Franco-Israeli mother of six, were found in a forest near the small Israeli settlement of Tal Menashe, in the northern occupied West Bank. .
Asked if these reinforcements were linked to this death, an army spokesperson replied in the affirmative and also referred to "
other
" security events without giving details.
Israeli authorities are investigating the death, following indications that Horgen was beaten to death.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral of this Franco-Israeli, born Brigitte Attelan and who grew up in Fontenay-aux-Roses (south of Paris) on Tuesday, before leaving for the Holy Land about thirty years ago.
After a ceremony at his home in Tal Menashe, the crowd proceeded to the cemetery for burial.
Hundreds of people attended Esther Horgen's funeral on Tuesday.
JACK GUEZ / AFP
“
Esther Horgen was cruelly murdered when she was out jogging near her home.
The security forces will arrest the killer as soon as possible and we will settle our accounts with him,
”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.
A statement from his office said on Tuesday evening that the government had approved his proposal to grant a 40 million shekels (10 million euros) subsidy to West Bank settlements, primarily for security.
"
France strongly condemns the murder of a French national in the West Bank,
" said the French Foreign Ministry, calling for "
all light
" to be
shed
on "
this heinous crime, whose perpetrators should be brought to justice
”.
More than 450,000 Israelis reside in settlements - deemed illegal by international law - in the West Bank, where 2.8 million Palestinians live.
Clashes occur frequently between Palestinians and Israeli settlers in this territory occupied by Israel for more than 50 years.