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Will Judea and Samaria be classified as ‘combat zone’ by IDF?

“Terrorists need to be deal with now. We can’t wait,” says senior security official.

By World Israel News Staff

The Israeli army is on the verge of redefining Judea and Samaria an active combat zone, which would facilitate the transfer of additional troops to the region and define the area as a “secondary arena,” with its importance to Israel’s security being ranked as the IDF’s second priority, behind Gaza.

Following a weeklong counter-terror raid by the IDF in the terror hotbed of Jenin, dubbed “Operation Summer Camp,” Walla reported that the military will be expanding its operations in the region.

For months, Iran has been flooding the region with weapons, along with funding and training terror groups, as part of its strategy to encircle Israel with its proxy terror groups.

“The terrorist infrastructure in Judea and Samaria is currently building its power. We can’t hold back until things to intensify. Terrorists need to be deal with now. We can’t wait,” a senior security official, speaking anonymously, told Walla.

The official outlined the IDF’s strategy for clamping down on terror.

“The way we do it? Make the terrorists surrender with their hands up, or kill them,” he said.

He added that discovering and destroying explosive laboratories and fighting weapon smuggling from Jordan are also key elements of the strategy.

“Every day that you fail to deal with the problem, your future situation worsens. We must not wait for a suicide bombing in the heart of the country.”

In an open letter, Minister of Settlement Affairs Orit Strock urged the Security Cabinet to take decisive action against ongoing terror threats in Judea and Samaria.

“Two weeks ago, five Hamas leaders in Hebron were released from detention. These individuals were arrested at the war’s outset as part of efforts to prevent an outbreak [of terror attacks] in Judea and Samaria. Merely two weeks after their release, a double bomb attack was carried out in Gush Etzion, with the perpetrators originating from Hebron. We narrowly averted a catastrophe,” Strock wrote.

“The war’s outbreak triggered a wave of arrests targeting key terrorist operatives in the sector. Their release is part of a series of releases that have occurred or are slated to occur soon, due to legal hurdles and a shortage of detention facilities. Neither of these reasons can justify the looming bloodshed.”