‘Thanks for your resilience’ – IDF chief praises Judea and Samaria residents

Referencing rock terror on Judea and Samaria roads, Kochavi said that “a stone can be murderous and deadly, just like a bullet.”

By World Israel News Staff

The Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff, Major General Aviv Kochavi, praised residents of Judea and Samaria while speaking at a conference in Ariel on Wednesday evening.

“I want to thank the residents of the area,” he said. “I know that life here isn’t simple and [you’re faced] with challenges, especially during [anti-terror raids] Operation Wave Breaker.”

After a wave of terror attacks originating in Palestinian Authority-controlled cities in Judea and Samaria, with a number of terrorists hailing from Jenin, the Israeli military has carried out numerous arrest raids throughout the region.

The raids, dubbed Operation Wave Breaker, most recently saw Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s chief terror leader in Judea and Samaria, Bassam al-Saadi, detained by Israeli troops.

PIJ’s Gaza-based terrorists planned an attack on Israeli civilians in retaliation for the arrest, leading to a preemptive strike by the Israeli military.

“I know that there are many frightening incidents, such as stone-throwing – which we are very aware of, and making every effort to stop. A stone can be murderous and deadly, just like a bullet,” Kochavi continued.

“I greatly appreciate your cooperation and the peace and resilience you give us throughout this entire process, and we will stay here until we see the last of the attacks.”

While Hebrew-language press largely ignores rock-throwing attacks in Judea and Samaria, it poses a deadly threat to residents of the region. Activist Ayelet Lash told World Israel News in a June 2022 interview that injuries from rock throwing and other Palestinian terror is a daily occurrence in the region.

“We are living in a war” in Judea and Samaria, Lash said. “People are wounded every single day. There are stone- and rock-throwing attacks, physical beatings, stabbings…it’s an intifada.”

The mainstream media only reports about such attacks when “there’s a complete disaster” and a victim is seriously injured or killed, she added.