"My wife was riding the bus with me when we hit the rock. Suddenly, I saw masked men jump out and throw the rock," says Raphael Cohen-Yegodyev, a bus driver on the Kedumim-Kfar Saba route.
Terrors on the road in Judea and Samaria: stones thrown at vehicles near Kafr 'Azzun
"If I hadn't braked as soon as I caught the terrorists, the rock would have penetrated the windshield higher and my wife would have grabbed it. I don't know if she would have survived. The shards of glass reached the back seat. We are traumatized. I ask people not to sit near specific windows. It's a matter of time before someone gets hurt."
Traveling on Route 55, one of the most central arteries in Samaria, has become a nightmare in recent months, with a spike in the number of stone-throwing on the route by Palestinian terrorists who have made it their goal to attack, along with private vehicles, buses as well. Dozens of passengers on a bus that is not bulletproof are a much more attractive target, the terrorists know, so they equip themselves with real rocks that can smash the stone-proof glass, lurk in places known in advance, and when the heavy vehicle approaches, they pick up the rocks and throw them away.
Photo: Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria,
Yigal Lahav, Head of Karnei Shomron CouncilPhoto: Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria,
The result is frightening. Footage of buses shattered by glass shows that the distance between damage and casualties is short. Figures obtained by Israel Hayom indicate that so far 24 buses belonging to Tnufa, which operates public transportation in the Jerusalem and Samaria corridors, have been damaged by stones thrown on the route over the past year. Ten of the buses were severely damaged and taken off the road. As of early September, four drivers had reportedly been injured by shrapnel in these attacks and placed on sick leave.
"This road has become a target for stone attacks," says the head of the Kedumim Council, Hananel Durrani, "There is hardly a day when a car or bus is not hit. There were also drivers who were injured, but fortunately most of the damage was to property." Durrani says that the roundabouts built by Netivei Israel have become a security hazard, because vehicles are forced to slow down when they reach them, thus becoming a target. This is a claim that recurs throughout Judea and Samaria, including Mount Hebron, where the driver of the vehicle in which Batsheva was traveling was forced to slow down, making it easier for the terrorists to overtake him and fire at the car.
Durrani shows as an example messages he received from a driver who was hit by stones on his way home. "Masked men on the side of the road really 'enjoyed' the slow, dense traffic, with many returning home, mowing at point-blank range. Beyond the enormous damage to the property of many cars, it is an open miracle that there are no casualties. Thank God, I'm fine except for minor scratches. A real miracle. How can we motivate the dismantling of the square, this death trap in Azzun? It's absolutely crazy that a road called the 'Azzun bypass' was built and eventually led to a process in which we are exposed to daily danger at the entrance to their village."
On the floor in fear
Rafael Cohen-Yegodyev says it is life-threatening. In recent months, the bus in which he drives has been hit by stones on three occasions. The first two times involved only tin damage, but the third time, which took place only a week and a half ago, unequivocally endangered his life, the lives of his wife and the passengers.
"I've been traveling in these areas for years. This is the most problematic route in the region, perhaps even more than Huwara, where the damage is in waves. Here it happens every day. There are fixed places and fixed hours. They dress in a fixed place and throw rocks away. The terrorists understood that a stone does nothing but blow up the stone-proof windshield, so they started throwing rocks of 5-4 kilograms. I don't know how you can throw a rock of that weight. There is no one to talk to after such an attack, they are not doing enough. I got a call from the police and army after the latest attack, but I didn't want to talk to them. They asked me if they were masked and how many there were. How much can you grind water? Do what it takes. These are permanent places. Let them just get caught."
Cohen-Yegodyev, a resident of Emanuel, says he is afraid to travel on the route. "We were in an amusement park during the summer vacation, and when we got back, I asked my wife to protect the children in the village of 'Azzun with her body. She didn't understand why I was saying that. Now she understands. She now insists on sitting on the floor in the middle of the bus out of fear. You can't live like that. I lower the curtains on part of the bus so that if, God forbid, there is a blow, a certain percentage will be stopped by the curtain. I also instruct people to sit in specific places, not at the front. I'm afraid to drive the bus, but I have no choice. I have to make a living."
Unprecedented scale
At the center of the security forces' challenge is the village of 'Azzun, which is considered particularly hostile and a focal point of popular hostile terrorist activity. The IDF is well aware that the terrorists have targeted the buses and are making significant efforts to eradicate the phenomenon. In recent weeks, many operations have been carried out inside the village alongside activity on the roads.
Photo: Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria,
Photo: Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria,
Some of the residents do not see the IDF's activity as enough and have decided to act on their own and establish a kind of civilian patrol unit. "I've lived in this area since 2005, and there's never been such a scope of stone throwing," says Aviad Gadot, a resident of Kedumim and director of the "Martial Doctrine" organization, which supports the establishment of the unit.
According to him, the IDF is limited in its ability to operate because of open-fire regulations, and therefore the residents decided to increase the pressure through civilian patrols, which the military opposes. "We understand that this saves lives and are going for it with all our might, in order to get the army to defend the area. When Jews are on the axis, so does the IDF."
Durrani opposes the actions of the citizens: "It is wrong to establish a private militia, we must not take matters into our own hands. The army is strong and knows how to do the job, yet we need to exert joint pressure on the authorities to act as required."
The IDF Spokesperson said in response: "This is a private civilian initiative that is not coordinated with the IDF. The IDF is using a variety of overt and covert means to deal with stone-throwing incidents, and has arrested dozens of suspects in recent months."
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us