Religious Zionism MK: Israeli withdrawals invite terrorism

The Religious Zionism Party on Sunday installed new directional signs across northern Samaria, pointing to Jewish communities and helping drivers avoid mistakenly entering Palestinian Authority-controlled areas.

By Amelie Botbol, JNS

Israeli withdrawals inevitably invite Arab terrorism, Religious Zionism Party MK Ohad Tal told JNS on Sunday, saying new Jewish communities and an increased Israel Defense Forces presence have stabilized northern Samaria.

“Israel has learned the hard way that there are no power vacuums: Wherever there is an Israeli withdrawal, Arab terrorism moves in,” Tal said.

The Religious Zionism Party, he said, has led a historic change by working to apply de facto Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.

“Instead of northern Samaria remaining a hotbed of terrorism, extremism and violence, new Israeli communities and IDF presence have changed and stabilized the reality on the ground,” Tal explained.

“This is one of the key lessons from Oct. 7: not to wait for your enemies to strengthen, but to be proactive and counter the threat,” he said, in reference to the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel, which killed some 1,200 people, primarily Jewish civilians.

The Religious Zionism Party on Sunday installed new directional signs across northern Samaria pointing to Jewish communities in the region, aiming to prevent drivers from mistakenly entering Palestinian Authority-controlled areas.

The initiative followed an attempted lynching last week of an Israeli mother and son who accidentally drove into Jenin.