This column must begin with an unequivocal and uncompromising clarification: the riots and acts of revenge inside the Palestinian villages in recent days in um Safa, Turmusaya, and Urif deserve all condemnation. Both because this is a random attack on innocent people and because the random actions add to the conflagration rather than prevent it, harm state security and do not help it. The criminals who entered the villages and burned houses are endangering human lives and should be in prison.
At the same time, it should be said, following the words of Minister Orit Struk, who later apologized for the remarks, that the security forces work night and day at their own peril in order to protect all Israeli citizens, inside and outside the Green Line. One of the most prominent people in the leadership in Judea and Samaria told me very harsh things earlier this week, which express the tremendous complexity in Judea and Samaria in recent times.
Doing day and night. Security forces in Judea and Samaria, photo: Jonathan Zindel/Flash 90
The area exploded
"I don't know what to say about what happened in the villages. On the one hand, if my son went in there I would give him two ringing slaps; On the other hand, we are like ducks at a shooting range. The security forces aren't doing the job, and we're left alone. What can you say to a woman who travels every day from Atar to Ofra or from Elon Moreh to Tapuach Junction? Our blood has been permitted, and no one is willing to take the necessary steps to eradicate the phenomenon."
The area exploded.
It took more than a year, with great tolerance on the part of the settlers, who saw their friends and relatives murdered and wounded before their eyes, while the actions against the Palestinians were carried out only in a measured manner, but the serious attack at the gas station last week was the same tiny straw that broke the camel's back. Imagine a situation in which you are in a restaurant and suddenly a terrorist opens up on the cook. Now, imagine a situation in which for a year you have been crying out for this to happen and no one is willing to take the necessary steps to prevent the continuation of terrorism, and finally what you predicted happens. Imagine driving your children to class and not knowing if you'll get home safely.
Three of the victims of the attack. Ofer Fairman, Elisha Antman and Harel Massoud, photo: Courtesy of the families
The IDF failed - and the settlers were forced to act
Judea and Samaria explicitly blames the security forces for the incompetence that led to the riot in Binyamin. The head of the Binyamin Council, Israel Gantz, called senior IDF officials several times before the riot and warned that after a riot by the Palestinians on the Trans-Binyamin Highway, they were preparing for major operations and that it was important to bring large forces to the site. Even in real time, during the Palestinian riot, there was only a small military force at the scene, which led to residents of the area confronting them, which was documented and published later.
In other words, Binyamin says, the IDF failed in its mission and the settlers were forced to act. A senior settlement official recently told me that a very significant source in the security establishment expressed to him some support for the Palestinians carrying weapons. "There is chaos in the Palestinian Authority and they have to defend themselves," he said. And if a flame has fallen in the cedars, what will the wall mosses say?
Fierce clashes in Binyamin - settlers set fire to property and buildings in Turmus Ayya || Arab networks
The IDF works night and day to protect the residents of Israel, there is no doubt about this, but it seems that they are captive to the concept as if they are able to calm the area and calm everyone.
Tired of anarchy
The sights that appear to us may not yet resemble the second intifada – although they are certainly on the way there – but it is clear that they are the scenes of the first intifada.
Anarchy is currently taking place on the eastern side of the State of Israel. Palestinian terrorists try to do everything in their power to murder Israelis, and in the absence of governance on the part of the security establishment and the government, radicalization occurs on the Israeli side as well.
"Hill youth? These are not hill youth," a settlement source told me when I spoke to him about the recent riots. These are hundreds of Israelis, some of whom until recently were considered "officials" but are tired of the anarchy, the lack of governance, and they are acting in a problematic way that causes damage.
Lack of governance. Chief of Staff Halevi, Netanyahu and Galant,
The Israeli leadership, the government, the IDF, the Shin Bet, the police, must wake up as soon as possible and take decisive actions that will restore security, and more importantly, a sense of security.
Members of the government must stop putting their weight on issues like judicial reform because this is about human lives. To threaten if it is also necessary to dissolve the government, provided that something in this delusional reality changes.
At the same time, the defense establishment must understand what is currently happening in Judea and Samaria and not try to tell themselves stories about calming the situation. We are not about to explode, we are in the midst of an explosion, and now it is time to govern. You don't have to wait for a rocket to fall from Jenin in the heart of Hadera. "Let the IDF win," posters read during the second intifada. Well, it's time again to let the IDF win.
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