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Judea, Samaria residents demand strong IDF response to rising terror

The protesters said that holding back on a serious response until someone is seriously wounded or killed is not an option.

By World Israel News Staff

Residents of Karmei Tzur, a Jewish community in Judea and Samaria north of Hebron, took to the streets to protest against an uptick in Arab terror attacks and what they say is a failure by the Israeli government to appropriately intervene and provide sufficient security and protection for residents.

Several dozen people marched from Karmei Tzur towards Route 60 on Friday, waving Israeli flags and demanding that the army proactively combat the rock-throwing and Molotov cocktail attacks that have become increasingly common near the town.

According to the organizers of the demonstration, there are numerous attempts by local Arabs each week to injure or kill Jewish drivers by hurling firebombs or stones at their vehicles.

While none of the recent attacks ended with casualties, the attempts need to be treated with the utmost seriousness by Israel’s security forces due to the potential for catastrophe, they said.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that some 200 terror attacks, including car ramming, stone throwing, and firebombing, took place in Judea and Samaria in September 2021 alone.

“We have seen Jewish lives lost, including young children, at the hands of terrorists throwing rocks. This is an unacceptable reality that has gone on way too long,” said Gush Etzion Regional Council Spokesman spokesman Josh Hasten.

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“The government must take responsibility and create meaningful deterrence via the IDF against those who try to murder Israelis on the roads in Judea and Samaria.”

The protesters said that holding back on a serious response until someone is seriously wounded or killed is not an option.

“We are witnessing an increase in terrorism throughout Judea and Samaria, including here in Gush Etzion,” said Gush Etzion Regional Council Head Shlomo Ne’eman.

“We demand that the government instruct the security forces to clamp down on the terrorists immediately. We should not wait until further intensification. We will continue our [daily life] but demand that we can live here safely.”